Month: July 2021

Everyone Is Not Going To Support You and That’s Okay

jcladyluv

It is easy to get your feelings hurt and to feel a sense of betrayal when you are striving to do things that will propel your career and your life to the next level and the people closest to you don’t show any support. It stings even more so when the unsupportive one’s are family because family are the one’s that you would expect to always be in your corner. But the reality is that there’s no family and friends handbooks that says that you absolutely have to support your friends creative and business endeavors. It would be nice but it’s not something they are obligated to do.

It’s interesting how many people I hear say that they get more support for the things they do in their career from strangers or even from associates who are not quite your friends. Why is that? How is it that we can support total strangers but then turn to family and other loved ones and throw our hands up and just do nothing but wish them well.

I get more support from you guys here and from the people in the AuthorTube Community over on YouTube where I have a channel than I do from my own mother, my sister, or anyone else in my family. I’m not saying that I don’t have some close friends that are also in the creative field so they get it and they are extremely supportive but most friends don’t get it. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s not hurtful to know that I don’t even have the support of my mother and my sister and I suppose I should be used to it by now but I am human.

Having said all of that, and having acknowledged the hurts of a creative entrepreneur, I don’t have time to live in that hurt for too long.  Regardless of whether my own family supports me or not I have too many things I’m trying to do and too many people that I hope to inspire to worry about that for too long.

I guess I’m just writing this post for those of you out there who may not be creative or pursuing careers in the creative industry but have family members or friends who are. Check to make sure that you support them. Make sure that you genuinely cheer them on and let them know that you believe in them. It goes a long way to hear words of encouragement and support form people who are actually supposed to be in your corner and have your back.  Don’t discount their work and their passions by not acknowledging them. Their career matters every bit as much as yours.

Until next time… #BeMindful #BeGrateful #BeEncouraged

Jimmetta Carpenter 

Writer/Editor 

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv 

https://twitter.com/write2bemag 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note:  I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Make the Choice to Invest in Your Own Dreams

jcladyluv

I was having a conversation with someone last week about purchasing a graphic design program for my creative endeavors after the free trial that I am currently using runs out. Their response was to ask me why would I do that, it’s too much money to spend monthly and why wouldn’t I just find another program that has a free trial run? I thought about what they said for just one second and then my response to them was “it’s an investment in myself and if I’m not going to make the investment in me than how can I expect anyone else to” 

Now I assure you that this has not always been my way of thinking. I am cheap and when it comes to whether I can get something free verses having to pay for it, I used to be the person that would take the sub par free item over just paying for the product that I really wanted, in which case I usually regretted later.  Now I still like to get things on a budget but with age comes wisdom and thus the understanding that when creating products for people to consume or putting books out that I have to be willing to put my money where my belief is.

If I believe in myself (and I absolutely do) then I have to be the first one to show that I believe in me. Otherwise how can I really expect anyone else to put their belief in me?  The saying you get what you pay for comes to mind because things that are of good quality aren’t free or they surely won’t stay free for long and sometimes going with something that seems practical is not necessarily the better choice. 

I am re-releasing my first novel, under my company (finally) in August and I have two poetry books that will be coming out soon after that as well and there are things that need to be done concerning these releases that will require me to further be willing to invest in myself. I also have products that I’ve created for writers (and bookish people in general) that I have to invest in as well because I want people to like the products that I put out there.

It’s hard, when you’re not overwhelmingly rich, to be able to invest in everything that is needed, at least all at once. I believe in my dreams and I believe in the message that I put out there to the world so it’s not a choice in my eyes. To those that would argue that I’m investing in something that I don’t even know people will want to buy but my counter to that is well if I don’t put the best possible product out there, if I don’t invest what needs to be invested, then it won’t be out there for people to even consider. No one can buy what hasn’t been put out yet. When you are passionate about something and when it’s your dream and you’ve been working towards it for a really long time then isn’t the investment worth it? Take the time to invest in yourself and in the things that you are passionate about. I promise you that it will all be worth it in the end.

