July Challenge, Week 2!

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Life has a way of making us so caught up in the pursuit of “what we have to do to get by” or “what we have to do to survive”, that we neglect what it is we WANT to do in this life.

Over the past week, I had a chance to read “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”, written by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia. The purpose of this book was to guide the reader through Japanese beliefs, the main one being that "everyone has an ikigai - a reason for living.”

Having a strong sense of ikigai—where…what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap.

Our ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning, and the reason most Japanese people never really retire (there’s no word in Japanese that means “retire” in the sense it does in English). They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy.

The authors of this book interviewed residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds. The villagers explained the secrets to their longevity and how they found their Ikigai, which brings them happiness and makes them look forward to getting out of bed every single day, even in their old age.

Before starting week 2, look at the goals you set for 2024. Think to yourself, “Do I know my ikigai? Do I know what brings me happiness and makes me excited to get out of bed every single day?”

If you find yourself confused and don’t know the answers to these questions, use the chart above. Answer each circle to discover your ikigai.

1. Being a part of the BGF family, a community where like-minded women support each other to become the best versions of ourselves this month

2. Finding your Ikigai and figuring out how your 2024 goals align with it

3. Creating a schedule at the beginning of the week on Google Calendar to make sure you’re being 100% realistic with yourself about the time you have, so you can work on your goals + make time for yourself (remember we’re not robots, it’s essential to make the time for yourself to recuperate)

~ To make the most of this challenge, please join the GroupMe chat where you get to meet other women and motivate each other through the month. July Challenge Group Chat

~ Please join the broadcast channel for daily motivation sent from the team, any updates, and us featuring you! Broadcast Channel Group Chat

Message from the Founder

Hey beautiful,

Celina here! Thanks for joining the BGF family and me on the second week of the July Challenge. I wanted to wish you the best of luck in completing the tasks for this week, and hope I was able to help you find your Ikigai 💗

While completing these challenges, you have the opportunity to submit photos of yourself completing the tasks for each week to be featured on our Instagram every Friday 💙

👀 P.S- You’re the first to know that a podcast will be coming to you this week! I’ll be covering all things self-love, care, confidence + so much more. I am currently completely open to name ideas, so if you have any name ideas or topics you’d like me to discuss on the podcast, please feel free to DM the BGF page or respond to this email :) You’ll receive an email the minute the first episode is dropped 🥰

💌 Please remember to check your inbox every Sunday for the weekly challenge!

It's an honor to help others become confident in themselves. I hope that through BrownGirlsFinesse and the Brown Girl Times newsletter, I'm able to be a part of your journey in the never-ending pursuit of self-love and confidence.

I wish you the best of luck for this week, and can’t wait to cheer you on 🥂

With love and wishes,

~ Celina