Staying Positive In Any Situation with Author and Lifestyle Blogger, Zara Jones
Today, I am blessed to be joined by Zara Jones.
My guest today is Zara Jones, a 6-time published author and lifestyle blogger, who focuses on all things positivity, self-care and curly hair! She believes in sharing her gifts and experiences to help others stay positive and productive.
“Saying positive affirmations, even simple one's, can have such a huge impact on how you go about your day" – Zara Jones
Listen on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube https://www.daniellecobo.com/dreamjobwithdaniellecobopodcast
Highlights
💫 3:28 A little about Zara's journey
💫 10:01 The affirmations that Zara uses to start her day
💫 14:07 How affirmations help with the fear of rejection
💫 17:09 How Zara was able to find the positive in a negative situation
💫 20:16 Why self-care is so important
💫 22:46 Why who you surround yourself with matters
💫 24:01 3 takeaways from today's conversation
Let's Connect!
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A Story of Regaining Motivation and Redirecting Passion
I grew up loving basketball. My parents were super big on basketball and education. So I really had to be a true student athlete, and unfortunately in my freshman year of high school, I got into a horrible car accident and I couldn't really play anymore. I was confined to my bed, couldn't leave my room because I had all these injuries that I'm currently still going through. So, I couldn't even go to school because I had concussions, and it was hard for me to even learn and grasp what I was learning. So all that time that I spent at home. It was a nightmare to me because as an athlete, I wanted to play and I wanted to attend games. I wanted to feel that adrenaline and I couldn't let all that energy out on the court that I love so much, and so I also felt like I was letting down my family and disappointing them because I couldn't play. So my dad, he was really big on sports so I felt like I was letting him out a lot. And my mom was really big on education, and so because I couldn't really go to school and really do as much work as I wanted to do in as much work as I needed to, I felt like I was letting her down. So it was really hard to cope with all of those feelings of stress, anxiety, and I was depressed. I went through some really hard times because I couldn't talk to anyone, couldn't really connect with anyone because I felt like no one understood my story and what I was going through. It's different when you are looking at something from outside, but when you're actually going through it, it's much different. Everything you did is 100 times harder. So those are some of the things that I went through.
But luckily, I did find a new passion in writing, and so I would have never been here if I didn't get into the accident because I believe I was going to be a star athlete, and I was going to get a scholarship playing basketball, and go to the WNBA, and that was my dream. But of course, I couldn't do that anymore. And so when I turned to writing, I had gotten to taking care of myself, writing the things that I was thankful and grateful for. Even going through those hard times. I had to imagine that there are so many other things that I can focus on and channel that energy towards – instead of something negative, I can turn it into something positive. So I got into writing self-love, self-care, building that self-esteem, and I had to rediscover myself. So I really had to understand what I was good at, and that was writing, so that's when I started my blog, Zest of Life with Zara. It is that positivity, self-care, and all things curly hair. I love showing people that they can turn that situation that they were in into something good; and that when one door closes, another one opens and that they are not just what people think they are.
There are so many other things to them than just that one thing that most people know that for. I still get people telling me and asking me every single day, well, have basketball and I'm like, oh, I don't play it anymore. But now I write. So just them hearing my story is something that I love to see on their faces because they're like, wow, you did basketball, and now you're a writer are completely two different things. And so I love to see how people react to it because it's like, well, we all know that she loves basketball, but I'm glad that she has turned it into something different, and those writing, which is something that she loves to do now. And I've gotten a lot of opportunities from it. So I'm very grateful for just having this opportunity to be here with you and everyone else and tell my story and also just learning more about myself and discovering myself through the process.
That is so inspiring. You really took a situation that could have easily you define what the future of yours could be in a very negative way. And sometimes we hold on to things and the amount of energy it takes to hold on to the path and those negative things, they really affect us on an emotional, physical level; and to shift your mind, and to really focus on what you're grateful for, and the positive aspects of life is powerful. And now you're using your experience to share it with the world, and you're really showing up as a leader and making a positive impact on the world.
