Praxis Reflection
My first week in Praxis was a fulfilling and insightful experience! Through the program so far, I have learned how to create professional content that reflects myself and my career goals. I’ve also gained new perspectives on how to change myself and live my life to the fullest through the books Mastery and Atomic Habits. We also learned basic principles on how to be more professional in our online presence on our websites and networking skills.
My body of work
The body of work that I am most proud of is my newsletters, my website design, and my most recent video project on Instagram. The newsletter feels like a personal journal filtered for others to see. My website design is a simple online presence that aligns with my brand's appearance. I made an Instagram Reel to promote a local business I admire. It allows others to see how I am personable, and I am interested in other’s endeavors.
Books
The books we read surprised me with how relatable and practical they were to my life. The book “Mastery” by Robert Greene encourages dedication to your desired craft and encourages pure passionate creativity. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is a grounded step-by-step guide to controlling your bad and good habits for further growth and success.
How I’ve improved
I’ve changed positively over the past two months in praxis. From my mom’s perspective, she says I’ve become “more decisive, caring, committed, and responsible.” Praxis teaches you to use your time wisely and to be consistent. They also drive the point that if you want the best, you must give your best. What you put out will never be perfect and may even be mediocre for some but what matters is that you put in the effort. You must strive to do the best you can and live your life to its fullest potential. Everything starts with baby steps. Perhaps you need to form a new routine, you need to plan a meeting, or you need to break a bad habit. If you truly desire something you won’t make excuses to do it or get it. Fear can come from the unknown which is a double-edged sword in that we never know till we try.
Motivation
Everyone is created to be a unique individual. What will allow you to be the best version of yourself is often something different than others around you may be doing or expecting you to do. People want to feel safe, secure, and comfortable. What truly makes a positive change is never relaxed and almost always comes with a risk. It’s a lonely road to lead and to pave the way. The funny thing about it all is that in the end it rarely pans out the way we initially expected.
Another thing people let get the best of them is their ego or pride. You must let go of your ego altogether. Only then will you achieve true success. You must let go of arrogance, bitterness, carelessness, and comparison. A wise man once said the people who paved the way and we admire are the same people that failed and did not succeed in school or work because they never listened! It’s not about having tunnel vision it’s about ignoring those who have tunnel vision. You must hear out new perspectives, especially of those who know you best or have been in your shoes.
Every day you must put aside the feelings of boredom, incompetence, and insecurity. Many things will become boring if you do it repeatedly and long enough. But with the Lord nothing is boring. If you truly let Jesus, be the Lord of your life you will have fulfillment. It is not easy; you must Those feelings will always come and go. It's about letting them in and letting them stay in the house of your mind. When we crave a change or a companion that is natural and should not be taken lightly. People must make connections with other people, and you can’t stay in the same immature mindset forever. Allow the wonders and sensations of everyday things to take over, give people a reason to smile, and bring out the best in others with your best.
Insight
One thing that surprised me about the praxis curriculum was the writing and content creation structure. I disliked the idea of writing and making videos of myself. I now know how wrong I was! At first, it was uncomfortable, and my work was raw, and I still see myself as an amateur. Without those first-step feelings, it’s almost impossible to get to the end goal on your own. I’ve also learned from meeting alumni and my fellow cohort members that it's beneficial to ask for help and guidance. Sometimes all you need to do is say hello, introduce yourself, and then ask about the other person and their story. Although my initial goals are unique to me, I feel I am genuinely understood within the Praxis community. I’ve taken notice that others feel the same.
My plan moving forward
The four modules I’m currently planning to take on the content creation marketing, content creation project/writing, launch a business, and job hunting. My mentor assisted me in the confirmation process. We both agree that I should start with Content Creation Marketing so that I can focus more on the basics of how to market my content online. The second one she suggested to me was Content Creation in writing and publishing because there is writing behind every piece of content. I chose the Launch a business module because it is directly aligned with the initial reason I came to Praxis. Last I chose the Job-Hunting module so that I can learn the strategies to get any job or freelance opportunity in my reach.
I truly enjoy the presence of my mentor Lola, my fellow cohort members, alumni, and the leaders of the program Mitchell and Ryan. They are honest and care about your growth as a person and having a solid career path based on your lifestyle goals. Each one of them has done research and has had experience in similar situations as us.
As always, thanks for reading my coffee beans!
