Birthday Lessons

What is the best part about turning a year older? How do you change? Well I’m another year older and here are some of the lessons I’ve learned.

1.Things never turn out exactly how you plan them. Well duh you might be saying, but for an “A” type personality like me I like to stick to my plans. Now this is not a lesson I learned recently but it is one my career and the struggle of it constantly reminds me of.

2. Being an introvert is not a bad thing. Growing up, and even in my career in the fashion industry being an introvert has been perceived as a hindrance by peers and myself.  When in reality introverts are usually creative people with great ideas. The lack of loudness that comes from introverts doesn’t mean we are weird or stuck up. We simply need time and space to express whatever is on our minds. There are plenty of loud voices in the world. Some of those loud voices are simply that, loud without sense or substance. Let other people be loud, being introverted will serve you in another form. With that said working in an extroverted industry does push you out your comfort zone. And because of that I am not as introverted as I once was.

3. I’m a hustler.  Now I always knew I’d be able to take the bad with the good in my industry but it sure has been a tester.  I have done many different jobs in the industry, all in the name of pushing my career further.  Blogging has also helped unveiled this quality, as it entails being one’s own boss, PR rep., marketer, editor and more. To accomplish the task one must be ready to work and network.  Never give up, be ready to put in time and hustle.

4.When you begin the journey of the hustle you don’t realize who’s watching you.  To my surprise this is something I dealt with during 2016.  I’m glad and appreciative that the people watching have enjoyed my content. Always put your best work out there.

5.There are certain societal issues that have become important to me. I’ve learned if you want something changed you must contribute. Write, email, call, text, tweet, just do something. If you complain without trying to change the outcome you aren’t contributing at all.

6. Saying no can hinder and help you. As women we tend to want to please and say yes to everything and everyone. You might feel guilt, but if you feel your work is worth more than what someone is offering go with your gut. Learn when to say no.

7.This one goes back to number 4. As people watch you they tend to begin to want things from you. I love giving advice whether it’s career or blogging wise, although you notice when someone solely wants something from you. They aren’t interested in nurturing a relationship or offering something in return.

8. Blogging as a business is a lot harder than it looks. Now there is blogging as a hobby and blogging as a business. When you blog as a business, you are responsible for everything. Bloggers are entrepreneurs, who make something out of nothing. There is so much you have to learn about running a small business. Because essentially when you run a blog as a business it is a small business. With that comes the creative collaborations and fun events as well as the boring such as SEO( search engine optimization),  taxes, expenses, legal guide lines, etc.

9. If you don’t try you’ll never know. I was hesitant to begin a blog, but I’m so glad I did. Oversaturation was a big worry of mine before I started, but I learned my niche and found a way to express it.

10. And finally I surround myself with boss babes and hustlers. Surrounding yourself  with people of similar goals is important. ( Hello blogosphere!)

So what are some of the lessons you’ve learned? Are they similar or completely different. Let me know in the comments and on social media.

T.S.