I never expected it. I was spending the day with a friend after having worked with my company at an all day event the day prior. I was casually checking my email when I got an email from my boss saying not to come in until mid week to discuss my schedule. Although the email was vague, I had a feeling something wasn't right. I spent the days prior to my meeting trying to convince myself that I was overreacting. That the email gave no indication I would be let go. When I finally came to meet with my boss, I realized my gut feeling was right. It came out of nowhere and it was nothing I thought would ever happen. I didn't know what to do. I was fired.

Having never been fired before I did what came naturally, I cried. I gave myself a couple of days to just cry, wallow, and acknowledge my emotions. I felt really bad about myself. I felt like a failure and that I wasn't good enough. Living in a society that puts so much emphasis on your success and your career, it's really easy to feel depressed when you don't have a job. I felt the termination was my fault and found myself comparing myself to others. I'm a 23 year old who hasn't been able to get a full time job since graduation. It seemed every where I looked I saw people who are successful/happy with full time jobs. I felt there was something wrong with me and even worse about being fired. But I know that's not true and being fired is not a reflection of who I am and my value as a person.

So although I gave myself time to grief and felt bad about my situation, I came to the realization that everything happens for a reason. I wasn't happy at my job, I really wasn't. I was thinking of ways to leave but never acted on it. It was so much easier to stay at my job because I was getting paid and everything felt comfortable and familiar. It's a lot harder to leave and not know what the future has in store. I really believe getting fired was the universe giving me sign. It was the catalyst I needed to make a positive change in my life and really find something that brings me passion, creativity, and the feeling that I'm helping people and changing lives. Although I have no idea when I'll get a job or what it will be, I know the universe has given me an opportunity to find great, unexpected, and better opportunities.

As of now being fired has given me the time to relax and really think about what I want to do in my life. It's allowed me to really focus on having healthier relationships with people. Now when I see my friends the first thing I say isn't my about my frustrating day at work, it's my actual thoughts and interests. It's made me realize how grateful I am for the things and people I have in my life. For all the love I have and the love I received when I got fired. I'm an emotional person and joke when I tell my friends I feel everything, but I really do. My friends who checked up on me and genuinely cared for my well being don't know how appreciative and grateful I am for them.

So if you're in a situation where you feel bad about yourself because you got fired or don't have a job, don't be. Your job is what you do, but it's not who you are. Your job position adds to your life, but it's not your life. There is more to me than what is on my resume. My title didn't define me, my capabilities, or my future job. I don't want to be known as a person for what I did when I sat at my desk. I want to be defined by my actions, compassion, and hopefully ability to inspire. So don't ever feel like your identity is imbedded in what you do. Situations like these aren't permanent. Everything happens for a reason. Allow moments like these for self-growth and the chance to become happier human beings.

• Balancing Human Perspective
• Olive Tree Initiative Discusses Water
• An Open 'New Forum' 
• 'Modern' UC Logo Suspended
• A Whole New Zealand 
• ASUCI and Health Center Co-host USHIP Forum 

Around two years ago I went to my first ever music festival with the sole purpose of seeing one of my favorite bands Anberlin. In that post, I stated that I was never interested in going to music festivals because whenever I went to a concert it was to see some of my favorite musicians instead of doing something trendy. But this past weekend I was very lucky and went to the third annual Self Help Fest in San Bernardino, CA on March 19, 2016 to see my favorite band of all time A Day to Remember.

Even thought I say a lot of bands are my favorite, A Day to Remember really is. I have been listening to this band for almost 10 years now. I started listening to them when I was 13 years old. At the time this type of music was cool as well as the whole emo scene. Even though I don't have side swept bangs and wear all black anymore, I continued to listen to their music because it resonates with me a lot. When I was 13 the music was genuinely helping me and my teenage problems. Now I still find a lot of help and reassurance, which is why I think I've continued to listen to them.

The only thing is, A Day to Remember is the band I've been listening to the longest, but a band that I had never seen live. So when my friend said she was going to Self Help Fest to see A Day to Remember, right away I kind of begged her to let me come with her. I had never been to Self Help Fest before and didn't even know what it was. To be honest I thought it would be like Warped Tour. After going I can say it is nothing like Warped Tour, it is better!