Until next time… #BeGrateful #BeMindful #BePersistent 

 

Jimmetta Carpenter 

Writer/Editor 

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv 

https://twitter.com/write2bemag 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note:  I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

When the Journey to the Dream Gets Frustrating Just Keep Praying for Strength

jcladyluv

The way my determination is set up, I can’t quit! That sounds like such an obvious statement right?  I know you’re probably saying of course you’re not going to quit! People don’t just quit on their dreams! Oh but you would be surprised how many people I see give up right before they get everything they wanted. Being an entrepreneur or a self-employed creative individual is extremely hard work and it is not for the faint of heart and there are so many, many days where you are going to want to quit, you just can’t.

I had one of those days last week where I really was just like “I put a lot of work into all of this and I have not begun to see the results I need to see by now and maybe it’s just all for nothing” and that thought process can really alter your level of effort sometimes if you let it. By the end of that day of feeling like that I ultimately decided that I was not going to be the real life version of that cartoon character drawing where you see the little man picking his way underground and he gives up just before breaking through the wall to the other side. Also in the same cartoon drawing there’s a mirror image of the man picking his way and that little man actually makes it through to the other side of the wall. And why is that? That would be because he didn’t give up. I was not going to be the one who got so close and gave up right before the moment I achieved what I wanted. 

As all of you here know I have been at this for a long time and the scope of what I want to do overall with my writing and my brand is vast and I get frustrated sometimes when I see people doing something similar to what I’m trying to do and they make a huge mark for themselves in such a quick time but then I also know that I will look for some of those same names a few years later and nothing and what I’m going for is longevity and longevity takes time. 

I have created products that I’ve been working on creating for the last couple of years now and finally they are out there in the world and I’m not seeing what I want to see yet but I know that it is going to take time. The only question is am I willing to wait and of course the answer to that is yes.

I have a book coming out in August (well it’s actually the re-release of my first novel) and I want it to do well but am I going to get the support I am hoping to get? I don’t know the answer to that. I do know that I have several more books to put out after that and that if I quit on the first one, the others will be most likely doomed before they even get out there. 

I suppose the point of this post is to remind those of you out there with your big dreams and your ambitious drive to be your own boss and to make doing what you love your source of income and your job that it’s going to take time. Time in which you are you going to have to put an extreme amount of effort for what is going to feel like not nearly enough support for what it is you do and what you bring to the table. 

Time in which you are going to be the only one who sees the bigger picture of what it is you’re trying to accomplish. Time in which the dream is not going to make sense to anyone else and you will have the people who say they love and support you telling you to give up, that it’s not worth it in the end. Don’t listen to them! Those are the people without dreams at all or the one’s who stopped short of breaking through and just gave up. I know you are going to get tired and frustrated and even angry, but just don’t quit! You’ll never get there if you do!  You just have to keep praying for strength when the journey to the dream starts to get frustrating.

Until next time… #BeFearless #BePersistent #BeInFaith

Jimmetta Carpenter 

Writer/Editor 

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv 

https://twitter.com/write2bemag 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

 

Side note:  I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

And if any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

We Learn From the Mistakes We Own Up To

jcladyluv

There have been quite a few stories in the news over the past week regarding the issue of accountability. Some people who no longer have to be held accountable for their actions, and some who are being held accountable but the overwhelming public thinks they should not have to face any accountability at all.

Now I am someone who tries to the best of their ability to follow the rules and I’m not perfect so I’m not going to sit here and say that I’ve never broken any rules. However, those times that I have broken the rules I had to deal with the consequences of my actions. It is because of those times, and those consequences that I have become stricter about trying to hold myself to following the rules for any given situation, because I understand that there are consequences that will follow if I don’t.

I think that if we let people off the hook for breaking the rules we only send them the signal that it’s okay to continue breaking any rules they want and then they never learn anything from the experience. We don’t always like the rules set by other people and their organizations but just because we may not like them or agree with them doesn’t make any one person more special than the next who has to follow them.

People make mistakes because they are human and obviously we’re never going to get everything right. The thing about making mistakes is that if we don’t face them, own up to them, and be forced to deal with the consequences from making those mistakes then we don’t learn from them and we don’t grow. Life is about a series of experiences and choices and about learning that our actions, whatever they may be, good or bad, have consequences.

Until next time… #BeAccountable #BePersistent #BeBrave

Jimmetta Carpenter 

Writer/Editor 

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv 

https://twitter.com/write2bemag 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note:  I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

And if any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter