a website & community for women who write & blog
Whether I like it or not, the holidays are upon us.
My closest friends know I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas. (Yes, I love sweet baby Jesus, but let’s all admit that this holiday has very little to do with Him.)
I can, however, be bribed into participating in your cookie swaps and ugly sweater parties.
If you’re wondering what to get me for Christmas, here’s “My Feminist AF Gift Guide.”
(1) The exquisite shade in the above photo. | (2) The Boss Babe blog.| (3) Being recognized by AL.com as one of 30 Women Who Shape the State. (4) Being written about in The Birmingham Times — which happens to be the first newspaper I ever wrote for at the age of 19. | (5) Going for evening walks with my Beloved. | (6) My See Jane Write Facebook group. It’s lit, as the kids say. | (7) She Reads Truth. | (8) Blue Bell ice cream. | (9) How to Get Away with Murder. It’s back and it’s as crazy as ever. | (10) Daydreaming about all the ways I could grow See Jane Write. | (11) Realizing that I have finally replaced my lack mentality with an attitude of abundance . | (12) Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham. Thank you for helping me raise over $1,000 for this organization which works to help move women and their children beyond poverty. | (13) Cleaning my classroom every Friday. It somehow makes Monday mornings not so rough. | (14) Narcos. I know I’m late to the party and honestly I only hopped on this bandwagon because someone in my Twitter feed compared it to Queen of the South. My feminism colors my choices even when I’m watching TV shows about drug dealers. | (15) Women I once admired me from afar are sending me friend requests on Facebook. | (16) Late night Bible reading. | (17) Hot dates with my Kindle. | (18) Seeing See Jane Write members landing writing gigs again and again and again. | (19) Essie nail polish. | (20) Making money through affiliate links. Passive income, baby! | (21) It finally feels like fall. | (22) Pimento cheese from John’s Diner. | (23) H.E.R. Again I’m late to the party, but I finally took a break from listening to Beyonce and Solange to check out this EP. | (24) Westworld. This show is weird AF, but it’s so interesting. | (25) Skirts with pockets. | (26) Printed pants. | (27) Being a coach for budding boss babes. | (28) Being “Blogalicious.” | (29) Saying out loud that I want to build an empire. | (30) Believing that I can and I will.
What do you love right now?
Reading: I’m always reading about five books at once. One I just recently started is I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi . As you would expect from Awesomely Luvvie, the is laugh-out-loud funny and “a guide to getting some act-right online and in real life.” In the book introduction Luvvie writes, “This book is what Millennial Iyanla Vanzant would give you before you get to the point where you have to sit on her couch for fixing. Luvvie will be speaking at the Blogalicious conference next month in Atlanta which I’ll be attending, with a hard copy of her book and a fresh Sharpie in tow.
Knowing I am a woman who wears many hats, people often ask me what a typical day is like for me. Well, here goes…
I have notebooks on notebooks filled with tips, tricks and strategies that I need to implement to grow my blog, business, and writing career.
Some of the advice on these pages I’ve actually put into practice. Much of it I have not. I tell myself I haven’t done these things because I just don’t have the time. And to be sure, my schedule is quite chaotic. But last month I managed to blog five days a week and keep my business afloat despite family drama, sickness and a heavy workload at the day job. To quote entrepreneur Melanie Duncan, “Successful people don’t have the time to learn and grow; successful people make the time to learn and grow.”
But I recently realized it’s not the lack of time that’s truly holding me back. It’s me!
Last week I looked at that stack of notebooks and asked myself, “What are you waiting for?!” And I realized I’ve been waiting for perfection.
I’ve been putting off a much-needed brand photo shoot because I’d convinced myself I needed to lose 20 pounds first. I’ve been putting off trying to collaborate with my favorite bloggers because I’d convinced myself I needed to revamp my website and Instagram feed first. I’ve been putting off submitting story pitches to my favorite publication because I’d convinced myself I needed to improve my writing skills first. And I’ve been putting off taking See Jane Write beyond Birmingham because I’ve secretly wondered if anyone outside of my hometown would care.
But this is all bull shit.
I recently heard someone say, “You don’t have to get it right; you just have to get it going.” It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress. I say this to the women of See Jane Write all the time. Now I need to take my own advice.
So as I sat down to set my goals for September, I decided to pick five things I’ve been putting off and just go for it. Ashes to ashes, dust to self-doubt. (You’ll catch that on your way home.)
I’m sharing my bold goals in hopes that they’ll inspire you to set a few of your own.