Since me and my friends were pretty much only going to see A Day to Remember we got to the festival pretty late. Self Help started at 1:30 p.m., we didn't get there till 5:00 p.m.  When we got there the first thing we did was go get some refreshments.

It's been a while since the last time I wrote on here.

The last thing I wrote was Day 25 - Identify Your Stress Triggers as a part of my 30 Day Minimalism Challenge. On day 25 I wrote about how I was stressed about my job situation. I had been feeling that way since I moved back home because I was unhappy with where I was at. It seemed that everyone I knew had a job after college, but I was still here applying for so many jobs that I never heard back from. I was getting frustrated, confused, and sad with the situation.

"It's really disheartening knowing that you apply and don't receive anything."

I kept that post short because as I was writing I had a breakdown. The only thing I could concentrate on was the fact that I was still unemployed. At the time I was applying for journalism related jobs because that was what I majored in. It wasn't really want I wanted to do, but I was getting frustrated and kept applying because I wanted a job. But during my breakdown I felt I wasn't a good writer. I felt stupid even applying for those type of jobs. I got so frustrated that right then and there I decided that I was going to stop writing. I stopped pursuing journalism and I quit this blog. I had a little Rory Gilmore moment. That's the reason I didn't finish my challenge and haven't written anything since then. I needed all my time and concentration to figure out what I was going to do next.

After that things started to look up. In the past three months I decided to pursue public relations as a career because I didn't have to start my skills and experience from scratch. I felt I could be in many different work environments with public relations. I ended up getting a part time job doing Marketing and Public Relations for a company that caters to renewable energy solutions.

Everything was good up until a couple weeks ago where I started to dislike my job. Although I liked what I was doing, I didn't like the work environment. I realized that marketing is something I want to pursue, but I wasn't happy with the company. I was starting to feel how I felt a couple months ago: frustrated. I've been applying for new jobs, but they haven't been what I'm looking for.

During my free time when I'm not applying for jobs, there has been a voice telling me to start writing again. I don't know what direction my life is going in, but I know every step and decision I make will ultimately lead me to what I'm suppose to do with my life. I just have to take each day one at a time and work my hardest in the moment I am right now. This low point is just the start of my next great adventure.

As of today my hiatus is over. I am going to start blogging again and not just post sad topics like I did when I first started this blog. I want to share happy and personal moments of my life. I hope in some way with every entry I post they can inspire someone somewhere.

I originally had this switched with Day 19: Go For A Walk Practice Mindfulness, but that didn't happen. Yesterday I planned on going to the beach and have a relaxing walk, but I applied for a job and the application took a little longer than expected. I ended up not having time for the walk so I decided to switch it again Day 26s challenge.

As I went about my day yesterday, I made mental notes of my stress levels. I applied for a job yesterday, and I was stressed out because I found out the job application was due that day. I've been trying really hard to get a job. I want my cover letter to be really good and make a good impression, but because of that I set high standards for myself and work really hard on the application that I get stressed out. I just really want a job and it's really disheartening knowing that you apply and don't receive anything.

I'm going to end it here because this is the only thing right now that contributes to my stress. The sad thing is it won't stop because I can't. I can't stop looking for a job.

I've procrastinated on this for too long. This was suppose to be written on Thursday, but I'm doing it now because it's better late than never. Here are my list of people and things that I am grateful for, and should remind myself everyday because I tend to forget to cherish what I have.

1.  My mother. The woman who is the most selfless when it comes to her family and has made me the person I am today.
2. My best friend Himi. He puts up with me a lot, more than he has to, but he's always there for me when I need him. I'm really happy he's still in my life. 
3. My cat Moty. This little kitty came into my life and has completely stolen my heart. She has given me so much joy and happiness. 
4. The fact that I live in a home where I have shelter and food in a time where I can't financially support myself. 
5. That I went to UC Irvine. At this school I met my best friends, got to travel the world, earned two Bachelors degrees, and learned so much knowledge that I don't think I could have learned anywhere else. 
6. That I am a U.S. citizen who can legally work at any job I want. 
7. My friends: Gaby, Car, and Rachel who tell me what I need to hear and the thought that we will always be there to encourage and be happy for each other. 
8. Yoga. This might sound strange, but yoga has changed my life. Before yoga I was insecure and would constantly compare myself to others, it wasn't healthy for me. Now that it's been a year, I am confident in myself and it's the best feeling in the world.