You know what I learned about lately…the hard way? I learned two things as they are intertwined for the past 56 years.

#1 – I learned a lot about me. 

Who I am, why I do what I do, how I show up in this world, how I think and how I (over) react.

I had a raw conversation with myself a few weeks ago after I totally freaked out on the guy that was supposed to be fixing my car (living in Costa Rica, you want a mechanic you can trust)! Like I lost my shit on him. I was so right, and he was so wrong. And I felt like total crap about how I handled the situation -yet it was truly a ‘come to Jesus’ moment for me – rock bottom thoughts – Is that truly the way I want to show up regardless of the wrongness I believed the situation to be?

So, in that moment I gave up the fight, put the boxing gloves down and realized I needed to change a fundamental core trait I had with me most of my life…life lesson #2.

#2 – I am still living in the hustle of work, do, have. 

For as long as I can remember, as soon as my eyes opened after a long (often restless) night’s sleep, I punched in my timecard and hit the floor running. Time was a’wastin and I had things to do damnit! You better get out of my way!

Oddly enough it was in my in-person Spanish class with my amazing Tico teacher Paola who pointed it out. 

Soft spoken Paola said to me (in Spanish of course), “Odette, slow down and you will learn Spanish faster.” 

And the hard part was that I knew she was right. I finally had permission to slow the hustle down and start breathing life back into who I truly am and how I desire to show up in the world.

I now so appreciate my quiet time in the morning. It’s my ‘me’ time. 

It’s my time to think, feel, dream, and enjoy doing what I love the most right now: drinking a cappuccino, eating a delicious croissant de chocolate, and doing my Spanish homework.