Food for Thought: Chasing Dreams

Donni and I attended The Brand Helena K.’s Basic Business: Lunch and Learn over the weekend. The amazing gouda omelet and mimosa I had weren’t the only gems being dropped at BQE Restaurant & Lounge. The guest speakers really tugged on some of my heart-strings.

Even though I claimed (and still claim) 2015 as MY year, the first few months have been a roller-coaster ride. (For the record, I’m not a big fan of roller-coasters.)

A lot of the advice given by the guest speakers related to my current situation. Bels Stacks, owner of STACKS Magazine, dropped a little knowledge on dream chasing. I needed another mimosa at that point, because it brought up all the things I’ve been kicking myself for lately. I didn’t have a strategy for chasing my dream. Hell, social media marketing wasn’t even my dream. I was just tired of working for whack managers and dramatic small business owners. I took the freelance route as a way to make money from a hobby.

There were A LOT of things I could’ve done differently in the past: I could’ve actually tried to enter corporate America after college; I could’ve went to grad school; I could’ve saved money while I was living with my sister; I could’ve demanded the pay I deserved from my clients–but I didn’t. And while I could keep dwelling on that obnoxious list of things when life gets rough; I just need to accept them and #CarryOn.

“Yesterday is a canceled check.”

When author/actress/HBIC, Faye Adams-Taylor, spoke those words, I wanted to slide out of my chair–but I didn’t want to embarrass Helena. All the things on my list of regrets are already done. There is literally nothing I can do to change the decisions I’ve made. However, I can put time and energy into cleaning up the messes those decisions helped create, and try my hardest to avoid making them in the future. As I mentioned before, engaging on social media was something I enjoyed doing and happened to be good at. It wasn’t this fire burning inside me that had to be put out, and that was definitely starting to show.

I started my path as a freelance social marketer for all the wrong reasons, which caused me to settle and get stuck. Over the last few months, all I could think about was how much I didn’t like the work I was doing. I wasn’t satisfied with the performance of my efforts, and when I tried to do something about it–I failed. In December, I reached out to three of my clients with a proposal to enhance my social media approach. When they basically ignored what I had to say–I didn’t care. I didn’t hunt them down or demanded a response. I was over it. It was hard for me to get pumped up and focused to make changes when they weren’t. So I continued posting and tweeting, just to make sure I got paid– all while complaining and sharing horror stories with my friends. The signs were all there for me to move on, but I stayed because I NEEDED the money.

Fast forward to today, and those clients are gone. Part of me, a very small part of me, is freaking out because this is the worst time for me to not have a reliable source of income, but the rest of me is relieved. Although I didn’t expect for it to happen this way, this is what I wanted.

The universe put me at a stopping point. From here, I move on. I focus on making all the things I daydream about a reality. It’s only been a few days since I’ve officially been “client-free”, but it feels amazing to be the only thing I have to worry about. They say “thoughts become things”, and this is proof. The real fun begins now as I figure out my next move. I really just want to escape to an island: run barefoot in the sand, grow my own fruits and vegetables, work in a local bar or coffee shop and maybe, just maybe, figure it all out.

But before I make my great escape, I’d like to hear from my fellow dream chasers. What words of advice or stories do you have to share? Comment below or tweet ya girl @TheAceAlexa!

acesiggy

7 Replies to “Food for Thought: Chasing Dreams”

  1. Such a good piece. I myself have been going through as similar “stuck” situation. The best advice I’ve gotten in this season is to remember that it’s in your control. Make it or break it 🙂

    1. Thank you Ashley! I try to remind myself of that as much as I can. I think I need more Post-Its and a billboard. 🙂

  2. Congrats on such an open and vulnerable post! I’m semi in the same boat having just moved to a new city and leaving all my security behind. The best advice I’ve gotten since the change has been to remember that once you hit the bottom, you’ll never reach that same bottom again. The only way to go is up in your situation and as long as you utilize the tools you are equipped with you can make things happen. Believe in yourself and be your own biggest cheerleader because you only have one life, make the best of it!

    I wish you all the best! I’ve just started following the site and I’m excited to watch your journey from here!

    1. Thank you for the kind words and for reading, Alicia! I’m new to blogging, but I’m quickly learning that being vulnerable will help me and those who read my posts.

      Good luck in your new city! I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot from each other. 😉

  3. WOW! Great post! Very real and open! I think we all go through that ‘stuck’ stage, you just have to take it one day at a time and trust and believe that all things will work out in your favor. Stay on the course and don’t allow the devil to discourage you! YOU GOT THIS!

    ~Neece

    1. Thank ya Neece!! Inch by inch. 🙂
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  4. […] and subsequent flight to LA with the hashtag #worklife.   As Ace mentioned in her last post (Food for Thought), we attended a lunch and learn with some inspiring speakers. One of my main takeaways: Do not to […]

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