Building Healthy Habits Towards Self-care
That's one of the reasons why I also wrote my six books on self-care software. I've been building self-esteem and information. A lot of people think that self-care is about bubble baths and painting your nails. But really, it is about learning to love yourself, announcing, accepting who you are, and knowing that you are perfectly imperfect and that you can do all these things as long as you put your mind to it and you put that energy into it. Nothing comes naturally and easily all the time, and sometimes you really have to build those healthy habits, and it does take a while sometimes, but it definitely pays off.
It absolutely does, and oftentimes, you know, the things that prevent us from moving forward is really just our mind and our self-doubt, and then when we can shift their mind and start to truly believe in ourselves and the power that we have deep down inside, the opportunities are endless. There is so much you can do in life. If you truly take time to use that self-care and believe in yourselves, tell us a little bit about the affirmation that you use. What do you tell yourself in the morning to really shift your mind, to appreciate the world, what you have, and who you are as a powerful woman?
So I ate in the morning and I will do my affirmation. I repeat about five affirmations three times, and so I usually take a deep breath and I tell myself, “I am beautiful. I will share my gifts with others. I am important. I will do the best I can today. I believe in my ability. I will let go of that self-doubt. I will let go of the past.” And so some of those are the ones that I have repeated here and there a few times, and those have actually been helping me. I've been repeating most of those four years ever since when I got into that accident. Until now, I still go back to those affirmations because they have helped me so much, and just knowing that I am important and just feeling that actually understanding who I am because it's one thing to say it and not believe it. You have to say it enough so that she believes it and that's what affirmations are. You can have negative affirmations, and that's what a lot of people don't know either. When you have negative affirmation that goes into insecurity, and what ends up happening is that when you save some of those negative things to yourself, you start believing it. And so what we want to do is switch that into something positive. Although we don't believe it, it doesn't mean you're not going to believe it later on. So that's why when it ends with the same affirmation, I'm beautiful and smart. I'm caring and loving. I am loved. Some of those really simple ones can go a long way.
I can relate a lot to what you're saying, and sometimes with those negative insecurities. I was in corporate America for 15 years, and I had a lot of success, and I really created what I thought with value by awards and things like that. And when I started this business, I took that leap of faith to step out. I really had insecurities that I didn't even know that were deep down inside as to how am I going to run this business? How am I going to make an impact? I really had some self-doubt, you know, and I really took some time, like you're saying, to create these affirmations and to remind yourself every single day and to push through and sometimes celebrating the mini milestones in the sense of I didn't know how I was going to have a website or podcast, and I just kept pushing forward. I ended up designing my own website on my own. I'm not a website designer, started a podcast, and just have been putting 1 foot in front of the other. And just like you, I start my morning with my positive affirmation, and I say, “I am a free, passionate, vulnerable leader.” And when you tell yourself that over and over and over again, it really supports you in overcoming those insecurities because they're always going to come up in one way or another, and it's a matter of believing in yourself, and that's how you can overcome those insecurities.
I believe that a lot of people do say that exact affirmation that you tell yourself every morning. I think we would all do everything every single day, everything in the day with a smile on our face, because we know that we can overcome those obstacles. I was okay to mess up a few times. It's fine, and we are human. So it's okay to accept some of those failures that we have because failures are not bad, they’re learning processes. We're going through things we need to learn, and so that's why I think when it comes to those insecurities, everyone's afraid of projection too, and so those things are hard to get over. But when it comes to affirmations, I believe that if we save them enough and we believe in them, then we will become much better and build that confidence and build that self-esteem.
Overcoming Doubts and Insecurities
It is important that we acknowledge sometimes we have that self-doubt or the insecurities, and one of the things I do is when I feel this anxiety in my stomach – because I've actually suffered from anxiety for years – oftentimes, I say, “Okay. I have anxiety. There's something deep down in my heart that is creating this, and it’s self-doubt or a negative thought that I have.” So I take time to acknowledge it, just recognize it and acknowledge it. And then I give myself 5 seconds to move forward. It's important you acknowledge it. Sometimes these insecurities are good learning lessons as to how our mind can create doubt within ourselves, and then also, sometimes those failures create really good learning lessons.
