What I know for sure Sundays I: People and acceptance

Good morning lovelies,

Hope everyone had a nice day yesterday-- whether you spent it with family, friends, a special person or simply on your own; I hope it was fabulous.

I woke up around 9-ish and made myself a quick and easy breakfast:

PB&J on sprouted wheat cinnamon-raisin bread, cafe w/ soy milk.

I miss almond butter dearly but haven't been able to get my hands on a jar. Hopefully that will change soon. Peanut butter is okay but nothing compares to almond. Would you agree?

Anyways, the purpose of this post is to share a series I have been thinking about for a while. We all have life lessons; experiences we feel have taught us a lot and sometimes we feel the need to share those 'valuable lessons' with others. If you read Oprah magazine, the name of the series might sound familiar. The last page of every issue is entitled "what I know for sure" and is a space where Oprah herself shares her own personal life anecdotes, what she's learned and what she now 'knows for sure'.

I would like to kick off this series with the following:

What I know for sure:

...people are who they are. You either take them as they are or love them from a distance. 

I've had instances in my life where people showed me their true colors from the very beginning. I kept hoping these people would change either by 'magic' or influenced by me. I soon realized that's not possible. People rarely ever change their ways. If the do is because they personally want to change not because anyone tells them to. 

Sometimes people have wake up calls when is too late. Sometimes they understand their actions and make a conscious effort to be better. However, we should never take it personal if someone refuses to do better for themselves or doesn't "listen to us". We should let people be free to be who they are. Thankfully, we ALL have the power to control our own actions. Hence, whether or not we want to keep that energy in our lives is entirely up to us.

"You cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people you choose to be around".

Tell me, would you agree with today's message? Does this situation sound familiar? if so, how?

Another Goal crossed off the list: MBA Completed!!!

Hey Everyone,

I can finally say that I am finally living the "calm before the storm". I started an MBA degree part time back in the spring of 2010. Although I often felt like I would never finish, I have to be honest in that I took it slow and steady. I never took more than 2 classes per semester and didn't always take summer classes. However, when I realized during the fall of 2013 that I could actually finish my degree if I took up four classes the following semester I decided to suck it up and do it. And so I did. As one of those sayings go "don't delay happiness".

If you are a close family member or friend you can be a testament to how difficult getting his degree has been for me and how many sacrifices I had to endure in order to get through semesters. From missing celebratory events of loved ones to having my laptop and books with me during vacations or mothers day/fathers day celebrations, to crying by myself at night feeling alone and wondering whether so much sacrifice would be worth it. But one thing is for sure. The support from my parents, my sister and friends was always incredible. And that means the world.

Despite my love and passion for finance I have to be honest in that my most difficult and challenging classes where all finance related (note: finance was my concentration!). There were times where I either wanted to quit because of how difficult things would get and I have to admit there were a couple of times where I would fear I would fail a class (I have never failed a class in my entire life *knock on wood*). However, thanks to a whole lot of focus, determination, and most importantly-- prayers; I managed to pass each and every single one of my finance courses as well as all other courses I took on. I maintained a GPA over 3.0+ during my entire MBA career which was no easy task working full time and going to school at night.

Today I can finally add the "MBA" designation next to my name and I am also incredibly excited for what's to come in my life. I am so incredibly lucky to be starting an internship with one of my favorite companies this summer (will share more about that soon) doing what I LOVE. And after that, the sky is the limit. I am not sure what exactly is going to happen in my life going forward but all I know is that I have goals, plans, and an incredibly good feeling for what's to come. Instincts never lie!

Something I am very proud of is that I was able to finish this degree with very minimal debt. I was lucky enough that when I started this degree I worked for an employer that was paying for my courses. When I changed employers, although they didn't pay for the courses, I was almost done with the MBA and I managed to work out my finances in a way where I was able to  keep loans at a minimum. I plan to start paying back ASAP and have a clean slate once again. I also welcome donations if any one out there wants to be a generous soul :)

Now that school is behind me I will have more time to blog and do the things I enjoy. I have so much catching up to do and looking forward to it. Thank you for reading and cheers to new beginnings!

I forgot to mention this but my MBA is in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

Additional Photos:

The Ceremony:

 

Dad and I:

Grandma and I:

 

Couple of classmates I found (we were all scattered!):

 

 

 

Mom and I:

 

"Mystery" ensemble under the gown (dress from express):

 

...And in honor of my favorite author whom passed away this week, may God rest her soul. I leave you with a very relevant quote:

Like her, I don't want to just live. I want to THRIVE and leave this world with a legacy that can continue on for generations. Thank you Maya for the gifts you gave to this world!... Lets get this show on the road.

Tell me: What is your favorite Maya Angelou quote?

Love,

Mabel A. Nunez, MBA

:)