How to begin again? Starting over is a double edge sword; on one hand, its a refreshing thought to have a “do over” however it also feels bittersweet to have to let go of the past wins and humble yourself to see the lesson and not the perceived failure.

Looking back is essential for accepting what was and learning what we need to move forward. A few of the takeaways I have got from this reflection are:

• You cannot do everything, burnout is real!
• Imposter Syndrome is a lie. You already have everything you need
• Pause does not mean stop

How did we get here?

It all started with a mental health break. I can remember being so discouraged by the rhetoric on social media and in the news during the campaign in which Donald Trump became POTUS.

The political mess was expected but the personal attacks seen daily on Social platforms from regular people including “friends & acquaintances” were just too much.

This coupled with trying to do everything on my own with as minimal paid resources as possible; amplified the feelings of overwhelm.

I found myself disengaging with everything social for my own peace of mind. This ultimately led to the identity crisis or imposter syndrome which feed into the long pause on Job Optional.

Now we move forward, and dust ourselves off. Re-establish the Job Optional Podcast, creating content focused on encouraging Women of Color launching their visions. Sharing my Side Hustle journey to becoming Job Optional.

Initially when I took the break, I wanted to change the direction a little, but was unsure what that looked like. Now as I have listened to a few of the old episodes it has encouraged me to stay the course… with a small pivot from teaching to sharing my process as I become Job Optional.

What Now?

I hope as I share my new journey you will be inspired and even learn how you too can Launch that dream business you’ve been dabbling with. I’m excited and equally terrified of this new chapter, so documenting this process is as much to help you as it is what I hope will be an amazing progression for me to look back and say I did it.

Happiness in the face of the American nightmare (day dream)

It has now been about 24 full hours since waking up to the stunning news that Donald Trump is our new President Elect of the United Sates.

Until yesterday most of the community considered this a joke and near impossibility, that someone who has insulted every demographic outside of white men could actually win the Presidency.

Well, it has happened and now we are already seeing the fruits of the dirty campaigning gimmicks coming home to roost.

Day one we have already seen reports of varying degrees of hate crimes and school place bullying. People of color being physically and or verbally attacked. Businesses and Property vandalized.

Love Trumps Hate… Right?

I’ll admit, my ever present optimistic attitude has definitely wavered. At this very moment, I can honestly say, I really don’t know how to describe how I’m feeling.

Mostly it feels like extreme exhaustion. The phrase “I just can’t” is the closest fit in this moment. I am just tired of the messiness of it all, as most of us I’m sure are.

The months of this crazy, contentious campaign season has literally blown any sense of human decency amongst our society. Some of the nastiest comments I have heard or seen in my lifetime have been in this election.

The reality is that  just under the layer of fragile civility there lies a huge festering wound of denial and unforgiveness and outright racism that has come pouring out into the light of day for all the world to see.

Martin’s Dream Equality for Every American yet to come

Boy, we’ve come a long way from being unpaid slave labor to build the very place that houses our first Black Commander and Chief.
One would think all is well with this one accomplishment that surely ‘Merica has moved on from its troubled past and are firmly pointed in the direction of hope and progress.

After all, we have a black president for god’s sake. So clearly we no longer have a race problem. NOT! The good old boy system of yesteryear is still firmly in place, as the results of the election proved. 

Moving forward how does one reconcile seeing someone who looks like you become the most powerful person in our country and yet still lives in fear of everyday regular task that most people carry on with no regard, Driving, walking sitting on my front porch, on and on…

Imagine how much more with a President who has made it clear he does not care about anyone without not only the complexion for the connection.

Goal Setting for Success

Today is my mom’s birthday so we must start with a shout out to the lady who made this all possible and brought me into the world. Happy Birthday Trish Ann aka Mommy!

Last week we got clear on why we are doing this, so with that in mind, our focused goal is in place

I covered creating SMART goals on the blog last week if you need more detailed help with goal setting check out that blog post.

Our vision has been set,  goals are established, and we have  reaffirmed the goal and vision with these answers and are super clear on our why.

QuoteSpiration

[Tweet “A Goal is a Dream with a deadline- Napoleon Hill”]

Create monthly objectives for goal setting

Now we are going to take our two goals and break them down into monthly objectives.

Each month gets a clear focused assignment, for example, this month we are focused on Goals next month will be Planning and so on. Everything we do needs to be focused and centered around  that topic.

All of this is to help us create our master plan for implementation next year. The destination is far easier to reach with a roadmap and plan in place.

SMART stands for Specific -Measurable -Actionable- Realistic- Timely

Without a clear goal, we are not going to be very effective in our business because we will lack a central focus. Make sure the goal scares you a little. Stretch yourself to reach further and see just how much further you could get if you push yourself.

On the next episode, we will begin creating the master plan to help up reach these goals.

