There’s Nothing Selfish About It
Food for Thought: Be Kinder
We can get so wrapped in our struggle that we forget about the struggle’s everyone else faces. In your day to day keep an open mind to what other’s are going through, but also be aware that some struggles can be avoided. So try not to get so wrapped up in being compassionate to the point where you feel sorry for that person, which then gets you more into their struggle than working on your own.
Happy Friday: Pushing Through
Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen. And yes, for those of you aware of today’s date, it’s Friday the 13th. But I’ve never been one for superstition. Superstition to me is the equivalent of luck. And to quote Billy Zane from Titanic,”a real man makes his own luck.” In this cass, a real woman makes her own luck.
But let’s talk about how we’re just about halfway through September. Damn! I feel like it was just a few days ago we were talking about making these last four months in 2019 matter and now we’re down three and a half months. Time presses forward whether we’ve made plans or not.
Think about that as we close out the year. The clock is still running. And we might as well have it work with us than against us. So, push through these few months with all you have left. Surprise yourself. Level up. It’s not going to be easy all the time, but it sure is worth it.
Inside the Hustle: Notarizing in Torrance
It’s been a minute since I’ve shared an “inside the hustle”, and ladies I’ve been hustling. That’s for sure. But stopping to share the journey… not so much.
I’m in an Uber headed to Torrance. A client texted me from my Craigslist ad asking for same day services, so here I am headed their way hoping to make it by 9:30pm. Best thing about LA is that at this hour, it’s very likely.
The client caught me just in time, because I was about strip down and put bed-like clothes on. They’re not quite “pajamas”, but they serve the same purpose.
I’ll try to be more mindful and share these moments more often with you so we can support one another. And by all means, share your journey with me!
Elle’s Thoughts: They’re Not Coincidences
Remembering 9/11
I still remember where I was when I saw the second plane crash into the Word Trade Center. I was in high school, maybe sophomore year. I was getting ready for school and mom was in the living room consumed by the television, the news. When I made my way into the livingroom as well, that second plane had crashed into the building. I was in disbelief from what I had witnessed. But despite the horrific acts that took place that morning, I was still ushered to school. The teachers all aware as well, were given explicit instructions not to talk to us about — that’s LAUSD for you. We had questions, we wanted answer, we had concerns, but more than anything we wanted to know what was going on out there.
We would later learned that nearly 3,000 people died as a result of those terrorists attack. The country united momentarily under a banner patriotism and heartache. And although it’s been 18 years since husbands lost wives, wives lost husbands, parents lost their adult children, coworkers lost their colleagues and friends lost one another, that day is etched in our history. In many of our memories.
It’s a day we should never forget. Not because of the horrible attacks we endured but because of the lives that ended that day.
Stay Motivated: If At First You Don’t Succeed..
Don’t just try again… try something different!
Yes, I’m guilty of this too and it’s not always easy to decipher between waiting for your breakthrough and wasting time, but it’s a fine line that we ladies gotta figure out. I say in this in exasperation of someone else’s struggle I’m all too aware of. And even thought I know she is doing what she can and she’s persistent in her approach, her approach is outdated.
Maybe “outdated” is the wrong word choice here. Her approach isn’t working. She’s been working on the same project for 18 months, going about it the same way — and rather than getting more hits and inquiries, she’s getting fewer – but despite the drop off of her work, she hasn’t changed her method, or approach her problem from a different lens. She keeps doing the same ol’ shit. Complaining about the same lack of hits and connections. Dealing with the same ol’ frustrations.
And maybe she’s so in the thick of it she can’t see the forest for the trees, but how long does she (or even “we”) need to go on doing the same thing expecting a different outcome? You know what would be called?
Ladies, why do we struggle to get out of the rut? Is it because it’s all we know? Is it because we really don’t want to challenge ourselves any further than we have? Because it’s easier to remain complacent and content where we’re at? But then why do we complain? I’m gonna ask that everyone who is working through something – personal, professional, passsion-related – whatever it is, don’t hang onto your method because you think you’re supposed to. Don’t keep doing the same things because it’s how you’ve been taught or all you know. Don’t keep suffering in silent or dealing with something because you think this is how it’s supposed to go. Things change for the better when we change for the better.
