Op-Ed: Take A Leap Of Faith

Op-Ed: Take A Leap Of Faith

Happy Monday #cocoabuttercrewe! At the end of June, I made what seemed like a spontaneous decision to some but for me it was a long time coming. A week from last Thursday (not the 4th of July but the Thursday before that) I resigned from TRR. Yup, I quit my full-time job. Did I have another job lined up? Yes! I finally decided to take the leap of faith and blog full-time. God has been giving me signs that I should be doing this for a living since the beginning of the year. I left Saks in mid-December and took the rest of the year off to enjoy the holidays but my first inclination after January 1st was to start looking for another job. But here’s the thing: I ALREADY HAD A JOB. 

Also, I needed to be honest with myself. I would joke and self-deprecate about blogging full- time. I’d say things like, “If I told people I was a full-time blogger as my job, they’d never take me seriously.” But I’m not just a businessman. I’m a business, man. I built this successful brand/business from nothing while working full-time for the past 4 years. And whoever says blogging isn’t a full-time job should try it sometime. It’s A LOT of work.

In addition, creating content is what I love doing most. I love styling more than anything in this world and it truly is my passion. With a 2 hour commute each way and a very demanding job at TRR I was so burnt out at the end of my work week that the last thing I wanted to do was shoot for the blog or film a YouTube video. I WAS EXHAUSTED! I would spend one of my off days running all the errands that I didn’t have time for during my work week and would tell myself that I’d do all of the blog things (blog shoots, filming videos for YouTube, etc.) on the other off day. But I would be so tired that I’d sleep all day instead of getting stuff done. And I was dying inside from not being able to create. Like I told my coworkers when I left TRR, I was trying to keep both my wife and my mistress happy but eventually something had to give. The love of my life, my creative side, won. And now, I can give her the attention she so richly deserves.

Do I miss the steady paycheck? Sure. But I’ll be alright. God is blessing my finances and I want for nothing. I have everything I need. And I’m loving the flexibility in my schedule. I push myself to get up and at it every morning by working out first thing and that really sets the tone for my day. Because if I don’t get out of the house, I’m useless as far as work. In fact, I’ve gotten more done in the past week for CCB Diaries than I did in past three months! I’ve had opportunities to work with brands and attend events but I always had to turn them down because of my work schedule. And I was frustrated because as an influencer (I don’t use that term lightly either because I am one) I needed those opportunities in order to grow and put my name out there more. Now, I can say yes because I’m my own boss!

So to all of you who have a side hustle that you love, do whatever it takes to turn your passion into your career. Take a leap of faith. Because God wouldn’t give you the dream if He knew you couldn’t make it into a reality. I’m living proof of that.

xoxo, CCB