You do. You can. YOU have to be YOUR own cheerleader first. I have heard this so much and for so long, but call me slow on the uptake! At least I get it now.
TLDR? The Purpose of This Post
- Before I write more, PLEASE subscribe to my YouTube Channel, and if you’re on TikTok, PLEASE follow me. Why I’m asking for this action from you is below, “My Voice Part 2: Asking for Support” and “My Voice Part 3: Admitting the Truth”.
- I have a tip jar at paypal.me/tacosandtiaras and feel grateful to you if you feel inclined to drop even $5 in it and understand why I established my jar before/without reading “My Voice Part 3: Admitting the Truth”.
Catching Up to Now
Since my last post about my magic words, I’ve been living another example of how magic words followed by action and wrapped in gratitude will help you shine YOUR authentic light and the rest will come into place.
“…top it off with affirmation and gratitude: I AM WORTHY. I am grateful for all that I have and all that is to come.
I know I keep saying, ‘Luceat lux vestra’ or ‘Let your light shine’, but always remember to SHINE FOR YOURSELF FIRST.”
– from the previous post, Fuck This Shit: My Magic Words
Whether you feel it as a passion, a soul calling, or an almost obsessive pull from your gut for whatever you want to pursue, YOU have to believe in yourself. Only you can do that for yourself and take the actions to get the ball rolling, consistently do the work… But it doesn’t stop there.
Being your own cheerleader means USING YOUR VOICE in more than one way and believing you are worthy to be heard.
My Voice Part 1: Sharing a Message
My calling to share positivity. I’ve had this blog and a Tacos and Tiaras Instagram account for a year, and at first I felt uncomfortable with sharing beyond Facebook friends who I know and who know me. I opened myself up to strangers, people who don’t know me, people who may not get when I’m being sarcastic, people who are “gonna hate” because they haven’t left their own comfort zone… And I have to remind myself to put my ego aside and focus on how my calling isn’t “mine” but rather it feels like fulfilling my role or taking my place where something Divine needs each of us to step up for the greatest good.
Since last month, I’ve stepped even FURTHER out of my comfort zone. I’ve started using platforms that still kind of scare me – YouTube and TikTok. (I know, I KNOW… but if you’re still a TikTok hater, you may not have discovered the content that you prefer to see and how their algorithms from your activities actually do lead you to more of what you want. It truly is not all dance challenges… and I’ll have to do a separate post about TikTok.) On TikTok I found another group of positive-minded leaders whose messages inspire me not only through their content but through their courage to put themselves out there! Shoutouts are coming in my TikTok blog post because if you’re reading this post, you should be following them on social media. 🙂
Why YouTube and TikTok? They’re visual platforms. Another way of reaching an audience. Another way people prefer to receive their information. If I learned anything from my last role in Corporate America, which was in behavior management, we produced content that reached our audience (employees) so it catered to their best or most comfortable way of learning.
I’ve even found that writing blog posts isn’t as natural and comfortable as I expected, and a year ago, I opened myself to allowing myself to explore my place in the world for helping people to heal, to shine their light, to overall feel better and bring their best self to others.
My Voice Part 2: Asking for Support
Yesterday I did another scary thing, and I kind of have to laugh about it because it WASN’T YouTube or TikTok that scared me. IT WAS FACEBOOK!
I felt so vulnerable asking my friends to subscribe to my YouTube Channel or follow me on TikTok even with as much support as they show by liking and commenting on the content I create then share within Facebook. Why did it scare me? Because it puts it out there that I FEEL WORTHY of being seen, heard, and paid for what I create. Both platforms have programs for creators that require subscribers or followers, and I asked my family and friends for the simplest way of supporting my business and helping it grow – subscribing or following because IT COSTS NOTHING.
I’ve supported friends’ businesses by buying from them when I’m able to, or hosting parties, such as Pampered Chef and other home-based businesses. However it costs nothing for me to also support them through references, sharing their posts/pages, and liking/following their content when I see it, or whatever action helps them build their business.
It has been very easy for me to be everyone else’s cheerleader, but no one knew I needed one too because I wasn’t using my voice.
Besides having a personal profile for staying in touch with family and friends, I have a business page for Tacos and Tiaras. Recently I’ve been posting more than just the links when I publish a new blog post. I’ve started sharing posts from other pages where the content is a message I support and hope will lead others to feeling their best.
