25 weeks


So this was my first half of 2014 in a nutshell, the craziness I put myself (and my husband, because who are we kidding, he rides this roller coaster with me) through these past 25 weeks.

My challenge this year is to step out of my comfort zone, because I've noticed that the older I get, the more difficult it is to do so IF I don't practice it. So in keeping with the theme, this year so far has been made up of the following:


* Deciding to participate at USFSP's pitch competition where we first introduced our brand new concept of NeverWander, and placing 2nd!
* Visiting Tampa Hackerspace and immersing myself in a world totally unknown to me before: soldering and circuits! They helped us develop our very fist prototype, which helped us to win the pitch competition at the Southeastern Entrepreneurship Conference!!
* Applying to get on StartupBus, getting accepted, and spending the craziest week on a bus from Florida to Texas, developing a business (app) with people I had never met before, and then attending SXSW where the house we were staying at ended up getting robbed.
* Establishing NeverWander as a business, working on the business model, having our very first intern, and navigating the world of networking and entrepreneurship!
* Taking NeverWander to OneSpark in Jacksonville, FL to get potential customer validation and feedback. We ended up placing 6th, out of more than 90, in the Judges' Tech Category, and 61st out of more than 600 in the overall festival, thanks to votes of attendees (preliminary results, we're still waiting to hear the final results).
* Stepping out of my comfort zone, more than ever, I decided to apply to speak at Ignite Tampa Bay, and got accepted! I spoke about Colombia in front of about 300 people, how it is in fact a country that has been tainted by its past, but is getting out of darkness, thanks to the help of campaigns such as Colombia Es Pasion.... and what we can learn from that.
* Realizing that while school has been really important in my life, sometimes it needs to take a backseat when these amazing opportunities are up for grabs. The lesson was difficult, as I failed my first class ever, and will have to retake it next semester, but given everything I learned this semester in a real life setting, outside of the classroom, was a small price to pay!

So this year has found a cure from my insomnia - because when you're sleep deprived, insomnia is no longer the definition. I have found that you can truly push your limits, and it is often fun to. I have learned about myself, I have let go of fears, I have jumped head first, I have failed, and I have gotten back up, I have felt doubt, I have fought, been told I'm not good enough, and competed with myself. And one of the biggest lessons I have learned so far is that no one (not even those that say no) makes your future but yourself.

To sum everything up, I have been on a relentless pursuit to break down my walls of comfort, burn my fear-filled bridges, and adventure into the unknown.

And it's been SO worth it!