Yes, the process is hard because discovering yourself can be something that is very difficult, especially if you've done something for so many years. I put my heart into basketball, and so it was really hard for me to at first because not only was I just thinking about myself, but I also put other people's feelings before mine. So I was more into how my parents would feel if I stopped playing basketball, and so I think that was one of the hardest decisions and one of the hardest things that had to make me make my decision because I would have continued playing basketball. If I didn't figure out what my self-care was, I probably would have already been playing basketball, would have been at a tournament this week if I decided that I'm going to put my feelings behind me and put everyone's feelings in front because I knew a lot of people were really cheering on for me to go back to basketball. But I'm glad that my parents actually encouraged me to take the break and just focus on some of the other things I love doing and discovering who I am and what I want to do. So it took a lot of time for me to actually process what was going on. It’s one thing that you're doing it, but it's another thing that you have to sit there and really think, wow, I'm not going to play anymore. What am I going to do now?
And so that's what I went through for a while. I still go through it. Sometimes I still look back and I'm like, what if I decide to keep playing basketball? Where would I be now? It's not bad to think about the past because you are creating this in your mind of just different things that could have happened, just the different realities that she should have had. I'm not saying I would go back to it if I could because I love where I am. Car accident did open up a lot of opportunities for me. I wouldn't have started my blog, I wouldn't have got my books because I have been focused on so many other things. I wouldn't have been on this interview because I probably would have focused more on the store rather than anything else, and so I'm glad that it was very eye-opening to me, that experience. All of it was very eye-opening to see not only what I could do and some of the other things that I love, but also opening up all of these doors, allowing me to get all these learning experiences from it and just growing myself my brand.
You’re so right when it comes to self-care is so much more than a bubble bath. It's truly understanding, taking care of yourself, who you are as a person, taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally. And you know, even though other people may want us to do things, it's important that we follow our dreams and our visions because when we're truly passionate about what we do, we get to create impact in that way.
Building A Structure Within You
You have to build that structure; and so self-care, self-love, building that self-esteem and self-confidence is the structure. It is a necessity, and a lot of people don't realize that it is an essential. You can't really go into building a healthy and happy life style if you don't have those blocks and structures for you, because self-care is also about setting boundaries and having values. That's what a lot of people don't know either – that those two things, boundaries from standards or boundaries and values are super important to have. Because not only are you setting boundaries for yourself, but you're setting them for other people, too. And when you set up those boundaries for yourself, you know your limits; and when people push half that limit, that's when we start feeling anxious and scared and we don't know how we're feeling or what we're feeling. That because we don't understand that those are the boundaries that we have in place. So when we have those boundaries in place, when your limit is when to take a step back and breathe and relax, and having values as well are super important.
My mom has told me all the time that if you surround yourself with people who have values, stand value is you, you will become a crossroad where someone goes over your boundary. I think that was really important, just learning and growing up with that because some of the friends that I had really didn't have the same values as me. So while I was going through that car accident, we’re as positive as I wanted them to be, they were scaring me more than I was scaring myself. And I think that was one of the other lessons that I learned – that you really have to pay attention to human you surround yourself with because they can really impact what you think of yourself. So you always want to surround yourself the positive, uplifting people instead of people who can kind of devalue you and make you feel like you need to go to them in order to feel validated. I think that's one thing that's super important.
I mean, they always say, show us who your friend and I'll show you who you are. I have a group of women that I've been friends with for over 15 years, and all of them are either business owners or successful in corporate America. And they have these big visions and these big goals, and we're all striving to be the best versions of ourselves and supporting each other; and it's incredible to surround yourself with people that not only have their own big vision, a big goal, they also want to support you to do the same as well. So tell us, what are three things that our audience really take away from our conversation today?
Setting Goals and Being Equipped to Achieve Them
Focusing on your self-care.
You want to be able to really know that self-care is not selfish. Self-care is actually a lot more selfless because you are not just taking care of yourself, but you can take care of others. You're also making sure that your emotions and how you feel is intact. So you don't end up hurting other people with your work and how you feel because it's a domino effect. When one person is upset, then you pass on to the other person. So you want to really take care of yourself first, put yourself first. You are the priority, and that goes with being better than yourself and taking a break. It's okay to take a break. There's nothing to feel guilty about. If you take a break, sometimes we just need that mental-physical break in order to keep us in mind.
When one door closes, another one opens.
