WHY SHOULD I LISTEN?

Amplifying Voices: An Introduction

Navigating the winding path to success is the talk of the town nowadays. So why should you be left out?

No, the real question is, can you recognise when you are being left out?

If you belong to certain sections of society, it is very easy to be passed over in certain kinds of conversations. If you're a woman, a Black woman, and even worse, from a low-income background, the tendency is that people can't see past their biases to picture you inhabiting certain spaces, belonging in certain rooms. And so when they speak on strategies, methods, hacks and the resulting success stories, they don't factor in some of your unique realities and experiences. You cannot see yourself in the pictures of success they paint because they aren't talking about people like you. So you've stopped listening.

This is exactly why I have decided to write this letter. To amplify stories that give you a different picture to focus on, one that looks much more familiar. Because let's be honest, hearing about these things from someone who gets you, who understands what life is like for you as a Black woman, may just be the anchor you need. To hear more about why this is so necessary, you might want to check out the first episode of the Spotlight Hustle Insights podcast.

If you're a black woman in the digital space finding that you have to juggle the struggles of making it in business in itself, with the struggles of making it when your world and your problems are different from those of many people, I have something tailored especially for you.

Book of the Week

Let's kick things off with the Book of the week: "We Should All Be Millionaires" by Rachel Rodgers, an intellectual property attorney, business coach and published author. In these pages, you'd find a woman who dared to go from a low-income background to a multimillion-dollar business. And you would find out that it wasn't magic, because there are lessons and strategies she's mastered along the way that she is willing to share, in a way that should help you realize just how possible it is for you too.

Video of the Week

Next, we have the video for the week: "My Year of Saying Yes to Everything", the TED Talk by Shonda Rhimes. You should watch it if you haven't, and even if you have, it's a good time to re-watch it. Here, you see someone who has made quite the name for herself on TV, aTitan as she calls herself, talks about the beauty of 'play'. And how ironic it is that the same fulfillment, that same beauty you get from work can become lost to you if you don't learn to say yes to play. Or as she says, "work cannot work without play." As you chase your dreams and goals, try not to lose sight of your reason for doing it; not just the hustle or the struggle to prove it, but the enjoyment.

And in the spirit of finding time for rest and play, here's one little hack: planning way ahead of time. It'll give you the space to do all that you hope to do, while still being able to pace yourself. You see, I have a theory that procrastination (which eventually leads to burnout) is simply a product of poor planning. It's easy for your to-do list to suddenly stretch out into an endless, scary list when you have no clear plan and are just hoping to "find motivation someday".

So why don't we try something different ahead of 2025: how about we start planning right now? Feels a bit too early? Here's the thing:? Solid, effective plans take time to form. If ever there was a great time to start planning for the New Year, it would be the last quarter of the old. I've spoken a little more about the beauty of early planning on the Spotlight Hustle Insights blog.

Do you want to give this idea a try and don't know how to start? I've also created a support system you'd find very helpful: Subscribing to our Premium Membership will open you up to strategies and a guide for breaking your giant 2025 goals into smaller actionable steps way ahead of time.

?Affirmation of the Week

And finally, I'd like to leave you with this reminder: If you ever feel the urge to prove anything to anyone, remember that the only person that deserves this spot, is yourself. You are your biggest inspiration. And every time you overcome an obstacle, it cements your belief in your ability to do it again.

I hope you can already see by now, why you should want to listen. To people with whom you share a lot in common; your experiences, the good, bad and the ugly, and... your goals. If you're a Black woman in the digital space looking for a community where you can find inspiration and motivation, Click here to find the perfect one!

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