Welcome Back!

Join host Nikki C as she kicks off Season 3 of the podcast, by sharing what happened these last 10-11 months when the podcast wasn't putting out episodes.

Want to know what happened, then you definitely what to check out the episode to learn more.

LIFE GOT IN THE WAY

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Season 3 I'm Back

[00:00:00] Nikki C: Hello, hello, hello everyone. I'm your host Nikki C and welcome to the very first episode of Season 3 of Life Got In The Way. This is the podcast where we focus on growing, learning, and achieving our lifelong goals. And today's episode... I'm going to try to do something a little different. I know I don't do different very well, but I'm going to try.

[00:00:44] Nikki C: So, Life got in the way season 3 episode 1. The first thing I want to say is welcome back. Welcome back I am so glad to be back This 10 month hiatus was [00:01:00] not planned. It wasn't a part of the plan originally I I had plans of just taking a small break, but that small break just got bigger and bigger and bigger And the next thing you know 10 months later and it's like oh Okay, I think i'm finally ready to pick this back up so, um A lot of times, you know, we have this idea of just too much to juggle.

[00:01:59] Nikki C: But what happens [00:02:00] is it only takes one. For you to just kind of turn your head slightly or that one misstep and the whole rhythm of everything just falls down. So that's kind of what happened a little bit for me. Um, I was juggling until everything just kind of fell down. So, uh, I guess I'll start with, uh, one of the things that changed dramatically was I got a new job, which was great, you know, new job, new opportunities, new change of scenery.

[00:03:03] Nikki C: Oh my gosh I was fortunate that I didn't like pack everything up in a in a in a big old truck and just Take it across cross country because it was like it's too much. It's too much I'm just gonna ship the things that I like and I want and go from there and I'm not going to Try to do all of that and in bringing things that I could Just per it'll be easier to just purchase while I'm you know in the new surroundings and a new environment that I'm in So that's kind of what we did we Just uh spent a lot of time just trying to just get everything going packing and everything like that And I would say one of the worst things was ups but

[00:04:11] Nikki C: And this is when I'm going to do it. And they were like, okay, okay, sure. And I was like, I don't want it to be sent too early because I won't be there right away. Okay, great. So that's what they said and then the next thing you know it shipped and it shipped too early And so it gets there and they was like, oh this package is too big for our store.

[00:04:58] Nikki C: And that, when I tell [00:05:00] you, by the time I got that box, it, It was practically falling apart. Like I think I blew on it and the thing just just crumbled. That's how bad it was, but thankfully my stuff wasn't too damaged, but it was definitely things that I needed and it was, it was, it was, oh, it was, it was the worst.

[00:05:40] Nikki C: So thankfully I was able to kind of do some work from home type stuff before I had to, you know, because they knew I was moving across country. So they, You know, my new employers were very gracious enough to allow me that, uh, time to still work, but, um, not have to necessarily be local, but it was, it was, [00:06:00] it was a lot wrapping up an old job and immediately starting a new one.

[00:06:20] Nikki C: So I was teaching online and The students don't care about you moving or you doing this. You have an obligation to them to get what they need. So I still had an obligation to make sure they got what they needed and still had to teach lessons and grade and trying to do all that stuff in the process of moving and and packing and it was a lot.

[00:07:04] Nikki C: I wish I could. I wanted to see more people, but I was like, you know what? I'm not gone forever. I'll, I'll be definitely be back on the East coast and can catch up with people. But it was, it was hard. It was. I did try to get in as many people as I could, but it was a task. The other thing that was like, a big thing was like, even though you're, you're doing such a.

[00:07:56] Nikki C: And so that's a task finding the right one. That's a [00:08:00] task finding, you know, you can't do that until you get your insurance and you can't get your insurance until you're at your establishment. So it's just a lot of that. The things you don't think about getting sick in a new area. different weather climate, different, different, uh, environment, different, um, allergens.

[00:08:50] Nikki C: So that wasn't fun. The family situations, there's always family stuff. And, um, as you get older, your parents also [00:09:00] get older. So there's also another dynamic to your life as you get older and you have to think about, you know, well, how can you best help your parents in certain situations and just being there for them?

[00:09:35] Nikki C: So I'm very thankful for that. But shout out to all of the people who, um, Thank you. caretakers to their family members and their loved ones. It's, it's not an easy task. It's not, it's, it's a lot. It can be a lot. It can be a lot on your emotional being and it'll take a toll on your body. Yes. You know, your physical health, but it's a lot to take care of.

[00:10:21] Nikki C: So I'm, I'm, you know, I'm fortunate enough that my parents are still, you know, in a situation where they're, they're good. But, you know, get to a point where you, people have to do come in and step in and do a little bit more. So I'm always thankful for those people. who are able to, to come in and step in and do a little bit more.

