Kristy Bayer’s Post

Graduates, it's that time of year again! As you embark on this next chapter of your life, I want to share some advice that has helped me tremendously: Dream big. With dreams, all things are possible. Remember to always keep your goals in sight and work hard towards them. Best of luck on your future endeavors! #DreamBig #GraduationAdvice

Advice to new Pepperdine grads: Creatively and intentionally develop purpose, service, and leadership in your work. It's possible to be a self-centered worker in the nonprofit sector, just as much as it's possible to be an accountant or marketing exec living out selfless service. Don't let assumptions about your industry or seniority limit your intentional cultivation and application of core values and character. What would you add? 💙🧡 🌊

Yesterday celebrated my 74th birthday. That’s about 27,028  individually lived days. Often we start our day as a struggle to see if our resources are going to meet the day’s challenges. What if we changed that perspective to seeing our day as opportunities to learn and help? When I became Senior Director of Education at the Bidwell Training Center a year ago, I adopted these two questions as the starting point of every day: What will I learn today? and, Who will I help today? The first question resets all my daily encounters as learning opportunities rather than frustrations, dissapointments, conflict, etc. The most important learning that happens is about myself. I get to ask myself questions like, Why did that frustrate me? Why was I disappointed by that? Why do I feel there’s a conflict in this situation? I have found that resolving a situation by authority usually means that I will face the situation again, however, solving a situation by learning about myself and those involved usually allows all to build a mutual solution that we all can use again and again. The second question has brought a positive context to all my daily encounters. I meet with multiple staff members and students every day. The question, “Who will I help today?” forms the predicate for those meetings. They are not interruptions or distractions. They are part of my fundamental reason for being where I am today. They are who I will help. I remind myself constantly, “If you’re not here to help then why are you still here?” I know I will have another great day tomorrow because I will learn more about myself and, I am sure, will find someone to help. I hope your day will be as great as mine.

Why it is important to celebrate… We easily celebrate the big things: the passing of degrees, getting the job, winning the contract, having a baby, getting married etc… It’s wonderful to enjoy these big celebrations of realised dreams with the people we love. What is not so easy, is celebrating the every day wins. To run a marathon takes approximately 55,000 steps. To get to the point where you can run 55,000 steps, you’ve invested thousands more in training and preparing. Every step is an achievement. Obtaining a qualification takes time and focused commitment - every essay is an achievement. But we don’t often look back and reflect on what went well - to take time to look T how far we have come - and yet this is where the magic is. When we create a consistent practice to do so, it creates pride, momentum, and a cascade of actions that take us closer to our goals and dreams. What did you do this week that you can celebrate???? I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to….? My list is largely centred around being organised - an area I struggle as someone with ADHD - it looks like this; ☀️ Finishing the school holidays without arguments. ☀️ Being organised and on time for Day 1 school run with smiles at the gate after a bike ride to get there. ☀️ Clarity in my business direction after an awesome call with my business coach Lisa Bean . ☀️ Long overdue clearing out at home to create physical and metaphorical space. ☀️ Creating my first ever lead magnet haven’t got to the publishing bit yet!!). ☀️ Finding a new hair dresser and investing in myself so that I feel great - because that radiates outwards to everything in my life. Small steps, that’s all we need. Lots of small steps maketh many big miles. I hope you can find five minutes today to gift yourself this reflection - you’ll find you’ve done more than you thought and you’ll feel brilliant about yourself.

Standing strong is not just something that you learn and use to get through Jr. High. If you are not part of the “in crowd,” you feel as though you are being judged, and you need to dig deep to find the strength to stand. High school may have felt like a continuation, but you started to gain your footing and your stance became stronger. College felt like starting over - all those people in every class, the difficulty of the courses, to pledge or not to pledge, the Freshman 15, etc. Now it is time for a huge step - a job in the real world. No more week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas/Winter Break, a week for Spring Break, and “What do you mean Ihave to work all Summer”??? In addition to the shock of only 10-18 days of PTO per year, you have entered into a new realm that will test your ability to stand tall. Instead of giving in to those people who are doing their best to break you, you need to to show what you are made of. Believe in yourself. Believe in your abilities. Love yourself. No one is a stronger advocate for you than YOU! Stand tall. Stand strong. Keep pushing yourself to be better than yesterday.

Yesterday was the first (last) day of high school for seniors across the country. And I had the privilege of volunteering at Fridley High School as a workshop leader for College & Career Day. I talked about digital marketing as a career path with high school seniors on their first (last) day of school. I shared knowledge about how to succeed with digital marketing as a career, but the biggest piece of advice I gave was... Choose anything. Because when you don't choose, the world chooses for you. Your family, your friends, your fears, your past, social expectations-all of these influencing factors will fill in the gaps when your conviction is absent. I don't know that anyone ever truly "finds" oneself. But I do know that each of us is responsible for creating ourselves. So choose what feels good to you. Choose something hard. Choose something fun. Choose something healthy. Choose something that makes you feel alive. I think that's as true for high school seniors as it is for me today. It reminds me of the James Clear book Atomic Habits: "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity." So whether you're a high school senior or a senior manager or a junior associate or a CEO, every day you are given the gift of choosing how you create yourself. The great news is you can always change your mind ❤️