You are just not known for one day, you are known for many things, but people just don't know that and you have to show them. So I think it's really important to tap into those different hobbies or just try something new; and it's never too late to try something new. I didn't know I was really good at writing until I got into that accident and who knew? Maybe if I never got into it. So this was the only thing for me. So I think it's really important to go through any situation that you're going through, and you'll just learn that there are so many other things to you than just that one thing that you know yourself for and that other people know before.
Don't be afraid to embrace your dream.
I know it sounds much easier said than done but when you embrace your dream, you commit to learning something new and you want to keep an open mind that there are so many other things that you can do. All you have to do is just really practice it and you just have to learn from it.
I think those are some of the really important three things that I think everyone should take away from this.
Wow, all very powerful three things that we can take away today, and I really like how you emphasize self-care and setting boundaries. Because when we can take care of ourselves, that's how we show up as the best version of ourselves. It is one of the most selfless things that we can do, so that we can show up and be the best version emotionally and mentally.
Transcript
Hey, everyone, welcome to another episode of Dream Job with Danielle Cobo. Today I have an incredible guest. Her name is Zara Jones. She is a six-time published author and lifestyle blogger focusing on positivity, self-care and all things curly hair. She believes in sharing her gifts and experience to support others to be positive and productive. Thank you so much for joining us today, Zara.
Zara Jones
Thank you so much for having me, Miss Danielle. Thank you for this opportunity.
Danielle Cobo
Well, you are absolutely incredible. You and I connected through LinkedIn, and here's something so special about you that really was exceptional. You're 18 years old now, and you are proactively reaching out to leaders on LinkedIn, and you are asking for advice on how to level up your life, your career, how to get started, and truly, this is so exceptional because I rarely see such young, useful people doing this at such an early age. Even before College.
Zara Jones
I actually got on LinkedIn because I took a career prep class and that class was teaching me all of these things to do to get more into going and building my career, and so I decided that I wanted to be an overachiever instead of getting 10 LinkedIn connections. I wanted to connect with much more empowering, inspiring leaders. So I reached out to a lot of people, and I reached out to you because you guys all inspired me, and I wanted to just know and learn more about what you do and some of the things that I can improve so that I can be the best I could be and what I do.
Danielle Cobo
Well, for those of you out there, I encourage you to connect with Zara. Each week, she interviews different leaders, inspiring leaders, and she shares what she's learned from each of them. It is so much fun to follow her, and I encourage all of you to do that as well. So tell us a little bit about your journey because it's a very powerful story.
Zara Jones
Yes. So I grew up loving basketball. My parents they were super big on basketball and education. So I really had to be a true student athlete, and so unfortunately, my freshman year of high school, I got into a horrible car accident, and I couldn't really place anymore. I was confined to my bed, couldn't leave my room because I had all these injuries that I'm currently still going through. So, I couldn't even go to school because I had concussions, and it was hard for me to even learn and grasp what I was learning. So all that time that I spent at home, it was a nightmare to me because as an athlete, I wanted to play and I wanted to attend games. I wanted to feel that adrenaline and I couldn't let all that energy out on the court that I love so much, and so I also felt like I was letting down my family and disappointing them because I couldn't play. So my dad, he was really big on sports. So I felt like I was letting him out a lot, and my mom was really big on education, and so because I couldn't really go to school and really do as much work as I wanted to do in as much work as I needed to, I felt like I was letting her down. So it was really hard to cope with all of those feelings of stress, anxiety, and I was depressed. I went through some really hard times because I couldn't talk to anyone, couldn't really connect with anyone because I felt like no one understood my story and what I was going through. It's different when you are looking at something from outside, but when you're actually going through it, it's much different. Everything you did do 100 times harder. So those are some of the things that I went through. But luckily, I did find a new passion in writing, and so I would have never been here if I didn't get into the accident because I believe I was going to be a star athlete, and I was going to get a scholarship, playing basketball, and go to the WNBA, and that was my dream. But of course, I couldn't do that anymore, and so when I turned to writing, I had gotten to taking care of myself, writing the things that I was thankful and grateful for. Even going through those hard times. I had to imagine that there are so many other things that I can focus on and channel that energy towards instead of something negative, I can turn it into something positive. So I got into writing self-love, self-care, building that self-esteem, and I had to rediscover myself. So I really had to understand what I was good at, and that was writing, and so that's when I started my blog, that of Life with Zara. It is that positivity, self-care and all things truly hair, and so I love showing people that they can turn that situation that they were in into something good, and that when one door closes, another one opens and that they are not just what people think they are. There are so many other things to them than just that one thing that most people know that for. I still get people telling me and asking me every single day, well, have basketball and I'm like, oh, I don't play it anymore. But now I write. So just them hearing my story. It's something that I love to see on their faces because they're like, wow, you did basketball, and now you're a writer are completely two different things, and so I love to see how people react to it because it's like, well, we all know that she loves basketball, but I'm glad that she has turned it into something different, and those writing, which is something that she loves to do now, and I've gotten a lot of opportunities from it. So I'm very grateful for just having this opportunity to be here with you and everyone else and tell my story and also just learning more about myself are discovering myself through the process.
