Melrudo06 - MELZIMSTAR

by girlsavedbygrace

i am nothing without my connection to God. it’s not religious. it’s deeper than.

As someone who has battled anxiety and very dark thoughts in the past, God has shown me it is crucial to not try to get out of that mindset on my own strength. These are spiritual attacks, and I need to learn to lean on the Spirit to fight for me. I do this by using scripture that reminds me of the nature of God and his will for my life.

The enemy is a liar and he uses catastrophizing and overthinking to tell us lies about ourselves and the things to come. I refuse to give him an inch into my life by coming into agreement with his lies. Understanding the spiritual nature of our thoughts empowers you to not allow them to control you, but for you to have power over them.

1. John 10:10

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

2. Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

3. Psalm 55:22

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

4. Isaiah 41:10

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

5. Philippians 4:6-7

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

6. Romans 8:6

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

7. Matthew 11:28-30

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

Bidiande Madah and Rudmyla Gaia by Thais Vandanezi for Glamour Brasil Magazine September 2023

Michaela DePrince

10 Lessons from My Most Recent Internship!

For those of you who don’t know, I spent January doing a consulting internship and well, I had a blast. I was in a cozy, ski-lodge environment, I worked with a team of amazing students from around the world to come up with a consulting solution for a mega-cap company, and most importantly, I got a TON of advice from some of the biggest people in marketing, consulting, and finance. And of course, I can’t wait to share it with you guys. Let’s get into it:

1. If you’re not growing in a position, you should leave it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working in the most prestigious role at the most prestigious company in the world, the moment you begin to feel comfortable or like you’re not growing, you need to transition. The people who tend to make the biggest impact and attain the most success, are the ones who have seemingly lived a thousand lives. They’ve worked in various industries, taken on countless different roles, and as a result, have grown tremendously throughout their careers. An entrepreneur came to speak to us who started his career as an investment banker, transitioned into becoming a diplomat, then a restaurant owner, and finally the founder of a huge tech company. He made it very clear that had he stayed working at his cushy finance job, he would’ve been half the person he is today. By committing to quit every job he could no longer learn from, he found his passions, his hobbies, his partner, and most importantly, he found a way to make a huge impact in the world.

2. Borrow & adapt.

Instead of trying to rewrite the wheel, look to the people who have already succeeded in what you’re trying to do and adapt their technique so it works for you. For example, if your boss found their success by networking their ass off at every step in their career, figure out how you can use networking to your advantage when trying to move up in your company. I borrow and adapt from people I admire all the time. I know exactly how my mentors got to where they are, and I’ve worked to apply their methods to my own life. I’ve read tons of books from the biggest entrepreneurs out there and I know it would be silly to not borrow their advice so I can one day reach a similar level of success. As you progress in your career, look to the greats for inspiration and figure out what they did so you can, well,  do it better.

3. If you can Google it, don’t ask it.

I’ve said before that the old saying “there’s no such thing as a stupid question” is false because there are such things as stupid questions and people ask them all the time. To me, a stupid question is one that you can find the answer to on your own. This notion became abundantly clear to me a couple of weeks ago when we were given the opportunity to ask questions to professionals at the company we were doing consulting for, and one of the executives prefaced our session by saying “If you can find the answers to these questions without asking us, don’t ask them. We’re busy and it’s not our job to do your work for you”. So the point is: don’t waste people’s time by asking silly questions just to get your voice heard. Ask questions that are compelling and require answers that can’t be found on Wikipedia or (gasp!) Reddit.

4. Express your vision.

One of the most successful startup founders out there came to speak to us a few days ago, and when I asked him for his top interviewing advice, he simply said “Express your vision”. Then he went into a story about how his first job was working as a blackjack dealer at a casino in a popular ski resort. The job paid well, so naturally, he was up against hundreds of applicants for that one spot. Well, during the interview, when they asked “Why do you want to become a blackjack dealer?” he responded, “Because my vision is to one day run the casino. But I have to start somewhere, right?”. The moral of his story is to always express your long-term vision when trying to make your case. Don’t just tell your interviewer that you want to work as a marketing assistant because you like the company’s culture. Tell them you want to one day become the company’s chief marketing officer, so you’re committed to becoming the best marketing assistant they’ve ever had. When people know that you have an innate drive to do amazing things, they will be inclined to open doors for you. 99% of people are too scared to express what they truly want. Stand out by actually owning your vision and sharing it.

