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Every Day I'm Hustlin'

Happy New Year, friends!! I took a little holiday hiatus from posting, but I'm so excited to be back at it with more tips to help you get your finances under control in 2018!

All of my previous posts have focused mostly on saving and cutting back, but for this post I would like to switch gears and talk about creating more income/opportunity. I like to start with saving/cutting back because it's something that we have direct control over and can be done immediately. Also, as I have mentioned before, your habits and mindset need to be in the right place so that you will be able to properly manage and actually realize any additional income. 

So notice a little earlier that I said I wanted to talk about creating more income. I don't just mean getting a different job with better pay. If you land that opportunity and it will truly be better for you in every aspect, go for it! We should always be trying to increase our income and decrease our outgo (expenses), as Dave Ramsey says. However, creating something just means using your noggin. 

I just finished reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Amazing book. Read it. Yesterday. Also visit his website www.richdad.com for more info/insight. This book reminded me of the simple yet profound fact that our mind is our greatest asset. That may sound obvious and cliche, but maybe it's just the reminder that somebody out there needs to jump start this new year. 

Think. Create. What do you love to do? Find somebody willing to pay you for it. Are you good at something? Learn how to market and sell it. Are you an artist? Do you make cool stuff? Sell it. Have a product idea? Create, market, sell. Identified a problem? Invent the solution. Do you have a service or product that someone else needs/wants and vice versa? Trade it. 

Years ago, when I was in college, I desperately wanted to take voice lessons but I couldn't monetarily afford it. The teacher I really wanted agreed to teach me if I cleaned her bathroom in return. Be enterprising. Think outside the box. Another simply profound fact that Mr. Kiyosaki pointed out in his book is that poor people say, "I can't afford it," but rich people ask themselves, "How can I afford it?" The first example shuts off your brain while the latter forces you to think. 

Also, be a hustler. I know that word can have negative connotations, so I googled the definition, and this is what it said: "1. hus-tler, n. - an aggressively enterprising person determined to succeed; a go-getter." 

Man that makes me wanna shout Hallelujah! Amen! That's good stuff right there! Be a hustler, y'all! Listen, as long as it doesn't compromise my morals, there is nothing I won't do for money. I do house-sitting, pet-sitting and babysitting on the side quite frequently. Not only is it easy cash, but these are things I love to do! If you make it known that you're willing to do it, somebody somewhere will pay you to do it. 

I wasn't necessarily born this way, but my journey and determination to become debt free turned me into a hustler. The side hustle and/or entrepreneurship is where it's at. After you become debt free, create more income and save up a bit, learn how to generate passive income by investing in assets. That's really, really where it's at! Having only one source of income just won't cut it anymore.  

So remember, your mind is your greatest asset. Read. Learn. Create. Hustle. Educate yourself about marketing, selling and investing. I am committing to the journey in 2018. Let's commit together - make this your year to master financial literacy! 

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