2014 wasn't a bad year. It was actually a great year. As it comes to a close, I am looking forward to 2015. I'm going to share a few of my lightbulb moments from 2014.
Getting better with money is hard.
At the beginning of 2014 I was just getting over the learning curve of banking. I saw how people misused it, the way people abused over-drafting, thinking it was extra money, and how everyone relies on banks. I realized that if you were interested in growing your personal wealth, you had to make an investment in yourself. I signed up for a holiday club account with the bank and started making small deposits.
Investing in Me.
I'm not talking about a 401k, or Roth IRA, remember, paycheck to paycheck here. Even though I had a degree and thought that it meant something - the bank wasn't paying me enough to cover all my bills. I had to work a side job to make ends meet. This was anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week (exhausting) on top of the full-time job at the bank. I thought, "There has to be something better, something more than just working to pay the bills". After being there for about six months I found an opening for a graphic design opportunity. I applied and managed to get through two interviews, one of which had a test on InDesign.
I didn't end up getting the job. And I am happy I didn't. I didn't want to stay in banking for the next five years. The plan for me was to work two years and go back to school. I guess I failed miserably on the test. I sent a follow-up email to the person who interviewed me to get feedback on how to improve, and I got NO ANSWER! That interview made me realize that I can make it as a designer, I just needed more confidence in myself. It also made me think more about the interviewing process. Even if the person in charge of hiring felt that I wasn't the right fit for the team, it would have been nice to get a response back. Not receiving a reply was extremely frustrating to me. Within the next six months (March through August), I started to look for other design jobs, and I came across
.
I decided to make an
investment
into the seanwes community. It's hard to fully summarize what happens in the community. I've talked with some really awesome people who are helping me shape my future. Through listening to the podcast that Sean McCabe and his dear co-host
create, I have gained so much insight on the way I was living, and it’s changed my way of thinking, and has helped me make positive changes in my life.
Changing my mindset.
My first task was to find a job that pays all my bills. so I could use my free time to work on something I am interested in. Rather than keep the second job that I have, I decided to work on my design projects and practice my lettering. While I have many interests, I decided to choose one thing that I know I am good at, and focus on it. While I'd like to have my design studio and teach, I am going to focus on lettering. I’ve realized that you never know what will connect you to your next adventure. Through seanwes, I've gain a new community of designers and internet friends that I can reach out to and connect with.
Intentions for 2015.
My intentions are to
DO
more,
MAKE
more and
CONNECT
more with great people.
Here at
you can follow me while explore this passion project of mine (lettering). While my studio isn't fully developed you can follow me on my
. You can expect an update on my lettering once a week, Every Sunday, I will recap what I was able to work on, the time it took to complete, the tools I've used and the overall process. I am still learning, and there is much to learn. I expect to get over these hurdles and to make great leaps within the next year. I intend to use this blog to continue to chronicle my growth and share my experience with you.
The Take Away:
Your job does not define you. While most people ask, "what do you do?”, I believe that what I do does not define who I am. What I do helps me pay my bills (at the moment). Who I am is far greater than that.
Learn to Dream
bigger
, find people who will support and encourage your dreams
. I am still in the process of fully defining what my dream is, but I've made many changes in 3 months and it's had a great impact. I'm looking forward to 2015. Care to follow
?