5. Short, Sweet, & Front-loaded.

This is how you should structure pretty much every point you make. Nobody is going to pay attention to your pitch if you drag on about things that don’t matter. If you start a point off slowly and calmly, people will get bored and they will very quickly stop paying attention. None of this background story or providing context nonsense. Your pitch should get right to the point, be compelling, and start with a bang. Get your energy up to an 11 and start with something like “I am the ideal candidate for this position for three reasons” or “This product is going to change the world. Here’s why”. By doing so, you get to control how they react to the rest of the conversation.

6. You have got to get over your fear of public speaking.

Because no matter who you are or what career you find yourself in, you will eventually have to speak in front of a large group of people. Whether it’s as a maid of honor at a wedding, sitting around a large dinner table, or standing in front of a board room, I can guarantee you that will you need to step up at some point and be able to express yourself clearly and calmly in front of many people. During my internship, I had to do some form of public speaking nearly every day simply because our directors knew that public speaking is an essential part of life. So, if you’re deathly afraid of it, I suggest you get started right now on getting over that fear. Invest in some books, watch a few TED Talks, sign up for your local toastmasters, and do whatever you have to do to become a strong speaker. This is a tough pill to swallow but I have to say it: your ability to speak well in front of an audience will define the trajectory of your career.

7. Don’t underestimate the value of a supportive partner.

Nearly every leader who came to speak to interns, at some point or another, mentioned how they would have never gotten to their level of success without their spouse. One of the speakers explained exactly why, he said “I’ve never made a career decision without talking it through with my wife. I’m not a superhuman. I have blind spots and my wife, who knows me even better than I know myself, can immediately spot them and help me make the right choices.” I know we’re all independent women here, but understand that having a partner who will not only support you unconditionally but will also push you to be your best self and hold you accountable will make a HUGE difference in your career and ultimately, in your life.

8. “Don’t create magic, create the conditions for magic to happen”.

The chief marketing officer of one of the largest companies in the world gave this exact answer when one of the interns asked him what his secret to success is. He explained that you don’t have to be a genius or have all the perfect answers to stand out in your career. Your ideas don’t even need to be all that great. All you need to do is surround yourself with the right people and facilitate the right environment to create the proverbial magic. And it makes perfect sense. Have you ever driven yourself crazy trying to come up with a solution to a problem, only for a friend to offer you the perfect solution within seconds? Well, if you can consistently surround yourself with a group of people who go beyond your blind spots, you’re going to be successful in truly any endeavor.

9. Focus on the big picture.

Translation: don’t sweat the small stuff. When it comes to your career, you’re not going to be judged on that outfit you wore that one time or that presentation you were nervous about. You’re going to be judged on the culmination of your work throughout your time in a role. I get so many questions from people freaking out about the silliest issues related to their careers and frankly, none of them matter. When you show up at the office every day, instead of spending two hours formatting your notes or practicing in the mirror how you’ll say good morning to your coworker, start showing up ready to get your work done to the best of your ability despite the tiny mistakes you’re bound to make.

10. Create a vision statement for your life.

A neuroscientist came to speak to us early on in the internship and he spent the entire two-hour-long session having us make vision statements for our lives. A vision statement is a couple of sentences that summarize your ultimate goal in life. And this goal doesn’t have to be tangible, like becoming a billionaire, but can be more intuitive, like living a peaceful life. The neuroscientist explained that these statements are so important because they serve as a constant reminder for you to zero in on your goals, projects, and tasks that have the highest impact on the areas you want to prioritize. So set aside a few hours to sit down with yourself and figure out exactly what you want in life. Once you’ve come up with an answer, summarize it in a couple of sentences and put it on a notecard or your notes app, and look at it every morning before getting out of bed and every night before going to sleep. It's often said that “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Most people want to race ahead and cut corners. Don’t cut this corner.