The Tacos and Tiaras Tribe is a private group I created along with the business page. I elected to make it a private group so members would at least acknowledge the rules, the first two being KINDNESS and RESPECT. The third rule is a no-no list of behaviors and content because I wanted to create a “safe space” away from the not-so-pretty parts of reality. Just for a little break, a breather to regain strength to handle reality. The group’s “About” reads: “Lifting each other through laughter and light. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE because we shine brighter together. Please make this your place to go when you feel your newsfeed is bringing you down.”
I enjoy seeing members posting in the group and how they help each other laugh. What I love the most is seeing how members share the content beyond the group and repost it on their own pages. THIS IS HOW LIGHT SPREADS! And the group has grown beyond just my family and friends; hence I refer to Tacos and Tiaras Tribe Members. I feel happy seeing my friends and their friends (and now even some members who aren’t friends of friends) enjoying moments of laughter. Some of the members don’t even know each other! The world needs more of these moments.
Believe me, I’m under no delusion that my singing and ukulele skills are professional-musician caliber, but they’ve become a vehicle for sharing my light and giving others something to smile or laugh about or even inspiring others to get back to their own interests and passions in music.
The other great thing to come from overcoming fear is I found an amazing ukulele community. That will also be another post before this one gets any longer LOL
My Voice Part 3: Admitting The Truth
I’m going to say the same thing I have on my YouTube Channel, if my content whether it’s been videos or these blog posts or any other creations I’ve shared, I appreciate your kindness in leaving me a tip in paypal.me/tacosandtiaras. I know that not everyone understands the time and energy that goes into being a creator, but to those who do, thank you.
I often say that the things we spend are energy, money, and time; and in a lot of cases, we use one to “pay for” the other two from someone else. Easiest example is “throwing money at it”, such as the times I have paid money to my neighbor’s lawn care business because I didn’t have enough time and energy to take care of my own yard.
When I left Corporate America, I was pretty good on my reserve of energy, money, and time. The first couple of months, I was able to focus on my business plan at the time, which was this blog.
Then Chief Daddy was hospitalized for five weeks, and I experienced the difficulty of the juggling act of the life-work balance. I missed the opportunity to work a part-time seasonal help job, BUT I WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE TIMING of my decision to leave a traditional job because I could be there for my dad.
Then 2020 arrived. I’ll not say more. You know.
If you’re thinking, why not get a real job? My Jan Brady brother and I are in agreement about working remotely in order to be able to minimize our chance of exposure to and contracting of coronavirus. I’m only half kidding when I say that I am being cautious because I don’t want to be the asshole who passes the virus to an 83-year-old Vietnam Veteran who made it through his first year as a widower.
I have other avenues of income after decluttering/purging: I sell some clothes in my Poshmark Closet and other things on eBay. I even answered the call to get out of my comfort zone and offer oracle readings that follow the lunar cycle. But it helped me grow as a person and as a healer/lightworker. The feedback about the positive impact on someone’s life because I allowed myself to be of service helped me find another way to shine my light.
I’ve reflected on the times I felt like I was shining at my last job. It wasn’t so much the writing skills as it was my people skills and being a light. Humor as a tension breaker. Looking on the bright side of situations. Being a cheerleader for others.
And here I am now, writing this post to be my own damn cheerleader.
Using my voice. Saying what I want to say. Letting my words fall out.
Luceat lux vestra.
Sorry, but do you really expect people to donate money to you because you post mediocre videos on youtube, instead of getting a real job like the rest of the world? You’re living in a fantasy land, which seems to have been triggered by the loss of your mother. Sorry for your loss, but you’re not the 1st person to lose a parent. I recommend you seek professional help to get your life back on track – all these new “projects of yours aren’t going to support you financially, they’re nothing more than quirky hobbies.
Thanks for sharing your time by leaving a comment! The answer is within the post. I often forget my blog has the potential to reach beyond people who know me personally, so I may have not written things that are “understood” regarding my business plan because they’ve already been discussed with my supportive family and friends whose input matters to me.
You already know (you damn sure better know) what it is about you, your blogs, your words, your music, your visions, your eccentricities, your intellect, your lack of intellect, basically all that is “you”, but for anyone else who may be reading this, here it is.
Leenie is genuinely entertaining. She is entertainly genuine. The key word here is “genuine”.
If she writes a blog, read it. Then go back later and read it again. Then leave feedback, even if it is a simple “like” click.
If she sings, listen. If she laughs, laugh with her. Then tell her you laughed.
If she enters a horse in the Kentucky Derby, bet on it. Because …
She is a winner in my book.