"Without Chaos there is no change & without change there is no evolution"
Hello! My name is Karen Penados and I’m the newest addition to the Floridian First Realty team. I am from Guatemala and was in the Hospitality business for more than 17 years. A few weeks ago, I became a part of this family at Floridian First Realty. I never imagined that the Real Estate world was so big and interesting before arriving here. I would like to extend a big thank you to Michelle and Kevin for giving me the opportunity to start learning about this new world. Also, I want to thank Paola–who is patiently teaching me everything she knows (amazing… I never imagined learning so much from a girl 20 years younger than me).
My journey begins in 2020 when I had a period of transition. Apart from the global pandemic that occurred, that was the year I decided to leave my home, I was going through a divorce, and I had no idea the direction my life would take. I remember that my father–-who passed away in November of that same year–-took me to the airport and told me, “I don’t know what you are looking for, but I hope you find it on this trip. I want to tell you that everything you are looking for is inside you.” As the months went by, these words made sense in my life. Today, October 27th is my father’s birthday. This message is dedicated to him, to whom I thank God for his life full of so much love, and lessons.
A solitary year, 2020, was where I discovered the best company, myself; a year of healing, and self-forgiveness. I had a very deep journey into my inner self, which left me with many lessons, which I share with you and I hope they are useful to you as they are to me:
No one has the power to hurt you, make you angry, or make you suffer unless you give that power to someone or to a situation, but as soon as you discover this, you decide what and who really matters to you and you can take control of your emotions and you give the luxury of deciding how to feel all the time.
Wellness was my favorite word during this evolution. I learned that there is no better person to care for you than yourself. That year I decided to implement physical and mental health habits that I never realized I needed in my life. I started running, I ran up to 10 miles a day, and I was never as skinny as I was that year. I began to exercise a lot, and I began to read and listen to podcasts about introspection, self-knowledge, and coaching. The support network helped me cope with my grief. Today, I no longer run 10 miles, but the first hour of my day is dedicated to my physical health which has definitely made a difference in my mood, productivity, and well-being.
Always be grateful for everything that happens to you, whether it’s good or bad. Over time, you realize that things don’t happen the way you want them to, but you see why it had to happen that way. To live the present you have, you decide to be thankful for everything. The experiences that are not so good always leave you with lessons and when you learn these lessons you decide to act differently when a particular situation arises again, and that is where it makes sense to always be THANKFUL.
Letting go of perfection because we are imperfect. I tend to be a perfectionist, so I have to admit that I’m still working on this. But, now I try not to punish myself if things don’t go as planned; I have learned to enjoy the process of imperfection.
Not to please everyone. This lesson was the hardest for me to learn. For a long time, I cared a lot about what people would say about me and my actions and I tried to look good to everyone around me, no matter if looking good was not at all what I wanted to do. Today, I prioritize myself and what I want to do. It is incredible how this new frame of mind and thinking has brought the most beautiful people into my life that are here to stay.
“Don’t expect to have everything to enjoy life, you already have life to enjoy everything.”
KMP