“I’m going to sign-up for a gym membership to lose this weight.”
“I’m going to travel more.”
“I’m going to volunteer more often.”
“I’m going to start that business I’ve always dreamed of starting.”
These are just some examples of the common resolutions most of us come up with when the New Year rolls around.
And things seem to be amplified even more right now because we’re entering a new decade.
Everyone’s so excited, getting planners and such, creating these beautiful vision boards, which is great!
I’ve done and still do all these things; they are great motivators and organizers.
However, the common problem that most of us run into is keeping up the momentum when it isn’t as exciting to work on that business, or those planners seem so overwhelming you just want to throw them against the wall.
It’s easy to start something.
The hard part comes in when you have to finish what you started, whilst overcoming obstacles.
So, as this is the last post from TMP for the year (inserts crying emojis) and we’re all feeling reflective, I figured I’d tell you all a little story about how one unofficial New Year’s resolution came to be for me.
Let’s go back to November 2018, Black Friday to be exact.
I was in Walmart with my mama looking for cheap leftovers that the Christmas crazies didn’t want, and I stumbled across a black notebook.
It had empty pages and velvet covers with the words “Enjoy the little things” embroidered across the front in gold.
I decided to buy it because I had missed writing and wanted to get back into journaling.
Fast-forward about two weeks later, and I wrote for the first time in that journal.
It happened to be a letter cutting someone off, but you can find out more about that in my previous post here:
The important part really begins in February 2019, on that faithful 17th day of that glorious month.
The Melanin Perspective was born.
And let me be clear.
February 17th was not when the website launched, the social media page was created, it wasn’t even when the logo was formed.
February 17th was the day that I wrote some brainstorming ideas down in my beloved black notebook.
The work hadn’t even begun.
I began cultivating the type of content I wanted to push out, which was so much fun!
The dreadful part was working on the logistics of it all.
This includes picking a website platform, creating the website layout, researching search engine optimization, social media formatting, emails, blah, blah, blah.
I can manage the tech basics, but I am not a technologically advanced individual, so this was not fun.
And aside from some assistance with the website layout (s/o to Wayne and Aunt Fe), I was doing it all by myself.
But I was so hungry, and I believed in this brand so much, I was determined to see things through.
It didn’t matter how stressed out I got, or how many obstacles I had to overcome.
Just for kicks and giggles, though, let’s explore some of those obstacles.
I had a professor who has an extremely successful blog, and she promised to help me create my website.
She set up a meeting time for us and all, and then at the last minute, she bailed on me.
“I just want you to focus on your studies”, was what she told me after I asked her why she didn’t show.
Another one comes in before I collaborated with my mentors, when I was trying to create the website layout on my own.
It was so pink and so trash and I am so glad they saved me from that catastrophe.
For my logo, I knew exactly how I envisioned it to look, I just didn’t have the skillset, nor the software to bring my vision to life.
I’d reached out on social media to find someone to collaborate with, and I had family respond, saying they knew someone who’d be able to design my logo for free.
I should’ve known better, but my college coins (or lack thereof) were drawn to this cheap concept.
So, I emailed them my idea, with the exact color palettes, images and all.
Then I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And every time I reached out to our point of contact, there was always an excuse for why I hadn’t even received a draft yet.
But see, the great thing about obstacles is that there’s always a lesson or two attached right along with them.
It was then that I realized that my desire for quality would have a substantial quantitative price tag.
I also realized that creating deadlines is absolutely mandatory for people to take you seriously.
After that humbling learning moment, I reached out to a college peer who whipped up exactly what I wanted, met every deadline, and made it such a fun experience.
After that I created the social media, and it was on and popping then!
We launched on July 27th of this year and have been breaking glass ceilings ever since.
I still have other obstacles, but I have a solid foundation, so I know I’ll be able to bounce back.
And on February 22nd of next year, a little over a year after this brand was first thought of, The Melanin Perspective will be hosting its own vendor table at a Black History Festival.
This is what happens when you keep up the momentum.
Aside from TMP, I also joined a newspaper staff in April, as a Fashion and Business Journalist.
This opportunity fell into my lap and was completely unexpected, but I knew I needed to jump on it.
After only 6 months of writing, I was promoted to Arts and Culture Editor.
Now, I’m entering the new year as a Blogger, Entrepreneur, Journalist, and Editor amongst other titles.
All these titles stem from my previous New Year’s resolution of wanting to write more.
So, while you reflect on your past and gather lists for your future, cancel out all the pessimistic noise that mocks your goals for the New Year.
They may be generic and common, but with the necessary focus and discipline, they will change your life.
Just look at me.
2019 was the year of transformation.
In 2020, we’re manifesting increase on what has been transformed.
I love you guys, and I hope the rest of your holiday season is filled with love, light, and intentional proclamations.
Catch ya later!
Very insightful and inspiring! Destined for greatness!