A relatable blog about my life.
By Kendra Almosawi
Ever wonder how someone with so many priorities gets things done every day? I for sure did. We hear about how celebrities manage multi million dollar companies. There’s Kim Karshaian who has multiple businesses, four kids, a reality TV show, a drama TV show, all while trying to become a full time lawyer. How does she manage all that? You can say “well she has help, not a good example” but when you think about one person managing all those things, it’s kinda insane. Let’s take another approach though, one more relatable and personable.
I was talking with my friend one day, Jessica, who is married with five kids. She works as a nurse full time, while also supporting her husband’s business and oversees an apartment building. We were in her kitchen one day, and I had to ask her how she manages everything and her response was “You just do.” She explained to me that there wasn’t really much of an option, which duh of course there’s not, and she just goes about her day and moves along with it. Even though this conversation was only a couple minutes long, it honestly gave me a whole new perspective to life.
Throughout my life, I’ve worn many hats, and some would say I’ve had the opportunity to live many lives. Before you think, “Oh man, this is some boring story about her life”. I promise it’s not! this isn’t some boring bibliography, just a little background for context. We’ve talked about how celebrities have proven the “You just have to do it” method, so I want to bring you along my journey so maybe you can apply to yours too.
I’ve never really been the normal person, who just goes to school and that’s it. I’ve always had a lot of responsbitlity, which maybe explains why I attract it so much in my adult life.
At the sweet age of 16, I worked two jobs, while graduating high school a year early, managing a teen social life, and taking care of my younger siblings. Once Two years later I thought to myself “well there has to be more”. I mean come on, working two jobs, wanting to go to school, but not having time to go to school, and helping raise two little gremlins was a lot of work! Let’s not even bring up everything else that I went through as teen.
When I was 18, I got some advice from a friend to join the military. I needed to get away from the small town life and go make a life for myself outside of town that people in it, never seem to want to leave. After a few months, I found myself living in Japan, experiencing life outside of home, and started to find myself outside of the life I once knew. Don’t get me wrong, I still had P L E N T Y of growing to do, but for once, I was felt like I was doing everything I suppose to and it just felt right.
At 23 I was stationed in San Diego, where I met my amazing husband after only living here for about a month, and knew it was time for a new journey. He introduced me to life that I could never could have imagined was possible. Together we balanced each other out, we faced hard times, and shared even greater times, and more importantly, he brought out the best in me. As a normal 23-year-old does, I started to get to know myself, my mind, how I think, how I act, I learned to let go of things that no longer served me, and I learned that growing is all part of the process of life.
During my 24th year in this world, I was still in the Navy working for Naval Special warfare, working long hours when I decided it was time to start a business. I’ve always had a passion for cooking, I love cooking for people, and I love hosting, so it made sense that I would love having a meal prep business right? Wrong.. LOL That lasted about 8 months, because my days were extremely long during Monday -Friday and my weekends were filled with cooking for about 10 people ~100 meals every week. I realized that I wasn’t enjoying something that once made me happy. Cooking was always my favorite part of everyday, and it almost felt like a chore to even cook for my fiancé (at the time). I thought “You just have to do it” but no, I didn’t want to do it anymore.. It wasn’t fun, and I couldn’t imagine doing this for many more years to come.
That’s where the “You Just Have to Do It” mindset comes in. You don’t H A V E to do it, if you don’t want to. You don’t have to force yourself to be unhappy, you have to listen to mind and your body to what feels right for you. During that time, I was fed up, I lost all of my weekends, spent 0 time with the love of my life, and have a decision to drop it, and move on to the next thing.
25 came around, and I decided I wanted to get out of the military and explore the corporate world. I found a program called Hiring Our Heroes that helped with my transition and ultimately was recruited to be a Chief of Staff at a biotech company to come check out his company. This led me into an internship for my last 3 months while transitioning out of the Navy, and then I was lucky enough to have landed a full-time role as contractor for the same position I interned as.
This is when life started to get busy, because while I was starting at a brand-new company, I also started college for the first time in my life at 26. I thought I was in way over my head, how can I manage 15 units while working full time, and being a wife?! My mental health was going down, I was having panic attacks, and I was dealing with a family matter that just kinda made everything a lot worse, but I told myself, “you just have to get through it”, “you just have to do it”.
Skip a few months, maybe even a year and now I was married, working full time with a new promotion, going to school, trying to start an esty business, and learning how to be a dog mom. I told my husband “what am I even doing, there’s no way I can manage all of this”. Then I remembered “you just have to do it”. If you really want something, you just have to put your mind to it and get it done.
Before I had that talk with Jessica, I was always really down on myself, sometimes I even still am. I caught myself saying “Why are you like this, you can’t do this” but the moment I switched the “I can’t to” to “you just have to” it changed a lot. Don’t get me wrong though, it only works when the thing you “have” to do is actually something you really wany.
When I got out the military, I was told by a lot of people I’d just fail. I was lectured for F O U R hours straight by my grandma that I wouldn’t be anything if I got out. Honestly? That just have me all the reason to prove everyone else wrong. I wanted the best life possible for myself, and when I met my husband, I knew with him, we’d be able to create a magic life.
I got out of the Navy and got an amazing opportunity as a contractor at a biotech company, I still was told I wouldn’t go much further without a degree. Then after receiving my first degree at Southwestern College, I was told, well you don’t have to accomplish everything, you can chill out for a year. Like after all the lectures I would give up? Oh no.. That’s when I got into SDSU and I remember I actually cried when I found out. Little me was so proud, because coming from a small town with little money into the life I created seemed so surreal.
I think by now, you know I love myself a challenge. My first semester at SDSU I took 6 classes, while getting another promotion with more responsibilities and training 3 people at once (remotely might I add), and trying to be the best wife and dog mom I could, all while trying to take care of a friends dog. I called my grandma and said “This is too hard for me, I’m in over my head, I have a work trip coming up, finals due, a trip to my brothers to prep for my newborn nephew, and then thanksgiving right after, with family visiting the following week” her response was “Well, knowing you, you always find a way.” Her saying those words reminded me of Jessica and gave me the stability I needed to keep going. As much as “You just have to do it” you also have to want to do it, want to make it work, and want to find a way.
I think the moral to the “Just do it mindset” is that it doesn’t matter how much you have going on, you just have to do it, but more importantly you also have to want it. One thing I found, is that once you let go of things that no longer serve you it ends up inspiring you to want it even more. I want to challenge yourself next time you say “This is the path I want, this is what I really want to do” and things don’t go as planned, instead of being down on yourself, use the “just do it method” and find a way. Delete the social media apps if it’s a distraction, spend less time watching Netflix, wake up a little earlier or stay up a little later. Find the time to do it, and watch how good the life you’ve dreamed of can be.
Life with Kendra 
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