A warm hello our Millennial of the week Kristin! Kristin is a Minnesota native with wander lusting soul. Life most recently brought her as a Program Coordinator to rural Dominican Republic where she teamed up to develop global awareness and leadership in youth from the U.S. Her most recent work combined her long-time love of inter-cultural exchange, leadership development, and personal growth. Her passion for travel, learning from and exchanging with others, and developing deep and meaningful connections has brought her to countries across the world, most recently to Europe where she backpacked solo seeking new opportunities, friendships, and growth. A connection cultivator, global awareness and human rights advocate, cross cultural enthusiast, fitness and health nut, entrepreneur, writer, and traveller-she is now back in her home state of Minnesota and in the midst of kick-starting the next leg in her journey.
Welcome to Millennial Of The Week! This is an interview series conducted by Millennial Community – we are a group of like-minded young people who support each other, talk about life as a millennial, work on projects & ideas that matter and challenge the status quo of the world we live in. Let’s dive right in!
Are you a member of any online communities? If so, what made you join?
Yes, I’m a member and now team member (YAY!) of Millennial Community. I had been following Millennial Community and its happenings for a while on social media. It wasn’t until I recently reunited and reconnected with Ramona in person that I was inspired to jump in completely, and I haven’t looked back since. I felt Ramona’s passion and vision for this project and am SO excited for all that I feel Millennial Community offers in terms of personal and professional growth as well as the opportunities it provides in enabling us to connect and collaborate with bright, creative millennials from across the globe!
What are – in your opinion – the most important skills a millennial needs to cultivate, and why?
Gratitude-because a life fully lived speaks not to how much we have but rather to how grateful we are for each day and everything and everyone in it. I believe practicing gratitude allows millennials to be patient in their pursuits and more joyful in everyday life.
Empathy-because without it, meaningful connection cannot exist. Loving oneself unconditionally in turn allows us to wholeheartedly accept and love others, even those drastically different from us. In a world more connected and diverse than ever, practicing empathy allows millennials to be more effective leaders.
Creativity-because we all have it, the trick is pushing ourselves to develop it. I believe creativity is not only pertinent to personal growth but also enables us as a generation to efficiently and effectively solve the ever complicated challenges we encounter professionally.
How are you practicing those skills in your own life?
Gratitude-I’ve been working on practicing gratitude by using a gratitude jar-where each night I reflect on the day and write down something I was grateful for that day and place it in the jar.
Empathy-Being that empathy begins with oneself I’ve started, similarly to gratitude, an empathy jar where I reflect on the day and write down a time I showed myself empathy and compassion. I’m also working on reflecting on this in the moment as well as practicing this with others.
Creativity-I invest in my creative side by practicing my painting skills as well as finding fun recipes to experiment cooking with!
What is your personal definition of success?
Simply put, I believe that success is being 100% true to yourself. With all the messages we receive on a daily basis about how we should look, what career path we should follow, how many children we should have, etc. it can become overwhelming and ever-so difficult to navigate the path to being our most genuine, authentic selves. Success to me is a constant, ever-evolving journey of self-discovery and practice of joy and gratitude.
What are YOU seeking help in at the moment?
Input and expertise from other self-starters as I launch into my new projects
What excites you about being a millennial?
That we are a generation so different from those before us; in that uniqueness is so much potential just waiting to be released!
Quick Fire Questions
My current passion project
Transforming my life in itself into my passion project (through which several individual passion projects will be emerging soon so stay tuned!)
I am most grateful for
The people I’ve encountered and the experiences I’ve had travelling; meeting resilient, perseverant, and brave change-makers across the globe has humbled and inspired me to my core.
One of my role models (and why)
The courageous women of an organization in rural Dominican Republic called CONAMUCA who have been fighting for rural women’s rights, political, social, and economic equality since the 1970’s while facing never-ending resistance to their efforts. In everything they do they demonstrate selfless dedication, resilience, compassion, and perseverance in the face of obstacles. Through their work and humbleness, I am reminded of the power of passion.
Best advice I ever received
To listen to your gut/intuition
My biggest challenge
Rising above the critics (including my own self-critic)
Being resourceful means ___
Exercising creativity with action
