"I love to see a young girl go out and take the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick some ass."
--Maya Angelou
Oh, how I long to be a 28-something, again, now...in this
time. I look through all the Inastgram-ers like Hilary Rushford and her quirky
NY life or YouTubers like Alexis aka Miss Trenchcoat and I long for my time
again. These strong young women are breaking out with their businesses and living their stylized lives...and here I am, 40 years old and just starting out in
mine after leaving a well-paying career that I had for over 18 years to pursue
my passion.
But, thank goodness for these young women. I have roll-models
now that are a good 10 years younger than me (at least...).
But...40 is the new 30, though, right?
Right? I mean, it is, right?
So, where have I been for...we'll just say
"months?" Since my last post where I made the announcement that I was
leaving my job, I took a hiatus. I enjoyed the time off, especially during the
holidays, with my family. I KonMari-ed my house (and will again), I organized
my new daily schedule, got the Filofax back out and started to plan my life in
neat timed increments. I made 'to do' lists, and mental 'to don't' lists. I
organized my planner(s) and re-organized them. I planned and thought and
dreamed of where to go next in my pursuit (of happiness) and what to do when I got there (besides 'be happy').
I became a YouTube addict of learning and a note taking
fiend. I'm reading books about platform building and moving my blog and website
to WordPress. I'm bidding on freelance
jobs and pinching my pennies. I'm engrossed in webinars and working long days
(16 hours, sometimes!).
I'm home every day to take care of my responsibilities, and
I can now be there as a support for my son (who is doing very well, now. You
can read about what was going on right here) and to be of better service to my
dad and the rest of my family.
I've adopted a 'Morning Ritual' and meditate every morning and
do yoga at the end of every day before cooking up amazing vegetarian dinners
that I never had time to do before when I was working midnight shifts for the
last 13 years. As a matter of fact, that’s
what I’m doing, now…I'm living. That's all I ever longed for--a 'normal'
routine that I can get into and that would help make me feel alive. I felt like
I had wasted so much time mundanely and morosely slugging through life-day in and
day out-wasting myself and my time.
What I'm trying to say is, I've finally made the leap. I
just wish I had done it sooner. Well, maybe that's not entirely true. I mean, I
didn't know then the things that I know now. We didn't have anywhere near the resources we have, now. These
young women have it made, so to speak. Not made easy, mind you, these women are
hard workers, deserving of every drop of success they get, because they EARN
it. But, they have resources at their fingertips that we just didn't have as
creatives in the past, which make it especially fabulous to behold the women
from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s who are self-made (we know, we know…Oprah and Martha!).
Now, whenever I'm ready to submit my book for publishing, I
can do so with a click of a few buttons, or, because of the convenience of
networking, I have a small army of dear friends who are ready and willing to
help me with anything that I need to get me going, get me edited and get me
published. With the wonderful world of social media and YouTube, I can now
learn, reach out and connect and, ultimately, aspire to just about anything
on my mind. That is what the world of business it turning into. I've said it
for a while now...we are turning back to a more "pioneering" time
where the art of self-preservation, haggling, bartering and trading and selling our goods
and services is key. With the amount of student loan indebted university
graduates that have been hitting the pavement since 2008, tuning into our creative sides was bound to
happen.
With this came the rising of online selling spots to rival eBay...enter
Etsy--one of the world's leading online shop systems. People who have lost their jobs
(or outright quit their jobs *wink*) went in search for something
else...something *more*. Tired of the rat race of “day in, day out”, they went in search of the alternative—working on
their terms. And, you know what? It’s working. The rise in social media for
business is WORKING! Not every pic you see on Instagram is a duck-faced girl in
Uggs posing with her PSL (that’s Pumpkin Spice Latte, in case you weren’t familiar),
but instead a peek into those quirky lives, a behind-the-scenes look at their days, small, free adverts of their offerings (sometimes shamelessly
overt, but, hey…what’s a girl to do?).
We (I say we
because this is where I am, or soon will be, anyway) are becoming a little Universe
filled with little entrepreneurships zooming about at warp speed to get our
turn. And, there’s plenty of turn to go around (but, that's a whole 'nother post). That’s what I admire about the young(er)
women of today. Just like the quote above is so eloquently put by the dear,
late Maya Angelou, which, incidentally, I found just exactly before I started
to sit down to write this article (you are
familiar with the main message in my writing, aren’t you? Why, it’s synchronicity,
of course!).
So, I say: Take it by the lapels, girls, and give it a good
shake!
Until next time,
Nanette
