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Dear person who is currently in the middle of survival mode,

It’s me Candice Marie, I’ve been where you are and felt it wouldn’t be right in my soul if I didn’t share my story with you. I decided to write this in a letter form because 3 ways to survive survival mode didn’t seem like a good fit. Nope not for this post. Being an entrepreneur, has it’s highs and it’s lows. It is literally like a roller coaster ride. I remember an old mentor at my last job telling me that bad things don’t happen to you, they happen for you. I went from losing my job where I was making $2,100 a month to working for myself and making just about $5,000 a month in December which came tumbling down when I lost one of my biggest freelance clients. As the months rolled by I would open up my Quickbooks and watched my monthly income dwindle down to barely making $400 and having to pull from my savings just to live. Which is why an emergency fund is so clutch, also using automatic tools like Rize that helps you automatically save money. Thank God I paid off all my debt because that would just be an extra bill I would have to pay each month. I’ll be teaching a free debt workshop next Wednesday on July 18 in my Young Yet Wise Community Facebook group make sure to join the group here so you don’t miss the class! Okay back to the story. In the beginning of May I had been invited to an event called Statement which is a women’s mastermind retreat this year it was held in the mountains of upstate New York. On my bus ride to New York I had to ask myself some hard questions. What were my biggest fears?  I asked myself what my biggest fears were because I realized that I was attracting into my life exactly what I had feared: Running out of money and not being successful as an entrepreneur. Related post:Here’s how to change your negative mindset around money. I’ll be honest I didn’t feel qualified to be invited to the mastermind retreat. I was surrounded by successful women who some were already financially free, some who were making 6 figures a month how in the world did I even recieve an invite while I was trying to figure out how I would make enough money to not have to pull from my savings next month?! Each day at the retreat one person would sit at the front of the room where we had filled out a piece of paper days before stating what was working in our business?, what were our struggles? And where we would like to see our business 5 years from now? I was dreading sitting in the hot seat because I knew I would probably break down.  

“Yesterday I felt like I hit rock bottom, but today there’s rock bottom, 50 feet of crap, and then me” -Rachel From Friends

via GIPHY I could barely get those words out before I burst into tears. Although I had design skills that could be used to make money I wasn’t really putting it to use because I wanted to just be making a living from my passion. That’s what we’ve been taught isn’t it. Start your own business, do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. (issa a lie beloved) But what about my bills? Someone once asked me do I think that my money advice would work for someone who lived in the projects? “Of course” I thought “Yes it would we all need goals and a spending plan no matter how much money we’re making.” But now I realize it’s super hard to think of money goals when your bills are late, you’re trying to find money to even get on the train and when your once necessities have now become luxuries. Coffee creamer, nope forget about it I will have to drink black coffee today and pretend to enjoy it. That’s why I’m all about apps that help you save money by giving you cash back especially when it comes to groceries and shopping. Ibotta is my go to for groceries and Ebates is my go to for getting cash back on my online purchases. Listen every little bit of money saved counts! You know there’s a saying that says when you’re all the way at the bottom the only place you can go is up and I believe that to be true. At the retreat things really turned around for me. I realized that In order for me to show up to be my best self I would have to use my design and marketing skills to make money because it’s really hard to work on your passion projects when you don’t know how you’re going to pay your cell phone bill. It’s hard to be creative when you’re worried. It’s hard to manifest your dreams when you have to check your bank account after even the simplest of purchases. And it’s hard to read financial blog posts about becoming a millionaire when you don’t know how you’re even going to make it through the month.

My first point to you is if you are in survival mode taking on a job or work that isn’t your passion isn’t selling out.

It’s actually helping you be able to show up and be your creative self by not having to worry about money. When you don’t have to worry about money you can think freely. Ideas can show up, and motivation can breathe through your pores. You become a better person to be around when you’re not worried about money. In your friendships, and in your relationships.

My second tip to you is to show up and ask for help even if you don’t feel like you belong in the room.

I’m full of famous sayings today so here is another one.  “If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room” If I didn’t go to the statement event I wouldn’t have been connected with so many amazing successful talented women who some have become clients of mine and have referred me to wonderful freelance design opportunities that I couldn’t turn down. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. Sometimes you have to cry out, put your pride to the side and be real. Deep down inside you know what you need to do, but by hearing it from others that’s when it really sinks in. via GIPHY Getting a job is not selling out. Getting a job is not selling out. Getting a job is not selling out. Remember this please. You can learn so much on your job and still have time to work on your passion projects.

Lastly you have to change your mindset and believe that you won’t be in survival mode forever.

I’ll be talking about mindset more in my  free debt workshop next Wednesday on July 18 in my Young Yet Wise Community Facebook group make sure to join the group here so you don’t miss the class! The reason I titled this post a letter to those in the middle of survival mode is because I believe that it will come to an end. (Praise God, if mine came to end so will yours!) You will no longer live in survival mode you will thrive. Doors will open, opportunities will show up, people will recommend you and you’ll be able to save money, invest, and more importantly buy coffee creamer again. God is always working. Sometimes we have to go through things and we don’t know why, but I truly believe that God always has a plan and you too need to believe this too. When things look rough keep envisioning the life you want, keep believing that good things are coming, because you will attract what you fear so fear not. Keep putting in the work do not lose hope or faith!

Do what you have to do, until you can do what you want to do. – Oprah Winfrey

Candice Marie, Currently in thriving mode Photo credit: Cortney White]]>