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Key Takeaways from the Podcast

• To be successful we must have a goal and a plan in place to reach it.

Links 

• @JobOpt
• Job Optional Community facebook
• Subscribe on iTunes

SMART Girls guide to setting SMART Goals

My momma always says work SMART not hard. When we create SMART Goals we do just that, we set ourselves up for successful outcomes by creating a specific goal to reach.

I learned about the smart goal acronym from John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur On Fire Podcast. I’m sure i had heard it long before he said it but the way he delivered it resonated with me. This is not a new concept and maybe you’ve heard it before but I hope by me sharing in my own way you take it in and implement it in your business strategy moving forward.

This is not a new concept and maybe you’ve heard it before but I hope by me sharing in my own way you take it in and implement it in your business strategy moving forward.

Specific Goals

This first step is to have one specific goal to attain, focusing all of our energy into one area will make us ten times more effective in our outcomes by consistently pounding on one area of our mission.

Imagine it like a light bulb and a laser. they both will give light, but a concentrated beam of the laser light can cut through steel. We want our goals to be laser-focused on one specific idea.

We want our goals to be laser-focused on one specific idea.

Measurable Goals

Set goals that you can actually see the growth from point A to B. Instead of saying I want to grow my email list, say I want to grow my email subscribers by 100 new people.

With that simple change, you can now quantify if your goal was a success or if you missed the mark. At least this way you can clearly see the set point of your goal.

Measuring the goal will also help you determine as you go along where you may need to alter your course to get or keep the goal on track.

Actionable Goals

A smart goal that you cannot physically complete with your current time, skills, and abilities is not one that you should begin to pursue.

It must be a goal you can put boots to the ground and take action on. I like to give the example of having a goal to buy a warehouse full of expensive equipment for the business in the next 90 days.

If you don’t even have a business account set up to draw funding from, or raise the capital for this is not actionable at this time, so we need to hold this until we have the pieces in place to consider this as a goal.

Realistic Goals

Realistic and Actionable go hand in hand. Make sure when creating the goal it is something you can actually do.

Please hear me, I promise I’m not trying to be a “killer of Dreams” here. I always want you to see what’s possible and go after it with reckless abandon, but in the right time and order.

Set a smart goal that makes the best use of your current skills and resources.

You would think this is common sense, I personally can attest to having a bigger vision and expectation of myself than what I could realistically produce.

As Entrepreneurs, we are Dreamers and visionaries and sometimes we want to see it now and think we can move mountains to make it happen.

Don’t fall victim to the same mistakes I’ve made. Take your time and use what you have now the rest will come when we are ready.

Timely Goals

The last piece is the least used and most important.

You’ve probably heard and seen the popular quote a Goal without a plan is a wish/dream.

The same can be said without a set time on that goal.

If you do not give yourself a deadline to have XYZ project complete, there is a good chance it never will get done.

I wanted to start my Podcast almost a whole year to the day that I actually pulled the trigger and released the first episode.

WHY? Because I never set a date for it. I even went so far as to make my Facebook header  a Job Optional Podcast coming soon graphic. I believe it said Spring with no year.

That was my out. I never said what spring lol!

Like Queen Bey’s “put a  ring on it!” I say put a date on it!

Clear Goals Start with WHY

Our WHY is now coming into play, this is going to give our GOALS  direction

We should have two main goals at all times.  An overarching ultimate goal and the current year goal.

This may sound counterproductive at first like chasing two rabbits end with none. But in this case, these two are mutually beneficial, like the yin and yang so to speak.

A simple example is a blog and a blog post you have the main carrier the blog but it’s the blog post that makes it viable you can’t have one without the other both are necessary for the other.

Everything  you do, moving forward needs to lead to both of these goals.

What is that you really want? Be honest with yourself. This is your chance to create exactly the type of lifestyle you desire.

I wanted to be a hair stylist until I realized that was not the life I really wanted. A business that is solely dependent on my singular abilities, plus crazy hours and crazier client expectations! No thank you.

Why is it important to you?  Keeps you up at night.

Why is it important to the person you want to serve?

This is important because the answers to these three questions are going to drive our decisions with the goals and objectives we set in our strategic planning exercise.

Links:

SMART Goals

QuoteSpiration

[Tweet “”Anything a man imagines in his mind to do he can do it” -Napoleon Hill”]

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Key Takeaways from the Podcast

• This is your chance to create the life you desire

Links 

• @JobOpt
• Job Optional Community facebook
• Subscribe on iTunes

Clarity with Mind Mapping

The last episode we did a brain dump and let our imagination run wild to get the vision piece out of our heads.

Now that We have the vision, let’s get clear and put these thoughts and ideas into Order that make sense.

Mind mapping is basically a visual tool to help structure your thoughts into Logical next steps using drawings and words.

