Greetings from, most likely, the dentist chair if you are reading this right now. Yes, I have a few glorious hours of getting some cosmetic work done – there should be a “not a guarantee” when you spend years with braces & months with Invisalign. No, this is not me being vain. It is really more what I see vs. what anyone else see’s but it’s about protecting my investment and not letting things “shift” anymore. Okay, that may sound vain but that is NOT how I view it, ha! Getting old sucks. You know what else sucks? This whole “being worried about money 24/7.” Although, I am talking “motivation” here, so maybe I need to rephrase this “you know what else sucks” precursor.

I am the last person who should be giving financial advice or even talking about money…but it is real and it has been a struggle for a while. Since I started in the working world, I have, pretty much, always worked for myself and/or worked off commission. I had a brief 1 year period where I was working with a base salary, plus commission, and that deal ended up going south. Ugh. You never mess with people’s money. It’s just bad business, and one thing that I am ALWAYS conscious and aware of when discussing with my business partner about payment(s) to our independent contractors, and even ourselves (when it is applicable).

There are many advantages of owning your own business – job security, the power to make as much or as a little money as you want, be your own boss, etc. There are many cons to owning your own business as well. Right now, as one of the “bosses,” it is a lot of money going in, and a lot of money going out to pay for expenses. I feel like the whole concept of you need to spend money, in order to make money, has gone on WAY TOO LONG in both my professional, and personal, life.

I can never get ahead. Business cannot get ahead. Let me just say, business is good. Where I am coming from is a place of “how can it get even better and REALLY ahead?” Is this too much to ask? Too unrealistic?

I get the discussion a lot – “well, if you don’t spend more than you make, you would not be in the situation you are in right now.” I completely understand this statement – trust me – but I am, also, 34 and looking to have some kind of reassurance. Side Note: I feel like those who are pontificating this to me are the ones who are bringing in boo-coo/beaucoup bucks and money is NOT an issue, although I get the more you make the more you may likely spend. It is about a healthy balance, and something I will get to momentarily!

I want to live my life. I have hustled and struggled for the last 10+ years to make it. I have endured highs and lows, marriage and divorce, and all of the minutia with owning your own business.

Here is my question, and what I am thinking about a lot lately. If I stopped my spending, completely (well, necessary items would still be purchased), what would that mean for my business/brand? Would things go stale? Would I not be on the up and up with the latest and greatest? Would I stop having people follow me because “ugh, she is boring now.”

Or, would this mentality, actually, change. “Wow, Janine is focusing on financial freedom, all while re-purposing those $265 L’Agence Jeans she talks about.”

“I love that Janine is showing how you can style old, with new, and still look hip and trendy.”

“This is, exactly, the authenticity we want to see from Janine. She hustles, she knows the debt is real, and is doing what she can right now to lay her head down at night and NOT WORRY.”

Money can be one of the most stressful things ever, yet, on the flip side, it can bring financial freedom. It’s about finding that balance of being comfortable and HAPPY. Money does not buy happiness, in the least, so what is that gray area that allows you to live your best life, and save for the future? And that is a whole different topic in regards to the pending Presidential election. This is where I will stop my political discussion, LOL.

My platform is showcasing items that, as I like to put are “champagne taste on a beer budget.” And I like it. If I was not passionate about an item or product, why would I share it? I know this does not necessarily line up with what people are looking for in an influencer, and that is okay. This is, why, I feel like pivoting my platform to still showcase all the things I love, and that are “Fit4Janine,” but doing so with a different goal in mind. Yes, I still want to make my mark in the industry, and I am, slowly, getting my name out there, but now, let’s focus on “canceling the debt.” That phrase can mean more than one thing too!

A lot to think about but my motivation today is really coming from a place of working smarter, not harder, and this means giving the credit card a breather too. If people don’t like what they are seeing, because I am shifting gears a bit, well, that’s okay. They really did not want to come along for the ride to begin with.

This feels good. This feels like I can breath a little bit more. And I will, continue, to have the conversation with myself!

Cheers to a great week, and a last Monday in October too! Hope it is a great one!

xoxo