Blogmas Day 8🥳💗

Blogmas Day 8🥳💗

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In my Cocoon…

I’ve always thought if I played it safe, followed the rules I’d get ahead in life. I wouldn’t be stuck, I wouldn’t feel trapped. I was wrong, I’ve been wrong. That’s not how the real world works.

Yes rules are there for a reason and like everything else if you break the rules you have to face the consequences. To me it feels that I’ve been following the rules and watching the rule breakers soar ahead.

Have you ever had that thought? I have, I’m having it now as I pour my self into this piece. This is not something I’m hearing from a girlfriend whose venting. This is me feeling all these emotions. I’ve worked proved myself and gotten sidelined over and over again. We have this saying ” A Cat and A Dog doesn’t have the same luck” . Ever since I’ve heard that saying I’ve been playing it safe with everything in my life.

I’m not saying that I’m about to go rob a bank. No, I’m thinking that it’s time to take a stand ,whose to say things will end badly? I mean this feeling and these words have been holding me back and like the butterfly it’s time I break out of that cocoon and soar.

It’s scary, it’s nerve-wracking but I will be better off. Safe feels good, being cautious is ok but nothing fun happens there. The people who makes it big didn’t play it safe. Can you imagine Oprah Winfrey playing it safe after being fired? Or Michelle Obama?

As I write , they’re two things I have to do before I close out 2021 and I know once I’ve unlocked that part of my life, nothing I mean nothing is going to hold me back. I have been holding me back. I’m the one who needs to get out of my head. Stop being an overthinker and think positive , I am and I can. Break free from my cocoon.

I’ve made the first step to recovery admitting fault, it’s invigorating and I feel like now I can take on everything. My mind, I’ve been holding me back, thinking I would fail or I will get in trouble.

Greatness is in me and greatness is in you. A friend of mine have been putting off going back to school because like me they’ve convinced themselves that they’re not good enough, I won’t make the qualifying exams to matriculation. Last night, she called me to view her results , she did the exams ,studied applied herself and in the hour of truth couldn’t bring herself to view the results. She called me ,very anxious, nerves all over the place- Dee ,girl what if I failed, it’s been 20 years, I don’t have anymore time, all the excuses you could think of.

I entered her details and when I saw the results ,I paused for a minute. She was still going on and on about how she doesn’t know what she’d do if she’d fail.

Telling her how smart and amazing she was and how proud I was of her calmed her down a bit. Congratulations 👏you’re going to University. Tears of joy, immediately she started speaking positively believing that after 20years she had fulfilled a childhood dream, go to University. Achieving all this especially in a pandemic with a chaotic family life. My friend has broken her cocoon and now she flies ….

Join us and breakfree from your cocoon. Let’s do this thing together.

Feel free, be free …

Until Next Post…

Dee

Vision Boarding – Do they really work?

I’ve always been skeptical about vision boards. They’re a lot of seminars surrounding vision boards being advertised heavily on my timeline. Virtual sessions are where it’s at these days. Have you ever used a vision board? Do you believe that it works? Is it just another ploy developed by “self-help ” gurus” just to make another buck?

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board is a visual representation of your goals. A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on what truly matters to you.

Does vision boarding help people?

Short answer YES. If the definition is true I’ve been vision boarding all my life. In 2018 I’ve seen many changes in my life. This has everything to do with being intentional with everything I wanted to achieve.

My vision board had the following:

Promotion: I got promoted 6 months into my job.

– New Car – I had the model, make etc down. I knew exactly which car I wanted and I got it.

New Apartment :

I was able to move into a new apartment. We saw the ad in the paper, made the call to set up a viewing. We were the first and only viewers to see the apartment.

They’re many other achievements over the past two years.

If you want to achieve any particular goal it’s best to write it down, be very specific. You also want to ensure that your goal is realistic. Set a timeline. It’s perfectly fine to change deadlines. Writing down the goal acts as a motivator as well as boost your confidence level. It’s a wonderful feeling seeing the things you write down on paper manifest before your eyes.

Vision Boarding is fun , make it practical. They’re lots of videos and resources out there to assist you with making one.

Give it a try. You’ll need the following to get started:

-Board/Paper

– Newspaper and or Magazine Clippings

– Pens, Markers

-Glue ( glitter and regular)

– Stickers

Get Creative and have fun while doing it. This is a fun activity to catch up with your girlfriends/ Book Club bodies. Go Virtual make an event out of it.

