Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Happy Friday: And Exhale…

Girl, I had plans to be all over this site with some fabulous updates to roll out for the new year. But as you can see, nope! This was my hell week at work. And not like ‘I hate my life’ kind of hell. More like I was running four programs over the course of this week, three of which were back-to-back. And that meant preparing for the next program the day of a program I also had to prepare for. Ugh.

And although I’ll never admit this to an employer, I work amazingly well under pressure. It’s not my ideal work situation, but when my back is against the wall, I can perform. And the programs were pretty successful and the director of my organization had pleasant things to say about their overall outcome.

That’s no excuse for not sharing with you amazing hustlers in the making, I I just wanted to let you know where I was at this week. You’re not neglected, I promise. I just had to take of what take cares of the bills. Right?

On this Veteran’s day weekend, I wish you success as you map out and plan how you will rock 2020. I’ll be making the same effort. It’s also my mother’s birthday weekend and with that comes a mini family reunion.

Till next week, keep hustlin’ your way to your dreams!

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Word of the Week: Recharge

Recharge yourself

How do you recharge?

I search for jazz music on YouTube and play them in the background while I’m working, reading or cleaning.

I pull out a journal or planner and start listing things I want to accomplish in the next couple of weeks or months or for the following year.

I nap. Ain’t gonna lie, that’s my favorite one. And I try to get a nap in at least once a week.

I call a friend and shoot the breeze. Bounce ideas off of them.

Pout myself a glass of wine, sit at the computer and write. Currently working on book #3.

I think it’s very important that we find ways to recharge and that we find multiple ways to do so. We may not always have immediate access to our regularly used tools so we need to be able to go to the next channel and recharge that way.

How do you recharge?

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

This Week’s Goal: “Unsubscribe”

Unsubscribe

I know there are apps and tools that can help me do this, but I kind of enjoy the process of reviewing certain email subscriptions and either unsubscribing from it or keeping it. It’s very much like when I edit my closet: to keep this dress or not keep this dress. That is the question. And most of the time, anything I haven’t worn in 6 months has to go.

Same thing with email subscriptions: if I haven’t made time to read the email or I find that I automatically delete it without reading it, I probably should just unsubscribe. But what’s the big deal with this? Why am I paying this any mind?

Yesterday, I almost deleted an email from a prospect client because when I skimmed through my inbox, I thought the client’s email was one of those recruiter emails telling me about a job opening that also asks I forward the email to anyone who I think would be a good fit for the position. I couldn’t differentiate between a client message and junk email because I have too many messages in my inbox.

Unsubscribing I shall go. Besides, why would I want messages in my inbox I don’t read or even acknowledge anyways? It takes up time deleting them and distracts from the messages I should be focused on. And since we’re all together trying to crush 2020 with our head start over these next two months, we don’t need no distractions.

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Working 5 to 9: It’s the Final Countdown

I don’t know about you ladies out there, but the next 6 weeks for me are going to be super crazy busy for me. Between work, launching a new side business, taking on new clients, trying to close out the year on a high swing and on a completed note, I’ve got a lot to get done before 2020 rolls around.

Last night I had back to back conference calls with two clients: one regular, one prospect. I still need to get some content ideas over to another client by the end of this week for a project I accepted and I got to prepare for some workshops we’re launching at work.

But doesn’t it always feel the same? At the end of every year, wrapping it up closing it out? This year feels a little more intense because I’m not where I was four or five years ago and I’m in a position where I have a voice and I influence impact.  But I enjoy it.  all the challenges that’s come my way. I’ve been enjoying every second of it.  I just look at this moment in time, this chaotic moment as a snapshot of the juggling act I’ll be doing for myself when I make the full leap to self employed individual.

Just counting down to it.  That, and the new year.  What does the rest of 2019 look like for you?

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Get Motivated: Get Dressed

You’re not going to make magic happen while asleep.

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel after a nice hot shower in the morning? I know, I know.   Many people need a good old cup of joe.  But others like myself, all we need is a gentle and freshening wake up.  And on days we really don’t want to leave the bed, a hot shower does the trick.

That’s becoming a bigger thing: not wanting to face our day, whether it be people, our jobs or whatever challenges life will be throwing our way that day, getting out of bed means facing all of that. And for the most part, we “adult”. We remind ourselves of bills and other responsibilities so we drag ourselves away from the comfort of our comforter and arm ourselves to play “the real world”.

But if we stayed in bed all day long, it means we’d be missing a great wealth of opportunities that no Serta or Sleep Number could give us. We’d be missing out on life. And all that it would hold in store for us.

So when you feel in a funny or stuck in a rut, like getting out of bed isn’t worth it, even on the weekends, thinking of all that you want for yourself: your dream home, the ability to travel and vacation wherever you like, starting a family, being a dog mom, visiting and seeing out of state friends more, learning to paint, writing that book — you’ll do none of that from your bed. Not at least with the attitude and lack of motivation keeps you in your bed.

So… get up. Get dressed. Take a shower. Feel refreshed. And remember, you’re working for and towards a bigger goal. And you gotta be up to get there.

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Money Matters: The Challenge

Is Saving Money a Challenge For You?

I don’t know if you’ve ever challenged – or tricked – yourself into becoming better with how you manage your money. If you haven’t and are suffering from hole-in-wallet or hole-in-pocket syndrome, a challenge is exactly what you need.

Looking back at my expenses over September and October, I realized I spent a lot of money unnecessarily on food. Namely, ordering out. I would UberEats this, Postmates that, GrubHub more. It was ridiculous for someone who has a full working kitchen, knows how to cook and food in the cupboards. Ridiculous, I tell you!

But why was I spending so much money on food when I could very well make my own? Laziness. Uninspired by what I had in the kitchen. Despite that, I was burning a hole in my wallet with all this take out. It was absurd how much money I would throw away on food because… I could.

The ability to waste the money is never a good enough reason to waste money. There’s a lot of things we can do. Doesn’t mean we should do them.

So, I decided the best way to curb my biggest money leak was to reward myself. Not for spending money. But rather not spending money. I spent a lot of money on ordering out. To reduce how I spend on food outside of groceries, I decided that every week I go without spending money on food, I will give myself 25 points. 25 imaginary points. Whatever. However, once I reach 100 points, I will reward myself one of two ways: dump $50 into a savings account or buy something nice for myself (not food related).

In other words, I can reward myself for not spending money by putting money towards a savings goal or a pair of ankle boots, or a coat or something useful! Seems fun. If it all goes when over the course of these eight weeks by myself, you all might get to participate with me. Something I’ve been thinking about for 2020.

In the meantime, does anyone have any tricks or challenges they’ve given to themselves to become more financially successful?