[adage]

The general market isn’t white anymore. In just a few years, the majority of people under 18 will be from minority populations. In a couple of decades, the majority of the nation will be minorities. And did you hear this? The millennial generation has come up with a new, better word for multiculturalism. They call it normal.

Jeffrey Bowman, founder and chairman of Reframe: The Brand (via adage)

Being a woman of color, this is very important to me

[mairesaya]

Last summer I was blessed to visit a country that is a big part of myself and upbringing. With my parents, brother and sister we went on a long expected journey together: to the Moluccans in Indonesia. Of course, lots of different things inspired me and changed my view on a lot of things. One thing that I really loved was PT Ollop. A fairtrade company located in the capital city Ambon that exports nutmeg, a typical Moluccan spice, from the Moluccans to Holland. 

Obviously, their way of doing business sparked my interest. Founded in 2006 by mr. Ollong and his two sons, PT Ollop exports fairtrade nutmeg to Holland, working together with lots of local farmers and taking good care of their employees. Most of them women, the ‘Mama’s’. “They are much quicker and more focused than men.” one of the owners told me.

Not only does their way of working inspire me. The thing I really loved about this company is their sincere openess to me, my family and the tourguide. Being invited by one of them in our hotel (A Dutch / Moluccan person, such a small world!) we were more than welcome to have a look inside PT Ollop.

The tour of course, was very interesting. But the thing that still stands by me today is their passion and work ethic. With PT Ollop, they want to mean something to their country, not just earn money. Not only do they treat the farmers and employees with respect (Dutch and Moluccan culture is very different), they make sure they get a fair treatment.

PT Ollop is a great supportsystem for the locals of the Moluccans. I am very proud to see Moluccans like them being innovative, caring and simply making a difference in our country.

PT Ollop.. terima kasih banyak! 

PS: Check out their Facebook here

Sources photos: facebook.com/pt-ollop-hilla-ambon

[gemeenterotterdam-deactivated20]

Er staat een stevig briesje vandaag! #hardewoei #Rotterdam

Prachtige foto van Hans Zijffers via Twitter 👌 (Bron: http://ift.tt/1GaFxOn)

[collegegirlcareer]

[mairesaya]

Happy monday everyone!

[wisefounder]

“The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.”

[iamyoustudio]

6 Lessons I Learned From Quitting My Job

Six years ago I woke up fairly blurry eyed and slightly tired, probably just like you did now, showered, dressed and hopped into a cab to work reading on my blackberry. But I wasn’t reading the daily news or my emails, but rather notes I had written for myself on what I was going to say when I quit.

Six years ago today I quit my job as VP on the Fixed Income trading floor of Morgan Stanley. It was the scariest day of my life; I felt like vomiting throughout the entire morning meeting, I voice was shaking as I asked my bosses for time to speak, and my hands were sweaty waterworks under the table as I explained that after seven years I was parting ways to start my own wellness lifestyle business – I.AM.YOU..

It took a few hours, as they did not seem to believe that I was actually leaving the firm and kept enticing me to stay, but ultimately I left my badge on my desk with the six computer screens, and walked out of the building, a half a dozen high heals and workout outfits from under my desk in tote, and a massive smile smothering my face.

In honor of my six year quitting anniversary, I am sharing the six most important lessons I have learned from quitting and venturing on this new path….. a path that has been more rewarding, and challenging, than I ever could have imagined… Hopefully it inspired you to do chase your dreams, too!

1. It is Not Meant to be Easy. Hollywood, and famed bloggers, paint quitting as this unbelievably easy, joyous experience. But that is not always the case. I had a seven year career, a recent promotion, a solid salary, benefits, and years of prior intense education and future career growth on the line. Leaving that behind for the vast unknown was gut wrenching. And it had all the right to be. Do not feel weak or guilty if quitting is daunting – it means you are believing in yourself, everything you have created in the past, and everything you hope to engender in the future.

2. You Need to Have a Plan. That said, you need to have a plan. Nine times out of ten, people come to me for business coaching inspired by my story and wanting to quit their jobs, which is great – but when I ask what there plan is, they do not necessarily have one, which is dangerous. If you quit without a plan life is going to be very, very challenging. I knew exactly what I wanted to create – a 360 degree lifestyle brand and new lens for wellness based on yoga, nourishment, mindset and music. Before I quit I mapped out my business plan, designed my brand, had a logo, flushed out the target market, made a prelim web design, and modeled potential revenues and profits. Things have of course changed along the way, but having a plan has allowed me to achieve my goals much faster, and ensured that I stay the course, which as much fun and integrity as profits.

