The Birth of a Blogger. On January 31st (a few short years ago), the greatest gift given to my parents arrived. Jolandra, their firstborn child– a symbol of their love and the definition of God’s love in physical form. I know this because I am a mother. And I never really knew love until I became a parent.
I once placed so much stock into other people, as if I was unfamiliar with love. I just cared so much about people calling me on my birthday and “making me feel important,” as if that somehow determined my self-worth. (Let us all pause and thank the Good Lord for growth). Now, the things that make me happiest are those intangibles, like good health, my relationship with God, my beautiful family, our experiences…and the list goes on. Realizing that is, in and of itself, a gift!
Introspection is a major component to success.
Over the course of the last few years, I’ve grown so much more as a person. It’s almost unfathomable that there’s still so much room for change. I don’t know. I guess I always thought that people this age had life figured out…and that although change is constant, you are overall who you are meant to be. I thought when I got here, I would be finished/established/complete. In reality, this is only the beginning!
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
George Bernard Shaw
In an effort to be more intentional this year, I am revisiting the things that make me happy. Writing is one of them. I began writing poetry at the age of 8, as a way of coping with the untimely passing of my paternal grandmother. Eventually, I wrote for my school newspaper in middle school. I also began writing movie scripts in high school. In college, I wrote lots of poems and did some creative writing, but my professional path veered in a different direction or two.
A wise person always has more than one stream of income.
It took me a while to understand that multiple streams of income are a necessity. It’s something my father, a master of many trades, often preached. But I was shielded from the need for this, which was largely due to his (and my mother’s) hard work. Don’t get me wrong, the lessons of diligence was one of repetition. My work ethic rivals many of the hardest working people you know. However, somewhere down the line, the concept of multiple income streams was lost in translation. You know how it is when you have a “good job.”
I allowed myself to become comfortable working for someone else.
As everyday life consumed me, my dreams shifted and my personal goals seemed further and further from reach. Little did I know, the shakeup that was a-coming. The company I had been investing my blood, sweat, tears, and ideas into informed me that they were selling the entire operation to another company. It was right before Christmas 2017, and I would be out of a job in a couple of weeks! Can you imagine? I mean, I literally had an infant and a brand new house. I never took maternity leave, so I worked up until the day I went into labor. I was physically in meetings mere days after delivering my son. It was a devastating blow on so many levels.
That’s when I felt my world crashing down. How could this happen to me?? I had built genuine relationships and loved working for this company. I felt like the wind had been kicked out of me. And then I remembered: At least a year prior to losing my job, I prayed to God asking that this be my last time working for someone else.
Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.
Ultimately, as tough as this situation was for me financially, and even emotionally, I thank God for it. I was comfortable, and He saw fit to unbench me. This reminded me that there is no such thing as job security, and if I had been investing in myself the way that I should have been, my finances would not have been so harshly impacted by the abrupt loss of employment. (This is why we should pay more attention to the lessons our parents try to teach us).
Now, my life looks totally different. The day that I lost my job, I was awakened… and though I struggled in the immediate years that followed, I am so grateful for every ounce of it. Because of that sequence of events, I experience life in a different capacity.
Being a Real Estate Agent can be a financial rollercoaster ride! So many factors come into play when it comes to people buying/selling property. What’s going on in politics? How is that affecting the federal interest rates? Meanwhile, those bills could care less what is going on with politics or people, including you. But, I know that I can attain financial freedom. I know that I can help educate others about building wealth through property ownership. It is an even greater accomplishment when we complete those goals together.
I have suffered some losses, but I am winning.
During this season of growth, several people I have given to and poured so much into have abandoned me. I have felt discarded and disregarded, unworthy of their praise/not important enough for them to reciprocate that love. I shed many tears for those losses because they do hurt, but I actively move through those feelings. You know why? Because the times shared with those people have served their purpose. I have taken my power back. It is no longer about them. This birth and rebirth is all about me.
Repeat after me: This year, I will be kinder to myself and love myself more.
I am prepared to make cutthroat decisions about who remains a part of the “in-circle” of my life. That means, people who only take and request things from you should not have unlimited access, if any access at all. Why should they, if they can add no value? I have felt used up by some people, and wallowing in hurt feelings about it is only draining to me. They could care less. So neither will I. (More on this topic to come).
I will do things that genuinely make ME happy and fulfilled. 2021 is my year of Renaissance- the year of Jolandra. Each year, we should strive to make it better than the last. 2020 threw some curveballs none of us could have anticipated, but at the very least, it positively showed us that we need to strive for total wellness. No one else is going to do that work for us. Today is the day I have been reimagined, revitalized, and born again. Today, my self-published eBook called Understanding Creative Financing in Real Estate has been released! Today is the birth of all the possibilities. Today, is The Birth of a Blogger. Happy Birthday to me!