Elle’s Thoughts: When You’re Ready
The Kobe + Helicopter Tragedy
I really didn’t want to talk about this. I’ve been intentionally staying away from most media outlets because the tragedy that ended Kobe’s life along with 8 others, including his own daughter is… heartbreaking. And the deeper you peel back this untimely loss, it will rack your brain with questions that will never be answered, thoughts impossible to imagine and an ache that is hard to heal.
I don’t how to describe to someone who doesn’t live in Los Angeles what the general mood is in our city is right now. Literally, as a city, we are mourning. We mourn monuments and monumental moments, this is no exception. To lose that many people, that many family members together is unimaginable. As big of a star as Kobe was, this moment feels 10 times larger and hurts just as much.
For me, it reminds me when a friend of mine died last September. He was 34. Young life lost is hard for me to process. I immediately think of everything that person will never have or experience because of how young they died. I thought about the same thing when I learned that Kobe’s second oldest daughter was with him in the crash. She’ll never graduate high school. She’ll never go to prom. She’ll never read her college acceptance letters. She’ll never have a boyfriend. She’ll never be proposed to. She’ll never get married and have kids of her own (if that’s what she wanted). And the same goes to her school friend who was with them. All these “nevers”.
I don’t know how to express what it feels like to be L.A. right now with this loss. We may not have known him personally, but he represented so much of what the L.A. spirit is, it feels like we lost someone close to us. Wherever you were when you heard this news, I hoped you had a chance to reach out to loved ones and remind them how much they mean to you.
“Real” Wednesdays: The “Enough” Factor
What is it with people – ladies, we’re the biggest culprits of this – with settling for “enough”? Yes, I said settling. What is enough, especially within a society and an economy prone to inflation every year, if not more frequent? What is really enough for someone? How much is enough? Enough for what?
Do you want enough time to get to work everyday even though when you clock in or make it in the office you always look rushed? Because you had just “enough” time. Do you want to have enough money to pay your bills every month knowing that companies sneak in extra fees or raise their rates? What you’re paying for this month may very well be higher than last month. And it most likely higher than last year. Are you going to be able to cover your bills this month if the rates get raise because you think you have “enough”?
This idea of “enough” is dangerous. Why can’t we want more than enough? An abundance of our desires and needs. Is it because we’ll then be seen as greedy? Selfish? Obsessive? I say so what to all that. My “enough” is more than enough. I don’t want to worry about money, so I want more than enough to cover any surprise expenses or emergencies. I don’t want to worry about if someone might break in my apartment so I want more than enough security precautions and measures. I don’t want to worry if I’ll keep my job so I want more than enough good daya where I excel and show my value to the company.
This shaming people who want more than just the measly “enough” others are willing to settle for is ridiculous. Just because someone else’s standards are low or lower doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t want more for ourselves. Go for more than enough. Go for overflow. Go for abundance. And get rid of the just enough people.
The First Day You Can File Your Taxes…
… and there’s no reason you should wait.
Seriously. Unless you know you owe money, girl just file your taxes and be done with it. Don’t wait, don’t procrastinate. Just head over to the irs.gov website, pick the program that fits your needs (which state, your age, your income from the year) and get on it.
And I’m a firm believer and doing taxes yourself. Why pay twice? Unless you made bank and need a tax expert to help find those lucrativeoop holes, go ahead and handle taxes yourself. They’re alot less intimidating than they’ve been made out to be. And the “hardest” part is itemizing – which my hustlers should be doing, because we want all the tale breaks we’re entitled to – particularly, if you haven’t kept good records all year long.
Let’s talk about it, you and I: femalesinglehustlin@gmail.com
1% Better, 1% Further
Inside the Hustle: Social Media Management
My Sunday does not stop! But on purpose. I wanted to have a lighter Monday of just getting my projects together so I dumped this client meeting on a Sunday evening at Cafe Americano. This place looks deserted and I love it. Not big on crowds so, peace and quiet at a coffee shop is ideal for me.
Client is here now… let me get to work.
Spirit of Finance Workshop
I really do consider myself a student of the things that I am passionate about and one of those things are obviously money and finance. How to better manage it, how to make more of it and how to create savings nest eggs so I can be well protected from… well, hell, life.
I discovered this workshop through a newsletter I was sent via email. I actually invited a colleague as well who unfortunately couldn’t make but I still soldiered on as I want to learn all and more that I can about improving my finances.
What are you passionate about that you’re wiling g to spend a few hours on a Sunday learning?
Happy Friday: Stepping Back Into It
Girl. Gurl! Let me tell you. Last week, I was out with pneumonia, a lung infection and a 102° fever. And I thought I had the measly little flu when I went to the doctor’s office. Nope. Then, while I’m on the mend, my car (of six months) gets side swiped during the MLK long weekend (well, long weekend for a few of us). I come outside to go meet Carlos for my training Sunday morning and I see that some asshole – you are an asshole if hit someone’s car then leave the scene of the crime without so much as a note – hit the rear driver’s side of my car. Like, being sick and coughing up a lung wasn’t enough. Now I gotta deal with my car’s insurance and a claims adjuster.
But then I paused. I had to. I was feeling so overwhelmed coming back to work, both to my 9 to 5 and to 5 to 9. I felt like I has missed so much and would be so behind and it was still only January. How could I be weeks into the new year and behind?!
But it was about my mindset and perspective. Yeah, everything felt like it was landing on me some kind of way. But it wasn’t a crushing moment. It was just another test. A test to see how bad to I wanted the success and the lifestyle I’ve plastered all over my vision boards. The universe asking me, ‘are you going to let pneumonia stop you?’ ‘Are you going to let a little hit and run stop you?’
I wanted to say yes. But that wasn’t the truth. The truth was I was going to have to dig a little deeper and pull my old self out and crush this. I wasn’t built to fail. I was built soar higher than even I could imagine. And no sickness or accident was going to stop me from owning everything rightfully meant for me.
Now, I don’t know how your first few weeks are shaping up to be in 2020, but I hope they’re much better than mine. Regardless, if you’re ready to crush this year with me, let’s get to it!
Happy Friday!!!
Elle’s Thoughts: Rest, But Don’t Quit
“Real” Wednesdays: The Circle You Keep
I’m turning 35 in less than a month. And I’ve been enjoying my 30s as much as peers thus far, I suppose. And I’ve read all the jokes about 30-somethings always going to bed early, staying in, being recluse as we climb the 30s ladder. And you know what I say to that: SO WHAT! 🤣🤣🤣.
I enjoy staying in, sleeping/napping at early hours and enjoying a glass or two of wine. My job, my hustles, and part time business are very client interfacing. I’m working directly with people all of the time. So, when I do go out and enjoy myself with company, I want to spend that time with quality people. My circle of close knit friends is small, yes, but not because people walked away from me or I walked away from them. I’ve just gotten more selective who’ve I spend time with. It matters to me that the people I interact with matter.
And I suspect that matters to most of you too. I mean, with so limited time on our hands, who wants to be around jerks and morons? Okay, not everyone is a jerk or a moron. Most people or doing the best they can too. We’re just on different planes. And it’s easier to relate and connect when we’re on the same plane.
In all seriousness, pick good people to be in your circle. It’ll matter when times are good. And it’ll definitely matter when times are not so good.
Need someone in your tribe? Let’s connect and see what you’re looking for: femalesinglehustlin@gmail.com
Female, Single and Hustlin 