My dad was a General Contractor, a music promoter, a husband, and a father. He did all three roles with excellence. He would show up to watch my sister, Kayla and I cheer in his construction clothes filled with brick dust and then go hand out handbills for the weekend music show because let’s face it that was the way of marketing back then. HA! My mother is a jack of all trades too. She was the underestimated housewife who could sew you a pageant dress, cook a meal, run my dad’s construction business and be a Mary Kay Sales Director and still show up to pick me up from school and drop me off at dance practice and still manage to monitor my grades and have me in bed before 10 and up at 5 a.m. for the infinite routine. Obviously, schedules like these can be taxing, but also very rewarding for someone who genuinely loves to work and see results. Hence, why I have no problem managing working my fulltime job, side gigs and my dreams. I’ve been a devout witness to the perseverance and the reaped rewards.
I heard a quote the other day by film producer Samuel Goldwyn:
“The Harder I Work, the Luckier I Get.”
It’s true folks. People heavily spectate some people’s lives searching for answers as to why they seem to have it all. The truth is they’re probably working it all, by all means necessary. You want to live your dream. We all do. The problem is, for most people, your dream is not your current reality. You know this so take the appropriate steps towards living out whatever that visionary fantasy looks like. It just might look like you’re juggling in a magic show which is not easy. In response, what you’re doing will look easy for your audience. If I had a dollar for everytime someone said blogging was easy! Folks, the “behind the scenes” is nitty gritty and full of countless ideas, notes that I’ve jotted down, desperate pitching letters, no’s from brands, photos when I’ve got bags under my eyes and so much more! However, I love every aspect of it and I’ll diligently juggle it alongside all of the rest of my responsibilities because it allows me to have an affable even balance of joy.
So what are some ways that I’m keeping up…
30-60-90 Day Plans
Please note that no one gets their dream overnight. It is important that you make many 30-60-90 day plans, weekly goals, daily tasks lists, etc. The seconds, minutes, and hours that make up those planning mechanisms listed above are going to make and break those years that you could’ve, should’ve, would’ve or did and done! The beauty is you get to decide how you’ll manage the process! Here are some questions for you to ponder.
- What are you trying to accomplish in the next 30 days, 60 days and 90 Days? Some action items take longer than others. Don’t rush and do a botch job on something because you’re ready to get it over with. Remember the childhood story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Adapt that mindset of the tortoise… Slow and steady wins the race.
- What can you get done within 30 days vs. the 90 day period?
- What is your goal for this week? It needs to be an imperative and major goal!
- Do I need to hire some help to complete the task lists? Perhaps you need to order Uber eats for dinner one night. Perhaps you need to hire someone to clean your house. Decipher what you can and cannot do to complete and excel in the plans you’ve set for yourself.
Listen to Your Yearning Voice
You’re sitting at your desk, standing at your retail job, or wherever you are imagining a plethora of scenarios such as owning your own business, traveling, or financial freedom. I know because I’ve experienced it first hand. The yearning to do your own thing is real, but the reality is too. You’re running through the list of “What if’s”, but you’re too bogged down by it to even get started. However, you know what you deserve in this life. As the cliche phrase goes, “That itch won’t go away until you scratch it.” So here again, you don’t have a choice, but to get good at the management of your own life. We’re taught to climb corporate and social ladders, but how about really listening to that inner voice and creating your own life’s composition.
Own Your Time and Choose Rest Time Wisely
The inclination that you could do more and be more is exactly the drive that will annoy the mess out of you but will continue to drive you along this journey as you balance it ALL. There will be day’s when your head or your friends tell you, “Girl you need to take a break.” Use your discernment here. Don’t trick yourself into being lazy for the sake of it. If you can do a little more, do it! Every step you take makes a difference. For example, if I have some deadlines for a brand, a 9-5 project to finish, spend time with my husband and still take care of self, I prioritize the day. Then, I look at my week and see when I can go to bed early or when I will have a full day that encompasses no obligations. If I am two days from a leisure day, I take advantage of the 48 hours and get as much done as I can so that I can fully and wholeheartedly enjoy that anticipated day off! Just as you learned in grade school, procrastinating is perplexing and only leads to your dismay. The last thing you want to do as someone juggling multiple hats is to break too soon or at the wrong time. It messes with your comradery to commence! Be careful of when you choose to take your timeouts and how you’ll come back into the game. If you recall in the story of the Tortoise and the hare, the hare bragged about how fast he was and took breaks when he shouldn’t have and fell asleep allowing the Tortoise to beat him! The tortoise never stopped moving forward. Say it with me, “Slow and steady” wins the race!
In the digital age, everyone is running multiple businesses and obligations and simply trying to figure out the blueprint. Generations before us lived a whole different life. We’ve got to figure out ways for us to live a good quality of life. There are days when you’re going to feel like nothing is going right, but I promise you that if you adhere to some of these suggestions, the burdens will be easier to compartmentalize and carry.
Love,
Jasmine Sweet
