Go shawty, it’s ya birfday… - Broke Bitch Thrift

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HAPPY WEEKEND, GUYS & DOLLS!

GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS! (I HATE that every time I say "guess what today is!" in any setting or situation, I'm immediately taken back to that old Geico commercial with the camel...)

BROKE BITCH THRIFT'S 1ST BIRTHDAY!

** Cue confetti explosion & obnoxious noisemakers**

I cannot believe A WHOLE YEAR has flown by since I started my account with WordPress. I remember logging in and being completely overwhelmed by all of the things I didn’t know. I thought the process would be a piece of cake – signing up with any ol’ platform, selecting some pretty colors, writing some fun stuff, and posting it. I didn’t know anything about blog aesthetics or which layouts were going to work best with my “niche”. What the hell is a social widget? Keywords? Meta description? Flesch reading score? WTF. The first theme I installed for the site didn’t work properly, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong. I wound up researching A LOT for two weeks straight, prior to actually setting up my first post and publishing it. Finally, once I felt I had a general understanding of what I was doing from a technical standpoint, I found myself staring at the “go live” button for the website, and taking a deep breath. My heart rate sped up a bit, palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy.. (sorry, had to throw in an Eminem reference), I squeezed my eyes shut, then clicked.

I know, I know – I can be SUCH a drama queen. After all, why would anyone be THAT nervous about starting a blog?

That requires me to provide you with some background on why I started the blog to begin with. Sure, I gave ya’ll a general summary on my introductory post (if you haven’t read & you’re curious, you can find it here), but with hindsight being 20/20… I want to expound.

I had spent a lot of time prior to that, seeking fulfillment in different occupations. The one thing I will pat myself on the back for, is my work ethic – every job I’ve ever take on, I’ve put my heart and soul into… to the point of sacrificing my own personal life, personal time, & sometimes my own sanity. While having a strong work ethic is admirable, working to the point of it being a detriment to your being is not. You’ll find working 24/7 tends to be glamorized & in today’s world with everything being available at the click of a button, YOUR being available whenever someone calls becomes synonymous. By the end of a typical day, you’re burnt out, you’re irritable, & there’s very little time between arriving home & going to bed that you can claim for yourself. As more & more time wears on, you wonder why you’re not happy. You wonder why you feel anxious, rushed… like your time isn’t yours… sometimes, even depressed.

Well, when you have no time to commit to YOU, your goals, & activities you enjoy… spending time with loved ones & your social circle… expecting a different outcome than personal dissatisfaction is unrealistic.

I’ve always loved writing; it was something I’ve done in my spare time ever since I was old enough to hold a pen on my own. I wanted to go back to school to be a lawyer, because it was the job I always wanted. Without a diploma attached, I obviously couldn’t do that. I had already put that plan in motion back in 2017, but needed to be employed for bill paying purposes and you know… having money. In March of last year, I found myself at a crossroads. I could continue to work my ass off at various places of employment, & collecting a paycheck until I could eventually BE a lawyer…

…or I could take a risk on an idea I was passionate about, doing something I’ve enjoyed doing my entire life, & see where that would take me.

The past year has been incredible. 40 something blog posts later, I’ve learned so much about an entirely different field than I’ve ever worked in, & simultaneously learned how to monetize it. I’ll never forget the day I made my first dollar through affiliate marketing… I actually shed tears of joy because my dream was WORKING. All of the blood, sweat & tears were PAYING OFF. I also dedicated an entire year to ME – I read a lot of books, I tried so many different things I never had time for previously, planned a wedding & got married to the love of my life. I was able to focus more energy on my associates degree without wondering how I was going to manage getting good grades, going to work, & finding time to sleep ALL at the same time. I then applied to a bachelor’s degree program that I didn’t think I would initially get accepted to back in November… & I’m nearing the end of my first semester there. I dedicated more time to my friends, my family, & even my dog. I made changes to every room in my house and checked so many items on a to-do list that used to feel like it was NEVER going to get shorter.

After a LOT of time to reflect on my life, I realized how much the decision to live & work for ME, has led to personal fulfillment, contentment, & happiness I never would’ve found if I hadn’t taken a shot in the dark on April 16th, 2021… and I couldn’t be more thankful for it, for all of the people who believed in me, & for all the clicks, likes, shares I’ve received since.

I want everyone to have that feeling.

Trust me, I know that making such a COLOSSAL change in your life can be terrifying, especially when you are responsible for other things that require your monetary support. It’s uncomfortable, it’s frustrating, & it can feel like you’re never going to see that light at the end of the very long, dark tunnel you’ve been traversing. I hope that you choose the uncertainty and manifesting a life you’ve always desired, because while it may not be easy & you may find yourself wanting to give up periodically… once you inevitably see how much you’ve grown & how much you’ve enhanced your life, you’ll realize how important, necessary, & WORTH IT that change was.

Today, I raise a glass to all the women before me & all the women after me, who will choose to make the ultimate investment; in THEMSELVES. You’re all bad ass bitches, & you deserve all the success the universe has to offer. I hope you take pride in your decision because it took a lot of boldness, bravery, & grit to make it.