For a visual example of what this looks like just google mind mapping and look at images results.

Not the creative type like me then you can use outline type of format or my favorite colorful post-it notes to create a cohesive framework for our detailed strategic plan for the year.

However you decide to create your framework, make sure that everything Leads to one main focused idea, goal number one so to speak.

QuoteSpiration

[Tweet “”Anything a man imagines in his mind to do he can do it” -Napoleon Hill”]

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Links 

• @JobOpt
• Job Optional Community facebook
• Subscribe on iTunes

I learned the hard way, why diversifying your side hustle income is so important.

After a failed start at becoming an Entrepreneur. My Side Hustle was turned into my only income, thus becoming another job. I was constantly worried of getting sick or even worse… hurt. I’d be out of the game for who knows how long.

No health insurance and minimal savings was just a disaster waiting to happen, but for grace! Thankfully we made it through.

Adding a few passive strategies to the mix to keep from being dependent on any one thing is always a good idea.

Like retirement investments, you want a diversified account so if one stock or fund crashes you don’t lose everything.

Most of the ideas are for those who have built their websites and have a bit of traffic to make sure the benefit matches or exceeds the level of work you have to put into them. However keep these in mind as you grow, especially if you are still in the foundation stage. So you can take advantage of some of these opportunities when you’re ready.

Advertising Space on your Website

This first one is super simple and can be implemented almost immediately. You have complete control over who and what ads go on your site, especially if you don’t go with a google ads template.

You can do this yourself and keep all the profit of your ad blocks. Again you determine what this will look like on your site. The size ad space allocated, type of content allowed and duration of time the ads will be displayed is all determined by you.

I would suggest to have one or two advertising spots max on your website.  After all you have a website to promote your own products and services. But who says you can’t maximize this space for an additional revenue stream.

This is yet another reason you want to have your own self hosted website and not go the cheap route or solely depend on social media platforms for visibility.

Online Store for your Side Hustle

Sell products on your website, you don’t have to get too involved with this if you don’t want. It can be as simple as linking some of your favorite “go to” products on Amazon to a Shop page on your website or sell a product you create. This can be a physical product or a digital information product.

We sometimes forget we have a wealth of knowledge that someone else would pay for if only, to give them a shortcut to their goal.

Don’t let the “curse of knowledge” make you think everyone knows what you do. Remember you had to learn what you know at some point and there’s someone at that stage now.

Nicole Walters of The Monetized life has a great example of how to use your site to sell both types of products I mentioned.

Sponsored Posts

Writing sponsored blog post for products you know and love is another great way to bring in some extra cash with your side hustle. Just be sure to make it clear to your audience that you have been compensated for the article, so they know you are on the up and up, and not trying to bamboozle them for your gain.

You can also use this on a smaller scale, for paid tweets or other Social Media shout-outs. You would approach it the same as a sponsored blog post just on a micro level.

Believe me if you have an audience someone is willing to pay you to get in their sphere of influence.

Affiliates

Doing a joint venture with an affiliate you really believe in can be mutually beneficial when done correctly.

I remember when Marie Forleo was doing her B-School course I was seeing it on several sites that I frequented, as a discount or upsell to their product or course. They were all in similar niches but were complementary to each other at the same time.

Don’t push anything ol’ thing for the sake of a few bucks. Honor your audience first and foremost.  So it is a win, win, WIN, for you, your audience and the affiliate partner.

This is also a good way to build deeper relationship with folks in your industry, especially if you both are still relatively new and are in the building stages. The “affiliate” piece can be more of a barter type situation for equal sharing or project partnerships by co-mingling audiences for promotional purposes.

There is Power in your Story

I for some reason just found Ms. Lisa Nichols through my Pinterest boards. Not even realizing I had read the secret many years ago and she was one of the contributors.

One of her stories of growing up in South Central LA and interacting with her Grandmother, telling her that when you get old you want to be able to look back and tell a good story.

I got to thinking about what the legacy will be that i’m leaving behind and will it be a good story…

Story is so powerful and if you think about it it’s the first thing we usually learn. Stories like bedtime stories or fables. Even the best advertisements are really good stories.

On the flip side of the coin what is the story we are telling ourselves. Be it negative or positive, what is the plot line you are going to change to make sure it turns out the way you imagine it to be.

QuoteSpiration

[Tweet “Be encouraged you are not alone”]

No such thing as an overnight success

Looking at someone like a Lisa Nichols and seeing her massive success, you could see that and think she came out of  nowhere but that isn’t the reality if you look at her YouTube videos you will see the years of content and work she has put in consistently over the years. So remember there is no overnight success.

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Mentions

• Lisa Nichols

Key Takeaways from the Podcast

• Make your story GOOD!

Links 

• @JobOpt
• Job Optional Community facebook
• Subscribe on iTunes