Let those habits and practices go that aren’t serving you and holding you back. Make changes to make change.
The Money Matters: Create a Recession Hustle
If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard reports that a recession is lurking in 2021. Now Trump and his administration are saying that’s not true. They’re saying the economist experts are wrong. The economy is strong as well as the labor market. And they’re right… except for the fact a recession is coming despite the markets right now (or as a result of, depending how you look at it). And it’s probably not going to be anything like the recession we faced in 2007/ 2008, but an economic dip is on the horizon.
Let’s just use some basic high school education here to explain why a recession is headed our way. History, a subject every American was required to take in high school, shows that it often repeats itself, but more importantly, economic dips and recessions are normal. They’re patterns. It’s how the market corrects itself. Fine. Don’t like history (I didn’t either till later in life)? How about physics? One Newton’s laws states that what goes up, must come down. Okay, I’m dumbing that down a bit much, but basically what it’s stating is that a object will stay in motion until an opposing force of equal force is exerted on it. The object is the economy/ inflation and the force is the market correction. The cost of goods, services and living has steadily increased over the past 5 years because the force of the market hasn’t yet corrected itself.
I was gonna jump to math if you weren’t a physics fan, but I’m not here to battle why there will be a recession. I’m here to help you get prepared for it. And if one never comes, well then guess what? You have a stash of extra money you’ve been growing over this coming year. Otherwise, hustle. Your “recession” hustle is going to be different than your regular hustle as it’s going to be an independent service from one that you’re already offering now. I’m deciding on whether or not I want to do résumés for people or proof read and edit documents.
Editing, for me is easier, but the need for resumes is greater which means more business. More money, essentially. Hey, I could do both. But what makes the recession hustle different or possibly have a greater impact on increasing your finances? It’s gonna be more cut and dry. No package tiers or multiple offers. You’ll market it the same way and provide samples of your services, portfolio if necessary. And you’ll do far less negotiating. Prospect clients will either take your offering as is or not all. This hustle doesn’t have time for the nitty gritty back and forth. Technically, neither do you.
We have 4 months left in 2019 so it’s imperative that you squeeze in an extra hustle if can. If you can’t? Then the hustles you’re already performing need to go hard. You need to find more creative places and platforms to market your hustle. Reach out to more people. Connect offline more frequently. You need to dig out every tool and assest under your belt. Make this time matter.
Too many of us were caught off guard by the last recession. I was working in a department store in college and was laid off because of low sales as a result of the recession. Lost my little part time. I was living off campus and supporting myself at the time. So, I felt that lack of income deeply and immediately. I never want to feel that again. Neither should you.
Wake, Wakey – If You Want to Go Somewhere
🎶 If you wanna be somebody/ if wanna go somewhere/ then you better wake up and paaaaaay attention…🎶
(What movie is this from?)
Happy Friday: Another Day
Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen. I hope your week had been good to you. I lost a high school classmate and buddy of mine earlier this week and, as you can imagine, have been very introspective as a result. I’ve haven’t been thinking about time as I’vehe aaaawww re many people do. I know time is short, you don’t have to tell me that.
I’ve been thinking about people. And their goals and their lives and what they must going through that we have no clue about. I’ve been thinking about my friend’s family, his mother, his brother, his other friends, did he have life insurance… just practical and impractical things, because we don’t think about these things until they hit close to home. There’s lots of things I have questions about I know I’ll never get the answer to, but it doesn’t make me stop wondering or thinking about it.
Not to spill my melancholy into your weekend, but I do hope that you take some time out and just think about… stuff. People. Places. Things. Your dreams and goals. Your relationships with the people in your life. Just things. While we do have the time, let’s give it the respect it deserves.
