I really wish that I could buy that CardiB Coronavirus audio clip that went viral. CORONAVIRUS, sh$t is real. No one has ever said that life was easy. But, 2020 has truly been a test of our sanity, our beliefs, and who we are as people. As an American, it has also been one of the most heartbreaking and disappointing experiences as a citizen. I’ve had to let go of people, spaces, and places in order to stay true to my core values and beliefs. I also learned that I’m consistent. I’ve also voted with my dollars, supported local, and stayed away from people who throw me under the bus for whatever reason that they may have.In a year where we had to remind people that Black Lives Matter too, science saves lives, and lies kill I found myself in the confusing reality of thriving. I made more money, I paid off debt, I enjoyed nature, and I found myself constantly asking the following questions “How can I be true to myself?” “How can I be of Service?” “How can I continue focusing on my goals?” when the sky is falling all around me? For those of you in other Western countries listening to this episode. Please remember that these thoughts had the backdrop of historic protests, Fascism, a contentious election, a $1200 one-time stimulus payment with a good luck and kick me sign on our backs, and hundreds of thousands of Americans dead from COVID-29. In this episode I’m going to share my experience of this year from the perspective of personal life including health, money, entrepreneurship, and dreams.
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Personal Life
The older I get, the more I find myself thinking about friendships, community, and connection. As I’ve gone through my long-term debt repayment journey I’ve changed. It’s hardly surprising. I went from constantly being stressed out and not being able to do things to being a lot more chilled out and having the opportunity to do things with friends. The irony, I’ve lost some friends along the way because I wasn’t at the stage or place that some of my friends were at over the years. Then, COVID hit and I found myself by myself as I hunkered down during 3 months of quarantine. Let’s be clear, as an only child, I’m very well equipped to handle time on my own-I have 17 years of practice. But, during COVID I found myself thinking about my role in the friendships and relationships that I have or had. I reflected on some really honest questions:
- Was I present enough in my friendships?
- Did I check in enough with my friends and family? So that they knew that I cared?
- Did I show that actually cared?
- Did I understand what my friends’ and family’s love language is?
- Did I know what was going on with them and was it clear to them that they could have those types of conversations with me?
Basically, this year has been an opportunity for some deep reflection and checking in. Some of what I’ve reflected on has been a bit painful but necessary. I’ve also come to realization that I need more people in my life. Despite everything, I’ve made new friends and acquaintances and embraced an opportunity to deepen my connection to my local community as I continue to stay in my hometown for at least the next year.
You may be surprised to know that I went on a few staycations in my state. I had the chance to go to Salida, Breckenridge, and Colorado Springs.I also went on 3 day backpacking trip with a hiking group that I’m a member of in the Rocky Mountains. Those trips kept me sane but I traveled very differently than before. You will be surprised to know that I did stay in the hostel in Breckenridge that I normally stay at. They had (and continue to have) limited capacity and mask mandates inside the hostel. The last time I was there I had the room to myself for 3 days and ended up sharing for 1 day. Moving forward until I get the COVID vaccine I will no longer stay in a shared room.
Sadly, I have not been able to visit my grandmother and other relatives many of whom who live in another state and I’m pretty upset about it. I think that a lot of people are selfish a$$holes.
Dating life. Weirdly enough, I’ve met some nice guys during this time. It seems like people have let go of any reticence or concerns about how their interest may be received. It’s been great! But, I would also like to say that I feel a lot better about myself and I think that comes across.
Health
I’m still out of shape. It’s weird because I’m active but I’m not fit. I’ve felt a lot guilt about taking my health for granted. Not any longer. I will share more in my 2021 episode, but let’s just say that I can’t wait to get into shape.
Money
Recently I’ve realized that I made a HUGE mistake with money and had been making this mistake for at least two years. I’d stopped working on my money mindset. I’m one of those people who needs a daily money practice. I literally need to check in with myself daily when it comes to money and mindset. Even though I’ve made a significant amount of progress financially in the past couple of years. It’s not lost on me that I probably could have done even better if I had actively worked on a money practice outside of “I’m paying off debt.”
