Editorial: Take the time and energy to invest in yourself first
Investing in yourself can make your life better every day. I say this because we invest so much in others that we do not invest in things to make ourselves better first. For example, eight years ago, as a media person coming out of college, I knew I needed certain equipment to be successful. I had to invest in a camera, computer software, and other things to make myself successful. I did this because I have always wanted to not only have a career in print journalism, but I wanted to do multimedia as well as expand on what I wanted to accomplish. I am still working on my brand, and things are not perfect. However, it takes time to build any type of brand. It takes discipline, money, and most of all, patience.
Investing in yourself is a financial and mental commitment. Any task that we try to accomplish in life will require mental training. Whether if you are a freelance photographer, writer, salesperson, cook, or whatever career is your passion that you’re trying to build, you have to make the choices and commit to them.
The passion that you have has to be supported by an income. Passion does not pay bills. You must hustle harder than the next person. Forty hours is for people who are content and if you are only putting in 40 hours, I can guarantee that you are not as successful as you want to be. The “nine to five” cliché is not what folks like me are used to. We are seven days a week, so we can support our vision of one day breaking through to the viral scene.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but people like me have realities that we need to accomplish. Dreams are for those who are asleep. Stop sleeping and get into the game, because the next individual is working just as hard as you to accomplish the goal you are trying to reach in life.
Achieving success via social media or promoting your local business is not easy whatsoever. It will take hard work and sacrifice. Keep striving and do what you need to do to become a successful individual. Invest in yourself and most importantly, believe that what you are doing is worth the time and effort.