Danielle Cobo
That is so inspiring. You really took a situation that could have easily you define what the future of yours could be in a very negative way, and sometimes we, well hold on to things and the amount of energy it takes to hold on to the path and those negative things, they really affect us on an emotional, physical level and to shift your mind, and to really focus on what you're grateful for and the positive aspects of life is powerful, and now you're using your experience to share with the world, and you're really showing up as a leader and making a positive impact on the world.
Zara Jones
Yes, thank you. That's one of the reasons why I also wrote my six books on self-care software. I've been building self-esteem and information. A lot of people think that self-care is about bubble back and paying your nails. But really, it is about learning to love yourself and announce and accepting who you are and knowing that you are perfectly imperfect and that you can do all these things as long as you put your mind to it and you put that energy to it. Nothing comes naturally and easily all the time, and sometimes you really have to build those healthy habits, and it does take a while sometimes, but it definitely pays off.
Danielle Cobo
It absolutely does, and oftentimes, you know, the things that prevent us from moving forward is really just our mind and our self-doubt, and then when we can shift their mind and start to truly believe in ourselves and the power that we have deep down inside, the opportunities are endless. There is so much you can do in life. If you truly take time to use that self-care and believe in yourselves, tell us a little bit about the affirmation that you use. What do you tell yourself in the morning to really shift your mind, to appreciate the world, what you have and who you are as a powerful woman?
Zara Jones
Yes. So I late in the morning and I will do my affirmation. I repeat about five affirmations three times, and so I usually take a deep breath and I told myself, I am beautiful. I will share my gifts with others. I am important. I will do the best I can today. I believe in my ability. I will let go of that self-doubt. I will let go of the past, and so some of those are the ones that I have repeated here and there a few times, and those have actually been helping me. I've been repeating most of those four years ever since when I got into that accident. Until now, I still go back to those affirmations because they have helped me so much, and just knowing that I am important and just feeling that actually understanding that I am because it's one thing to say it and not believe it. You have to say it enough so that she believes it and that's what affirmations are. You can have negative affirmations, and that's what a lot of people don't know either. When you have negative affirmation that goes into insecurity, and that's what ended up happening is that when you save some of those negative things to yourself, you start believing it, and so what we want to do is switch that into something positive. Although we don't believe it doesn't mean you're not going to believe it later on. So that's why when it ends the same affirmation, I'm beautiful and smart. I'm caring and loving. I am love. Some of those really simple ones can go a long way.
Danielle Cobo
Yeah. I can relate a lot to what you're saying, and sometimes those negative insecurities. I was in corporate America for 15 years, and I had a lot of success, and I really created what I thought with value by awards and things like that, and when I started this business and I took that leap of faith to step out, I really had insecurities that I didn't even know that were deep down inside as to how am I going to run this business? How am I going to make an impact? I really had some self-doubt, you know, and I really took some time, like you're saying, to create these affirmations and to remind yourself every single day and to push through and sometimes celebrating the mini milestones in the sense of I didn't know how I was going to have a website or podcast, and I just kept pushing forward. I ended up designing my own website on my own. I'm not a website designer, started a podcast and just have putting 1ft in front of the other, and just like you, I start my morning with my positive affirmation, and I say I am a free, passionate, vulnerable leader, and when you tell yourself that over and over and over again, it really supports you in overcoming those insecurities because they're always going to come up in one way or another, and it's a matter of believing in yourself, and that's how you can overcome those insecurities.
