How to find your mop (AKA you don’t have to do it “their way” to succeed)
A few years ago, I was working at a trendy coffee shop in La Jolla.
Trust me, you know the type. Even if you live nowhere near California.
Lots of bright florals.
Activated charcoal lattes, lavender cookies, 5 kinds of avocado toast.
Pink neon signs that say things like YOUR VIBE IS YOUR TRIBE.
You walk in – if you’re like me, at least – and think, There is no way this place actually exists. It’s way too on the nose. It’s like drinking coffee inside an Instagram account.
So, obviously, it was catnip for every woman between the ages of 16 and 40. It’s La Jolla though, which means all of them look 24.
This picture was taken before I started working there, when I was a “model,” AKA an intern for a small social media agency which could not afford models.
Anyway, I didn’t last there long – mostly because while it’s fun to HAVE an IG photoshoot with a green cappuccino, it’s not as fun to deal with the kinds people who ORDER green cappuccinos.
While I was there, though, I tried to do a really good job.
I would say it’s because I’m a hard worker, but that’s only 30% true. I just didn’t want to be that one irresponsible, dipshit person on the team everyone hated.
I’d been that person before, and seeing that there were some slackers at this place who I could climb over to get to the top, I decided this time it was NOT. GOING. TO. BE. ME.
One day during my training, my manager told me to clean the bases of all the tables with a sanitary wipe.
He said it was part of the tasks for closing the cafe every night.
I immediately thought,
Huh, that seems… unideal. And overkill. I would really like to not f*cking do that.
But I figured, if that’s how we do it, that’s how we do it. Right?
So I started wiping tables like a mofo.
Cut to a few days later: I was closing with another coworker, Tim. When I kneeled down to clean all the bases at the end of the day, he just watched me.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Dre told me to clean them this way,” I said, confused.
Tim responded, dead-pan, “Oh, he was messing with you. You can clean them with a mop.”
Oh! My god! THE RELIEF!
Tim, you emotionless, knee-and-back-saving hero.
There was an easier and better way to do this. The whole time!
I just didn’t know it, because someone else had told me there was ONE way to do it – and I’d believed him. Even though I’d actually sensed like it could have been a lot easier.
I was lucky, though, because it lasted less than a week.
(And my manager was lucky, because I have a pretty good sense of humor.)
The thing is, most of us live our entire lives like that. You know, we think there’s “one way” – and we chafe our metaphorical knees as we try to make it work for us.
We work in ways that felt heavy and dread-y, because other people told you that’s “how it’s done.”
We apply to jobs we don’t want, because we think it’s the only way to make money.
We KEEP jobs we don’t want, because we think there isn’t a “pathway” to a better job.
We change who we are because “no one likes/hires/wants to date [insert a quality you have] people.”
We keep doing stuff that just plain hate because… well, it worked for everyone else.
And the entire time we’re told, “yep, that’s just the way it is.”
If you’re like me, though, you’ve probably felt deep down inside, Huh, I’d really like to not f*cking do that.
Even if it’s REALLY deep down… you can feel it.
You know there’s got to be a better way.
Good news, my friend. You’re right.
There IS a better way. That’s why I practice + teach Human Design.
Human Design is a little personalized How-To Guide, just for you, that shows you how you create the life you want – without doing things you hate.
When people see their charts, they do the same thing I did when I was handed that mop.
They take a breath of relief.
They realize they can do what feels right AND get what they want, even if it’s different from how other people do things… because we are coded to be different. That’s where our greatest success lies.
This is true for everything in your life.
For love…
For money…
For finding an awesome career…
For manifestation + The Law of Attraction…
For adopting your dream dog, cat, parrot, chinchilla, etc.
There really is a better way. That’s the core belief of Human Design.
Want to learn more? Grab your FREE mini guide to unlocking your Human Design type.
It’s super accessible for anyone who’s brand spanking new to it. So don’t worry if you’ve never had experience with this kind of thing – I break down everything you need to know to get started.
Either way, remember:
There is always a mop. Even if someone tells you there are only wipes.
Love + Joy,
Ariana
P.S. The mini guide above ↑ is for YOUR specific energy type so you can create what you want faster, better + with way more ease. Get yours here.
P.P.S. Don’t hate on Dre, he’s just a kind of a troll. A gorgeous troll who looks like a tall version of The Weeknd, and knows it.