Despite the craziness of this year, there is so much this year brought that for which I am grateful.

In the year of Coronavirus, I became a little more adventurous in many areas – in the area of investing, in my writing, and in general.

INVESTING

I decided to start investing in stocks. This wasn’t a foreign idea. In high school, I had a teacher that taught us to sell and buy stock weekly. But it was for pretend. Still, I learned what to look for when selecting a stock. But I was still a little skeptical. I mean now this is real money and not pretend anymore.

So, I took a free class on Brit + Co, Investing 101, and learned the basics of investing. As a bonus for signing up for the class, I was gifted a free share of stock. How exciting!!!

And when my free stock started to grow (slowly), I decided to buy more. I have grown my investment by 50% since I first began.

WRITING

I got clear on my writing goals. I became a writer who writes, and I put my work out there.

I always blamed my inaction on the fact that I was drained from my day job, so I rarely had time to write or so I said.

When Coronavirus forced us to come home in mid-March and slow down, I gained some extra time. Of course, I no longer had the commute, but I also didn’t have to find outfits for the next day. I don’t have to spend time ironing, packing lunch, getting ready, etc. This little time helped tremendously.

Besides, it isn’t like I can go anywhere or do much outside the home. So, I have extra time to write, research, and take classes. I was published several times this year, I have written a few poems and entered three writing competitions, and I have two books in the works.

GENERAL

I decided to step out and put myself out there this year.

I applied to be a speaker at a conference and spoke on diversity and inclusion. I received a lot of great feedback. Now, I am looking for additional speaking opportunities.

I applied for a scholarship to Brit + Co’s SELFMADE and was selected for the Fall class. Brit Morin, the woman behind Brit+Co, and her co-founder Anjelika Temple, along with top female entrepreneurs and investors are helping me learn how to start my business. YAY!

I feel so blessed to have this opportunity! I would never have imagined that I would ever be able to learn from these amazing women. And I had a one-on-one with Anjelika where we discussed my business idea. She was so helpful and offered great insight and ideas to take it to the next level. (Plus, Brit & Anj are like my BFFs in my head anyway. So this is great!)

I am so thankful for the opportunity to slow down, focus on growing, and doing the things that bring me joy. Thank GOD for allowing me to see another year even though it didn’t look anything like I imagined. Yes, 2020 has a lot of challenges, but it has also presented a lot of opportunities.

What are you thankful for this year?

~ Until Next Time,
Sizable Chic