"I can't wait to leave secondary school. Finally, I’ll be done with Mathematics! When I get to university, life will be better, and I’ll be happier..." "Omo, I can't wait to leave this university! Lectures here, lectures there... So many assignments! And the number of books I have to buy and read? Stress, stress, stress. Maybe when I get to Law School, I'll be happier..." "My goodness, the stress at university was nothing compared to what I'm facing here! I just need to start working; I’ll be more comfortable then..." "So much paperwork... Which process do I even file for this case? I can't wait to retire! Wh..." Can you stop? Can we stop? Don’t you see what you’re doing to yourself? See what we’re doing to ourselves. One day, we’ll be old, sitting in our recliners, and we’ll say, "I wish I could go back. I want to. Can't I?" I’ve realized (and I’m glad I did) that each of these stages is a season of its own. They are meant to be lived—wholly, fully, and completely. Do we truly rest in old age? What am I saying? Squeeze every bit of amazement out of each stage of life you find yourself in. Pay attention to the necessary details. Learn the lessons each stage teaches. With tears comes relief, so cry if you must. You’ll laugh again. Develop resilience—you’ll need it, because there are many rocky paths ahead. Don’t hold back, don’t hide away. Put yourself out there; make yourself available. It’s a journey, so enjoy it and trust the process. I’m not just trying to motivate you; this is a genuine realization. I have a habit of wanting to rush through life. I had a narrow view of what the "good part of life" is, so I’m speaking to myself as well. Heck, it won't be easy, but let’s make the most of each stage, and trust the process.❤️ I remain Munachimso Onwumere, and I hope your week started out well.😊

As the first day of September arrives I have spent the morning reflecting on this time of year. September is a transition from summer to autumn and it reminds me so much of my childhood days when summer was all about joyful playing outside from morning to evening. Then responding to the call of our mothers when it was time to come inside, and with grubby faces and muddy hands, off we would go to our safe retreats and wonderful home-cooked meals – life seemed so simple back then. Then there was the childhood excitement and trepidation as the new school year was upon us bringing growth and development. The feelings have always remained bittersweet. It’s hard saying goodbye to the longer warm sunny days and accepting the change in seasons will bring winds, rain, and also beauty with the amazing colour of trees as they shed their leaves and go into hibernation during the cold months ahead. Of course, traditionally January is the month for setting new goals and aspirations but this time of year can be a celebration of how far you have come and looking forward to all that still can be accomplished. Here are some of the questions I have pondered today. ·      When and where have I felt free and in flow? ·      How have I brought authenticity to my relationships? ·      How have I grown and nurtured my sense of purpose? ·      What has been my greatest contribution to others? ·      When and how do I experience ease, peace, and grace? ·      What am I doing when I feel most alive? ·      What more do I want to achieve this year? I wonder what memories this time of year evokes in you?

It is OKAY to not have a great college life experience. Remember when you were in 12th grade, and you were thinking about how cool your life would be when you would go to college. No restrictions from parents, parties, lecture bunks, sports, trips, relationships, etc. This felt tempting. Your 12th-grade hustle days were going to be over. And now you would live that life that you always wanted, you always dreamt of while in school. And then... college happened. You saw all these people from different cities. Richer, smarter, more studious, and much more capable than you. You didn't find your space among them; you were different. You might have had difficulties in communicating and expressing yourself. Your friends didn't invite you to parties. You didn't get selected for your department's cricket team. Your grades were not as they used to be when you were in school. And plenty of other things... But let me tell you something... It is okay to not have a great college life experience. It is okay. You are not missing out. Your life has just begun. You can go to parties, and you can hang out with your office friends or your school friends or even alone. You can do everything you dreamt of in the years after college. There is no fixed time limit to do things. Make your own way in life. Go with the flow. P.S : This is a photo of my university. ⬇️

This post has a narrow focus compared to the big world of LinkedIn, but my connections are filled with so many amazing Year Up young adults that I just want to throw these thoughts out there. Sometimes students leave our program before they intend to, and they leave feeling disappointed in themselves. They feel like failures. I can't tell you how many students have told me, "I messed up something really good." What breaks my heart in these moments is that I know, without a shadow of doubt, that leaving our program doesn't make anyone a failure - it just means it wasn't the right time. The conditions were not quite right for them to be 100% successful in OUR program RIGHT NOW, but it doesn't mean they are 100% failing! As we all know... life is not all or nothing. One door can close before you want it to, but it opens up opportunity in other areas that weren't previously an option. Life is all about second chances, about picking ourselves up and trying again, about standing tall in the face of adversity. So to anyone who has ever left the Year Up program for any reason at all before finishing... keep your head high! We will be here when, and if, you ever want to come back, and we will keep cheering you on from the sidelines if you go in another direction. You were amazing and resilient before we met you, and that will never change. Your future is still bright, and Year Up staff will never stop believing in you. And just for funsies, a picture of Year Up DVC Class 23 ~ my first class with Year Up! 💙 💛 I feel eternally grateful to have met so many incredible people through Year Up. Keep shining!!