Despite the concern I’ve just shared, I’ve had a pretty solid year financially during a time when many people have struggled. It’s an awkward truth that people in tech, personal finance, and few other fields that are in demand have been in demand.
- I’ve made more money a lot more easily than I ever had.
- I didn’t need to access any of the resources made available during the pandemic. This was a blessing.
- My slow a$$ debt repayment journey was worth every painful day when in 2020 I didn’t have to worry about paying an excessive amount of debt in my monthly expenses.
- I stopped working side-hustles and entirely focused on making money with my business. I had been dragging my feet on doing this because in the back of my mind I was nervous about letting money go and I liked the people that I worked with. But, I didn’t need the side-hustle money and it was a distraction from focusing on my business. COVID forced my hand on making this decision because there was NO CHOICE.
- Thoughts on Slow F.I.R.E.-COVID has reinforced my belief that Slow F.I.R.E. is “the way” My quest for time freedom and professional autonomy lead me on this path starting in 2015. Simplifying my financial life by:
- Continuing to live small
- Paying off debt
- Keeping things simple
- Focusing on diversifying my income
- Understanding what I value has been particularly beneficial during this time.
Entrepreneurship
About three years into my self-employment/entrepreneurship journey I started to notice a couple of things. I noticed that I worked hard for a significant part of the year but that by the end of October I just wanted to relax. I noticed that relying on one revenue stream really stressed me out. And, I realized that as the designer of my business that I had the latitude to design the business of my dreams. So, about three years ago I made a commitment to diversifying my income and working a 10 month year. Working towards this goal was a challenging time because my income dropped as I let go of some projects and onboarded others.
Also, I was still paying off-debt. Not a great time to lower your income. It’s now the end of 2020 and I’m so damn glad that I made that commitment to myself and focused on designing a business that not only served me well, but also served others.
One thing I will also say is that in 2019 I trusted my gut NOT to hold Money on the Mountain in 2020 and I’m so glad that I listened to my intuition. I was also surprised by how so many aspects of my business came to me much more easily than before which also indicates to me that it’s now time to up my game in 2021 for both persona and professional growth.
In 2020 I was able to
- Live off of passive income from my books.
- Course sales-I actually relaunched my course during April and quickly discovered that you can make sales even during crazy times. I also discovered that my pricing was off for this new iteration of my “Make Money with Ebooks” course.
- Coaching-I found myself being asked to coach people more and more.
- Lucrative freelance writing-I didn’t pitch for any new clients in 2020. But, I signed on several.
- Grow my brand in the way that is true to me and staying true to my beliefs system.
- Sharing my personal beliefs as they relate to money/policy/and politics. And during a year like this that authenticity in a brand is so important. We saw a number of people and brands go through a literal existential crisis because they didn’t share their beliefs and values from day number one.
- I won the Plutus Award for Best Current Events Related Content Related to Finance
- I discovered that while I’m pretty good at saying “no” to projects and things that don’t serve me well. I needed to say “no” more as I found myself in the awkward situation of wishing I’d said “no” even more this year.
- I spoke at CampFi Colorado Springs which was a wonderful experience. It was also a little scary because the event was held in July and COVID was still pretty new. It was a wonderful experience and we basically stayed outside for most of the event. I also wore a mask.
- Financial allies played a huge role in my business this year and I was also an ally for others. Action vs. performative allyship was the name of the game this year. And, I’ve been blessed with friends and colleagues who’ve always had this focus.
- Work a 10 month year. I’ve never been excited about working a 12 month year. What is the point in creating your own business that is designed like my old office life? That makes no sense. I’ve never been excited about “crushing it” at the end of the year, so I don’t. I’d prefer to rest and crush it from January until the beginning of November.
That’s a Wrap for 2020
I’m excited to rest for the next couple of weeks and ease out of 2020. I have a lot planned for 2021 and 2022. I’ll spill the tea in my first episode of 2021. Until then, take care of yourself.
My 2020 Soundtrack
Click here to listen to my 2020 soundtrack tonight! Warning, it’s a little melancholy.
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