2021 Personal Reflections and Takeaways

Celebrating NAHREP familia, cultura, politics, and grassroots action

December 23, 2021

Qué onda mi gente?!

As we’re all getting ready for “Noche Buena” tomorrow, I thought I would share some of my own reflections from this past year, hoping to hear some of yours in return. This has nothing to do with politics, policy, or advocacy. Just a few of my own personal takeaways from this past year.

1. Invest time in what grounds you: For almost two decades I lived across the country from my family. I would see them 4-5 times a year, at most. I now live an hour and a half away from my family, and I can honestly say that if 3 weeks go by and I haven’t seen them, I feel like something in my life is off balance. My family deeply grounds me and this year I’ve realized that I never stop learning from them. I see my parents and my one living grandparent as walking histories in our own family story. There are never enough questions I can ask them about their past or their own reflections on life. As imperfect as my family is, it is the greatest asset I have. And, as we think about time being our greatest commodity, my time with them is my greatest investment.
2. Professional fulfillment comes from being rooted in the work: First and foremost, our work doesn’t define us—but our life mission does. The key to being fulfilled in our professional career is to have our work rooted in a life mission bigger than ourselves. In my own life, I’ve seen the power of reminding myself of this life mission at the start of each day. I see too many people working toward proving something to the world as their driving force, doing work to make someone proud, or seeking the approval of someone around them. That will never lead to fulfilment. It will never be enough. Instead, we need to seek our own validation. My mission is to help shape and mold a Latino community that is ready for prime time, that is politically empowered, and economically mobile. That is why I do what I do. Petty things around me don’t matter when that’s the focus.
3. Trust your gut: We all have our own inner guidance. However, we have egos that are too loud and don’t allow us to listen most of the time. I’ve been working on developing my ability to listen to my intuition as my superpower for the past few years. I’m better at it some times than at others, though I have found that a daily meditation practice helps. No one knows the right answers for your life better than you. We just have quiet the mind enough to listen.

What are your reflections for 2021, familia? I’d love to hear yours.

I’ve enjoyed working with all of you so much this past year. Life is always fun when we’re growing and pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones. I can attest that we’ve done that together. You all have truly become my familia. It has been the honor of my life to get to know so many of you and to get wrapped up in the collective, passionate spirit of NAHREP–the “I want to be better” entrepreneurial infectious spirit. I hope all of you get some rest, do some introspection, and are ready to be fiercer in 2022 than you ever thought possible..

Los quiero mucho, les deseo una feliz navidad y un próspero año nuevo.

Noerena