Vision Board Supplies

Vision Boarding works for me and has been working for a long time.

Until Next Post,

Dee

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Budgeting – 10 Tips to help you in 2021 (Blogmas Day 17)

I’m no finance guru and I won’t say I know everything but I will share with you how I managed to repay most of my debt which allowed me to move into my new apartment and hopefully soon I can say my new home. It’s easy to incur certain costs and even harder to clear up if you’re not as disciplined and intentional . Christmas is next week and I hope that you had a chance to do your Christmas shopping and were able to cop some good deals. Some people had salary cuts and some even lost their jobs. Money is tight and I want us to make the most of what we have. Covid-19 is still around and may be around for awhile so I want you to be prepared going into the new year. I want us all to review our bad money habits and make the best of 2021. I have some personal goals that I want to achieve and so far these tips have worked and I hope they will work for you too.

Let’s put a plan in place:

1. Plan Ahead : I have a pretty good idea of what my income is so it’s easier for me to plan ahead. For the person who may not know exactly what th their income is I would suggest you work with what you have currently. Planning ahead allows you to make better decisions.
2. Budget for the everything : It’s better to account for every area than to be met on with surprises and trust me you won’t like certain surprises especially when it comes to money. Budgeting for everything means you are in control of your money. There are certain things that are fixed and should always be in your budget Mortgage/Rent/Lease, Utilities, Transportation, Groceries, Medical, Savings you get the gist. For things you may not be aware of you can have a category called Miscellaneous.
3. Track your Expenses: Every single dollar counts. Knowing where your money is going helps you to make better decisions. It allows you to put your money where it is supposed to go. If you realize that you’re spending too much money on coffee for example; purchase a bottle of coffee and make your own. Making your own coffee will save you a lot . It’s way cheaper to invest in a coffee maker and get a large bottle of coffee than to hit the coffee shop ten times per day. Think about.
4. Do One Less: Earlier I mentioned coffee and they’re other things that we can do one less of or none at all. I personally had to cut down on the number of subscriptions that I was apart of monthly. Some subscriptions allows you to pause, go on every other month. Whichever you are apart of it is best to cancel or pause. This will allow flexibility with your money.
5. Set Realistic Goals : If you realize that you’re spending way more on groceries than what you actually can afford then you need to revisit your grocery budget. I would also recommend that you buy in bulk and only buy what is needed. Couponing is good, it saves you a lot, I have a friend who is awesome with couponing. She knows where all the sales are and the selected days to visit the various outlets. Doing that allows her flexibility with her money which allows her to do things she likes to do.
6. A budget is not fixed – Make Adjustments: Everything on your budget is not always fixed like the rent/mortgage. Revisit the budget as many times as you want.
7. Budget for Savings: Pay yourself first. There are many formulas out there 50/30/20 rule (applied to your net salary): 50% going to needs 30% wants and 20% savings. This particular formula I am going to try for 2021. As it suggests 50% of your salary should be going towards your needs – needs are things that are necessary for your survival (car payments , rent , mortgage, groceries etc.) 30 % wants – things you spend on that are non essential – subscriptions, date nights, gadgets. 20 % – should be allocated for savings and investments.
8. Budget for Goals – Your goals can be long term or short term. If your plan is to own a home, buy your dream car, take that vacation ; whatever it is this should be apart of your budget. Financial institutions offers clients different ways to reach their goals. It is important to set aside some money monthly, weekly if you can to meet this particular goal. It is advisable to set standing orders for your salary to be transferred into this account. This allows you comfort in knowing that the money is already allocated for and you are not tempted to use it.
9. Reward Yourself : My Grandma has a saying “encouragement sweetens labor” . It’s okay to treat yourself . One coffee at the end of the week is ok, just don’t go overboard.
10. Set Reminders : Reminders helps you to track your progress and figure out if things are going according to plan. The note app on your phone is a good place to set your budget there are also budgeting apps that can assist you along the way. I personally use my notes app as well as I have little stickers around my apartment to help me along the way. I also utilize my calendar app; setting due dates for bills especially helps to prevent late payments which attracts additional fees. Whatever works for you please utilize it, this keeps you grounded ultimately you will realize how much you are saving.

Plan Ahead

I really hope that these tips will help you to manage your money better in 2021 and beyond.

Do you Budget? What are some helpful tips for budgeting beginners? Do you have any particular saving goals?

Let’s Chat.

Until Next Post

Dee…