3. Every Industry has its own Quirks, and You need to Learn Them. Wall Street is its own world, a world in which if you say a trade is ‘done,’ it is done, and there is absolutely no going back on it. Suddenly I entered the wellness world, where everything was and is much more grey, and much more wishy washy, which initially drove me bonkers, until I realized that each industry has its own way of doing business. You need to observe, learn, and adapt to their ways, or else you will go crazy, and quite frankly, not succeed. For me that has meant learning about the yoga world in a whole new way, nutrition, events, digital media, and publishing, to name a few. Figure out the playing field, get your team together, and go play ball.

4.. Do Not Feel Guilty About Down Time. This one has, and still is, so hard for me. When I quit I started to fill my days the same way I filled my Wall Street days. 12-18 hours of work, be they teaching, writing, general business, instant email responses, or other projects. Yet, until recently, I always felt guilty when I had down time, even if it was just an hour. Now I embrace these moments as time to foster my creativity and engender new thoughts and developments for I.AM.YOU., which has helped my career and business grow to whole new levels. Down time is ok!

5. The Highs are HIGH and the Lows are Garth Brooks Low. No matter what you do when you decide to quit, there will be good days and bad days. But the chances are, because you will be outside the structure of where you were before, they will feel extreme. I have cried more in my six years of entrepreneurship than my I did my entire seven years on Wall Street trading floor, and that as almost always the only female. Life outside the box is no joke! Just remember that whatever it is, good or bad, it will pass. Then put it in the context of the big picture, take a deep breathe, and focus on the next thing. That way the lows will not seem as dooming and the highs will not steer you off course, and you may even be smiling all, or most, of the time.

6. You Control Your Destiny.

You are the only person who will determine your success or failure; you are the only person who can shape your future. It is up to you, and you alone. Which is awesome, and daunting. I take a moment every day to say thank you to life for everything it has given me, and then hit the pavement running. You can, and will, create your ideal self and career in your ideal world, just remember to be patient, think about the big picture, and never stop hustling.

[mairesaya]

It can happen to anyone! Very inspirational!

[gemeenterotterdam-deactivated20]

Hardlopers rennen door de skyline van #Rotterdam #MR15  Mooie foto @peter_gooris! 👍 (Bron: http://ift.tt/1Nh6zpF)

[azspot]

A world without teachers or dock-workers would soon be in trouble. But it’s not entirely clear how humanity would suffer were all private equity CEOs, lobbyists, PR researchers, actuaries, telemarketers, bailiffs or legal consultants to similarly vanish.

David Graeber (via azspot)

[mairesaya]

On my previous school (when I was studying tourism following a special educational program provided by holiday/travel company Vacansoleil) I was lucky enough to be send away on internships to these three beautiful places in France:

Gorges de l ‘Aveyron

Ille-Et-Vilaine

Drôme

During these internships I did lots of different things: leisure activities, frontoffice, backoffice, restaurant, cleaning... you name it! 

I’ve gained a lot of experience during my internships and I also learned to speak French!

PS: Check out my full resume on my LinkedIn 

(source photos 1 2 & 3)

[mairesaya]

Wishing all my fellow students the best of luck during finals! Check out these studying hacks to help you get through your exams! (source)

[mairesaya]

Wow! Check out this mini-marketing-plan for LinkedIn! (source)

PS: Connect with me on LinkedIn!

[mairesaya]

As a student, I have to do a lot of presentations for lots of different courses. I always use Prezi to make my presentation look as professional as possible. I would advice everyone to use Prezi as well! It might seem difficult but once you’ve done a few, using Prezi is easy as pie! Plus, there are lots of different templates that can help you! 

Check out some of my Prezi’s here

PS: They are all in Dutch

[mairesaya]

Earlier this day I posted some information about the communication event MiXM! (You can read that post here!)

Check out this video from the previous MiXM! edition: “The Creative Industry”. Last year I helped organize this specific event. It was a great experience to do and I’ve learned a lot from it. For more info about MiXM! “The Creative Industry” (or other previous editions) click here!

[mairesaya]

If you’re in Rotterdam, make sure to check out MiXM!, a communication event, organised by students like me, with this years theme “Social Media”. 

For more info go to: http://www.mixm.nl/rotterdam/ 

[mairesaya]

For my resume and experience, check out my LinkedIn:

LinkedIn/MaireSaya

PS: Don’t be afraid to connect with me!