[00:11:08] Nikki C: Can't just... Go out to eat and then not think about bringing your, your spouse something back when you go out. So, you know, little things like that, you know, and, you know, sharing this, you know, we already shared space. So it wasn't too, too much of a transition, but there's a lot of different things, making sure you're making time to hang out with one another.

[00:11:52] Nikki C: It's a lot. it's a lot. So, um, so that happened. What else? I turned 40. It [00:12:00] was a milestone, uh, situation. Which was great. I love and embrace milestones. But, it was like, that happened. The move happened. Going across country. Leaving my friends behind. Trying to make new friends. And that, okay, I'm not good at that yet.

[00:12:35] Nikki C: So those, all of those things together was just like, it was a lot. It was a lot. And I'm juggling a lot. And then I had a podcast. A podcast that you gotta... Promote a podcast that you have to find guests for that you have to have time to interview guests And and it just got to be and it was just so much I was thankful that I you know I had my producer for the podcast and [00:13:00] they were doing things but it got to a point where I was just burnt out and I was like, I don't even want to do this no more and it wasn't It was taking it wasn't fun for me Like the whole reason I started the podcast and during the pandemic was because I wanted to get back to being creative for those who don't know about Me, I, I come from a writing background.

[00:13:45] Nikki C: And it was something that I was consistent with because one of the things as a writer was, I think I talked about it in the podcast once about I lack discipline. and consistency. And so I was like, if I can be disciplined and [00:14:00] consistent with this podcast, I feel like I can build strong skills that would get me back to the writing.

[00:14:33] Nikki C: So instead of working on the podcast, you know, I had an opportunity to work with a, a well renowned local poet who's working on a novel. I got to, you know, do copy editing and that was a great experience, but it took time. So I had to take time for that. I wrapped up my teaching thing. That was an experience.

[00:15:18] Nikki C: I was looking at more of like, you know what I always wanted to write a stage play and I was like, why haven't I done that? I mean, I've done all these different genres. I've done all these different styles of writing, but why haven't I written a stage play? Which was always a passion of mine. So I was like, you know what?

[00:16:03] Nikki C: Life lessons in terms of... I had to learn how to navigate new spaces. Just in the new, um, physical space. But in the sense that I had to learn how to juggle and balance the things that mean something to me. You know, now I'm juggling my creativity, I'm juggling, um, working, teaching, all these different...

[00:17:07] Nikki C: That's that's something and if I did that every day then I got a lot accomplished And so that's what I did. I started to take some of the big things and I made them smaller So I made that a smaller task and that helped me. That helped me to more consistent. It was easier to do it that way. And instead of thinking things in totality, sometimes it's best to just make things a little smaller, a little bit more digestible.

[00:18:03] Nikki C: I'm, I'm, I'm having balance in my life. Work life as well as balancing my, you know, social life and I play the video games I still do things that I love to do But I'm trying to have a little bit more balance with that and it's it's a process One of my life lessons was learning to trust my instincts because my instincts were the reason why I the that leap of faith so to speak or you know decided to say hey, this is the right Place for me, because I mean, I didn't know where I was going.

[00:19:01] Nikki C: But sometimes we have to learn to just trust in ourselves, trust our instincts when things are too much. Learn to step away. Trust that when an opportunity comes or if it's meant for you, that it, that it's going to happen. I have to trust that, hey, I'm 40, but just because I haven't accomplished certain things in life doesn't mean that it's not going to happen for me.

[00:19:51] Nikki C: Or you felt like, is my life ever going to change? Was, are things ever going to happen for me? They've been there. And the best way [00:20:00] to learn is to learn through, learn through others. Because that's the best way to, to kind of get inspiration. Like I'm always inspired by someone else's journey. You know, when I look at like Toni Morrison.

[00:20:35] Nikki C: But with both of them, they got their starts later in life. Just because things don't happen when you're 20s or in your 30s doesn't mean that certain things aren't going to happen for you. You go through life cycles, right? What is for someone at 20 may not be for you at 20, but it may be for you at 30.

[00:21:16] Nikki C: We have families, we have obligations, we have life, we have death, we have grief. We have all of those things. But that doesn't mean that we can't still have all the things that we've always wanted to do and all the things we've dreamed of. We just got to keep that dream alive. We got to keep pushing forward.

[00:22:02] Nikki C: And yeah, I just wanted to take this time. To thank the people who have still been listening to the podcast. I see your views and thank you for just continuing to listen. And I hope to get more people who want to listen, more people who are interested in the podcast, because I think this is a great experience and a great opportunity for people to just learn from others, hear great stories, and just feel connected.

[00:22:54] Nikki C: com. And I'm, I'm, you know, I'm happy to just listen to hear from you [00:23:00] all out there in the world. And I'm just so appreciative. And we're also on Instagram, L G I T W underscore podcast. That's for life got in the way, because you know, it's kind of long, so gotta put it in um, put it in acronym. So, um, but check it out.

[00:23:39] Nikki C: Life got in the way, but it doesn't have to stay in the way. Alright.