Zara Jones
Yes, absolutely. I agree you in that affirmation was amazing. I believe that a lot of people do say that exact affirmation that you tell yourself every morning. I think we would all do everything every single day, everything in the day with a smile on our face, because we know that we can overcome those obstacles, and I was okay to mess up a few times. It's fine, and we were human. So it's okay to accept some of those failures that we have because failures are not bad, their learning processes. We're going through things we need to learn, and so that's why I think when it comes to those insecurities, everyone's afraid of projection to, and so those things are hard to get over. But when it comes to affirmations, I believe that if we save them enough and we believe in them, then we will become much better and build that fall confidence and build that self-esteem.
Danielle Cobo
You're right. It is important that we acknowledge sometimes we have that self-doubt or the insecurities, and one of the things I do is when I feel this anxiety in my stomach because I've actually suffered from anxiety for years. Oftentimes I do now is I say okay. I have anxiety. There's something deep down in my heart that is creating this, and its self-doubt or a negative thought that I have. So I take time to acknowledge it, just recognize it and knowledge it, and then I give myself 5 seconds to move forward. It's important you acknowledge it, and like you said, sometimes these insecurities are good learning lessons as to how our mind can create doubt within ourselves, and then also, sometimes those failures create really good learning lessons, and like you had in your life, some of the challenges that you have with this major car accident. You really embrace that challenge and you shifted it into positivity and really shift it into making a positive impact as a leader in the world.
Zara Jones
Yes, the process is hard expert because are discovering yourself can be something that is very difficult, especially if you've done something for so many years, and I put my heart into basketball, and so it was really hard for me to, like a little bit at first because not only was I just thinking about myself, but I also put my the people's feelings before mine. So I was more into to my parents would feel if I stopped playing basketball, and so I think that was one of the hardest decisions and one of the hardest things that had to make me make my decision because I would have continued playing basketball. If I didn't figure out what my salt car was, I probably would have already been playing basketball, would have been at a tournament this week if I decided that, you know, I'm going to put my feelings behind me and put everyone's feelings in front because I knew a lot of people were really cheering on for me to go back to basketball, but I'm glad that my parents actually encouraged me to take the break and just focus on some of the other things I love doing and discovering who I am and what I want to do. So it took a lot of time for me to actually process what was going on. It’s one thing that you're doing it, but it's another thing that you have to sit there and really think, wow, I'm not going to play anymore. What am I going to do now? And so that's what I went through for a while. I still go through it. Sometimes I still look back and I'm like, what if I decide to keep playing basketball? Where would I be now? It's not bad to think about the past because you are creating this in your mind of just different things that could have happened, just the different realities that she should have had, and so I'm not saying I would go back to it if I could because I love where I am. Car accident did open up a lot of opportunities for me. I wouldn't have started my blog, I wouldn't have got my books because I have been focused on so many other things. I wouldn't have been on this interview because I probably would have focused more on the store rather than anything else, and so I'm glad that it was very eye opening to me, that's experience. All of it was very eye opening to see not only what I could do and some of the other things that I love, but also opening up all of these doors, allowing me to get all these burning experiences from it and just growing myself my brand.
Danielle Cobo
You’re so right when it comes to self-care is so much more than a bubble bath. It's truly understanding, taking care of yourself, who you are as a person, taking care of yourself, physically, emotionally, mentally, and, you know, even though other people may want us to do things, it's important that we follow our dreams and our visions, because when we're truly passionate about what we do, we get to create impact in that way.
Zara Jones
Yes, absolutely. I agree with you on all of it. You have to build that structure, and so self-care self-love, building that self-esteem and self-confidence is the structure. It is a necessity, and a lot of people don't realize that it is an essential. You can't really go into building a healthy and happy life style if you don't have those blocks and structures for you, because the self-care is also about setting boundaries and having values, and so that's what a lot of people don't know either, is that those two things, boundaries from standards or boundaries and values are super important to have, because not only are you selling boundaries for yourself, that you're selling them for other people, too, and when you set up those boundaries for yourself, you know your limits, and when people push half that limit, that's when we start feeling ancient and scared and we don't know how we're feeling or what we're feeling. That because we don't understand that those are the boundaries that we have in place. So when we have those boundaries in place, you know, when your limit is, what your limit is, you know, when to take a step back and breathe and relax, and having values as well is super important. My mom has told me all the time that if you surround yourself with people who have values, stand value is you, you will become a crossroad where someone goes over your boundary, you’re lying, and so I think that was really important, just learning and growing up with that because some of the friends that I had really didn't have the same values to meet, and so while I was going through that car accident were as positive as I wanted them to be, they were scaring me more than I was scaring myself, and so I think that was one of the other lessons that I learned is that you really have to pay attention to human you surround yourself with because they can really impact what you think of yourself. So you always want to surround yourself the positive uplifting people instead of people who can kind of devalue you and how to make you feel like you need to go to them in order to feel validated. I think that's one thing that's super important.
