We recently connected with Ana Paula Pous and have shared our conversation below.
Ana Paula, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from focusing on my inner self, have a support group and staying physically healthy. It’s important, especially as we age, that we learn to truly love and understand ourselves. This past year I have concentrated on the concept of “you must feel to heal” as a way to understand how I truly feel, what may have caused it, why it made me feel that way and how to move past it.
I truly cherish my relationships with my friends and family. I am blessed to say that I have a great group of supportive friends who allow me to go to them when I need to talk about my experiences or just in need of good company. Having a sense of community brings comfort and support when you may feel alone.
I have also devoted a lot of my time to my physical health. It was very tough at first but I prioritize moving my body at a minimum of five time a week. I use yoga for muscle stretching and stress relief and use weight training to gain a strength and a sense of empowerment.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Since I was young, I enjoyed being around people. People can be frustrating as much as they are captivating. This being said, I have focused on how I can help people throughout my life. I am currently a Training and Development Manager at a logistics company. My role is to onboard, train new hires and provide continuing education for those that get promoted. I’d like to say that I help people be successful in their role and how not to get fired. The world of logistics is very data driven and profit hungry but this allows me to use the left side of my brain, which focuses on logic, language skills and analytical thinking. On the other hand, I am also an artist and a director of a nonprofit art gallery. My medium is acrylic and I choose to paint for myself when there is something I need to release that I cannot put into words. I am lucky to say that I get this skill from my grandmother and mom. We often join art markets and artisan festivals to showcase our work.
I began the nonprofit, The Weekend Pop-up Art Gallery with my very close friend, Micah Salinas, who is a phenomenal artist; one of the best in Houston. Being a creative allows me to use the right side of my brain, which focuses on emotional processing, spatial awareness and creative thinking.
My career in both roles are extremely important to me and cherish each one for what it brings into my life.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities that are most important as you grow within your career is adaptability, patience and to question everything. Adaptability is crucial as you go through your phases of life because it can help you cope with the many changes you see. Change is our only constant in this life and if you cannot adapt, life will be more difficult than it already is. Patience is a hard one because I would consider that my weakness as I would consider myself a “busy body” and someone who want everything done now! Patience is important because it allows you to have effective decision making skills. It is crucial to sit with your thoughts and evaluate your options before you make a abrupt decision.
Lastly, question everything. As you go through your career and meet different people, have different bosses you want to often play by the rules but it is important to always question why things are done in that manner. Having the ability to thing for yourself and come up with process improvements can make all the difference and allow others to see you as a valuable asset.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The book that helped me overcome some personal challenges is “Lighter” by Yung Pueblo. This book helped me let go of the past and cherish the present to look forward to the future. Yung Pueblo encouraged me to meditate and focus on searching within to fully understand how to process emotions. There are many things that we cannot control in life and those experiences are very difficult to overcome but learning to search within can make all the difference in moving forward. We all just want to find our purpose and be happy.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: anapaoola
- Linkedin: Ana Paula Pous
Image Credits
Credit to Melissa Showers and Micah Salinas
