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#Trust30 Speak Less

Speak Less by Laura Kimball

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know I. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s stopping you? What would happen if you actually went for it and did it?

On Sunday I discussed that I’m facing challenges with regards to becoming an English consultant. I began working on this project over a year ago, having first purchased ElectrateEditorials.com on July 20, 2010. I’ve been overanalyzing and brainstorming my business for far too long. I had been blocked by the need to search for a job outside the home, a move, more job hunting, and attempting to balance living with elderly parents and young children. In Gainesville, I would have simply hopped onto the bus and ridden up to campus to spend time working on my projects. Here, we need a vehicle to get to and from practically anything. A very big obstacle? I don’t have a driver’s license. There, I said it. I’m a 27-year-old wife and mother of 3 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and I don’t have my driver’s license. It’s very complicated, but I just don’t have much driving experience. For most of my adulthood, we lived in a city with a public transportation system. Brian only just got his license last October. My message to all of you: NEVER let your child move out without first obtaining his or her driver’s license. It’s a lot harder to get driving experience as an adult.

Anyhow, I’ve identified that I need to speak up, set aside more time to work on this endeavor, and earn some money to cover my overhead. If I actually get this business running and succeed, I’ll achieve a goal — I’ll live my dream to become an English consultant and work for myself, from my home. I’ll spend my days doing what I love — writing, editing copy and documents, and tutoring students from various backgrounds. It brings me great joy to see a student improve his or her writing and receiving glowing remarks from teachers and professors. I love putting ink to paper, typing letters to screen. It pleases me to see errors corrected. My enjoyment of my work would take the “work” aspect out of it.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Confucious

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#Trust30 Dreams

Dreams by Michael Rad

Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life, obey thy heart. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.

Here are my top three dreams, in no particular order: 1) buy a house with at least 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a pool, and enough land for a fruit and vegetable garden, a private picnic area, and room for the kids and pets to run around; 2) become a successful English consultant, spending my days tutoring, writing, and editing, all while paying the bills in full and living comfortably — NOT paycheck to paycheck, barely making ends meet; and 3) maintain good health. Above all else in the world, these are the top three dreams I’d like to live.

What’s holding me back from buying that dream house? Why, money, of course. I’m actually smitten with this house because it meets all the criteria, plus it’s ridiculously inexpensive. I first saw it listed at $289,000 earlier this year. Now, $259,000 is still above my budget, but a girl can dream. In order to purchase a home, we need to save for a down payment and net enough income in order to pay for the mortgage. Saving and netting more income is easier said then done, too. Unexpected expenses keep popping up, and income has been tenuous at best. Finally returning to the workforce should help alleviate some of these issues, but getting passed the following hurdles should increase our chances to fund this dream.

What’s holding me back from becoming an English consultant? At the end of the day, I need to take responsibility for not getting things accomplished. I don’t necessarily have to let other people’s drama come between me and getting work done. I tend to shy away from asking for help, too. I simply need to assert myself more often and go to the library or some equally out-of-sight-out-of-mind location where I can concentrate on the details of my business. To advertise my tutoring services locally, I’ll have better luck with low-tech marketing strategies, which require a certain amount of ink and paper. Ink and paper cost money, so there’s that money obstacle again. Speak up, earn money.

What’s holding me back from being healthier? I’m uninsured, I don’t have enough room to grow my own garden, I don’t have enough money to purchase tons of fresh produce, and I’m not as assertive as I should be with regards to exercise. Insurance and food = money. Asserting myself in order to get exercise = speak up.

While I’d absolutely love to snap my fingers and make money working for myself, I know that I’m not done working outside of the home just yet. I also need to bring out my voice more often. Over my lifetime, I’ve become more assertive in some ways, yet I still need more work in that regard. However, I will again reference the fact that I fought hard for my HBA2C, and my fighting paid off. Some days I’m a stronger fighter than others, but some times I just want to relax and live peacefully. I get tired of fighting. Right now, I can’t afford to stop fighting. I need to fight until everything works out the way I’ve dreamt it should. It’s time to roll up my sleeves, get some work done, make some money, and fight my way to happiness.

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