Whew! It’s been a year right!? The world is just a whole lot to take in right now, so I’ve been taking some me time to protect my peace and my mental! Hopefully you all have been taking some time for yourselves as well! I know I’ve been gone for a while, but that’s just because life has been a hellova ride over the last two years or so! It’s been so much going on that I haven’t had the chance to take time to document anything. If you’re wondering if I’m still a lavish and thrifty spender and on a budget…the answer is 100% YESSS! I don’t know how else to be yall! It’s just in me at this point, and I can honestly say it’s truly a lifestyle! I promise I’ll come back to this later and let you know all about it!
So as I’ve said a lot has happened over the last two years or so! I don’t even know where to begin, but I’ll start with my move to Charlotte, NC and how I thought I was going to build this lavish life there but God had other BETTER plans! I moved to Charlotte and was having a good time at the end of 2017, then I got sick and out of five doctors none of them could tell me what was wrong. Talk about being confused, frustrated, and irritated. I didn’t know how to feel. While being sick was the worst part of being in Charlotte, I also had a decent amount of wins. It’s worth mentioning that in 2018 I turned Lavish and Thrifty into a business! It seemed like right before I could get the momentum going on my business, it just came to complete a stop. I was sick, out of energy, and before I knew it I had let imposter syndrome creep in. I had so many thoughts running through my head about everything that was going on and the place I was at in my life. I questioned my purpose, and would often tell myself no one wants to hear what I have to say. I was (still am –my mortgage) also debt free during this period and thought to myself surely no one wants to hear this when so many people are in debt. Not realizing that the people needed my help and needed my story. I struggled every single day as I went to my 9-5 trying to make it work because my parents told me to go to school, get a good job and invest in my 401k and retire at 65. I was at war internally with myself, making myself sicker and sicker by the day. I wonder till this day if it was all in my head. As I continued to go in circles, I decided the best thing to do was to move back home to
Richmond, VA. My old boss hired me back and I went back to the banking industry as an Audit Manager. I was still sick, but things were getting good. I auditioned to be an extra in the movie Harriet and I was selected and actually ended up being in the movie! I remember calling out on my second day of filming and my boss being mad and not allowing me to use my PTO. It was the second day of filming that allowed me to be in the movie. Every day I think about what if I had never gone to the second day of filming. It also made me think about something else that I won’t mention here, but you get my drift.
While my initial experience with my employer may have gotten off to a rocky start upon my return, I can’t say the same for my love life. I’m just going to go ahead and jump right into it! I’m engaged! Yup I got engaged November 30, 2019 to the love of my life and best friend! I told yall God’s plan is always better than anyone else’s. I’ve been enjoying getting to know my new family, creating new experiences with my finance and planning our future together! Having my fiancé by my side during this time has been great! He’s challenged me in more ways than one and he’s very supportive. He’s the one who reminds me I have a real gift when it comes to money, budgeting, saving, and spending wisely. What’s even more exciting is to hear him say “boo you’ve really rubbed off on me…I was in the store today and I wanted xyz…but I didn’t get it cause I’m going to plan to get it when it comes on sale”! That’s like music to my ears! Especially since I’m a firm believer that you should never pay full price for anything!
So What’s Next?
SERVE. I know that God did not heal me from whatever I was sick with to not serve my community and pursue my purpose in life! From here on out my goal is to only focus on things that align with my purpose and building my brand. When I find myself awake at night, I know that I did not do something that day in alignment with my God given purpose for life. There have been days where I tried to run and hide and while I had peace around me…internally I was at war with myself. I’ve experienced imposter syndrome at it’s finest and I’m sure I’ll experience it over and over again. Though it may creep up from time to time, I’m more focused on experiencing true freedom at this moment in my life. I want the freedom to be my true authentic self all day every day and I will not stop putting in the work until I get to that place in my life! Every day is a process and I’m appreciating the journey! If you’re trying to get free from something (debt, imposter syndrome, generational curses etc.) don’t give up! Remind yourself every day that you’re worth it and someone is counting on you! I’m constantly reminding myself every day that there is someone out there that is counting on me to show up to empower them to make healthy and confident financial choices that will ultimately allow them to plan for the future, spend wisely, and manage life’s most challenging events while living their best life! And that my friends is enough for me to get up every day, put in the work, and remain consistent and disciplined! Let’s take back control in all areas of our lives, not just finances! In other words let’s get FREE!
Comment “FREEdom” if you’re trying to get free!