Danielle Cobo
You're right. I mean, they always say, show us who your friend and I'll show you who you are, and I have a group of women that I've been friends with for over 15 years, and all of them are either business owners or successful in corporate America, and they have these big visions and these big goals, and we're all striving to be the best version of ourselves and supporting each other, and it's incredible to surround yourself with people that not only have their own big vision, a big goal, they also want to support you to do the same as well. So tell us, what are three things that our audience really take away from our conversation today?
Zara Jones
Okay. So I really think that I wanted to remember they were super imprinted. So the first one was focusing on your self-care. You want to be able to really know that self-care is not selfish. Self-care is not selfish. Self-care is actually a lot more selfless because you are not just taking care of yourself, but we take care of yourself. You're also making sure that your emotions and how you feel is intact. So you don't end up hurting other people with your work and how you feel because it's a domino effect. When one person is upset, then you pass on to the other person. So you want to really take care of yourself first, put yourself first. You are the priority, and that goes with better than yourself and taking a break. It's okay to take a break. There's nothing to feel guilty about. If you take a break. Sometimes we just need that mental physical break in order to keep us in mind. The next thing is like I said before, when one door closes, another one open, you are just not known for one day, you are known for many things, but people just don't know that and you have to show them. So I think it's really important to tap into those different hobbies or just try something new, and it's never too late to try something new. I didn't know I was really good at writing until I got into that accident and who knew? Maybe if I never got into it. So this was the only thing for me. So I think it's really important to go through any situation that you're going through, and she'll just learn that there are so many other things to you than just that one thing that you know yourself for that other people know before, and my last thing is, don't be afraid to embrace your dream. I know it sounds much easier said than done, but when you embrace your dream, your commit to learning something new and you want to keep an open mind that there are so many other things that she can do that all you have to do is just really practice in it and you just have to learn from it, and so I think those are some of the really important three things that I think everyone should take away from this.
Danielle Cobo
Wow, all very powerful, three things that we can take away from our conversation today, and I really like how you emphasize that self-care and setting boundaries, because when we can take care of ourselves, that's how we show up as the best version of ourselves is when we take care. It is one of the most selfless things that we can do, which is taking care of ourselves so that we can show up and be the best version emotionally and mentally. So you brand six books and you have a blog. So where can our audience find you?
Zara Jones
Yes. So I am on Instagram. My handle is Zest Of life W Zara. That is Z-E-S-T-O-F-L-I-F-E-W-Z-A-R-A, and I'm also on Facebook as well and my website if you want to check out my books or read a little bit about me, that is zaramjones.com.
Danielle Cobo
I also want our listeners to follow her on LinkedIn. Like I said, she interviews leaders every single week. She's very Proactive in doing this, and she posts each week on what she learned from each of us, and I enjoy following you, and I learned something from you all the time. So thank you so much for joining us today. I believe that your message is strong and inspiring and you are really making a positive impact on the world.
Zara Jones
Thank you so much, Miss Danielle. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share with you and everyone else my story.
Danielle Cobo
Well, I look forward to following you and your career journey because you have such a beautiful life ahead of you with your career. So thank you again for tuning in to today's episode. If you enjoy today's episode, I encourage you and invite you to subscribe and follow to the dream job with Danielle Cobo podcast. Write a review and a comment, and if there's any specific topics that you want to hear on this podcast, please direct message me. You can find me on the Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram and of course, my website as well. So tune in to next week's episode as I continue to interview inspiring women who have leveled up in their career overcoming University and have created a beautiful life of balance. Thank you so much and have a wonderful day and create an intentional day.
