Find a Hobby.

Then find a way to make money doing it.

Hey everyone! I haven’t had a random post like this for a whole, but I just felt compelled to write today. I have always been a hard worker. At times, I overextend myself, but the truth is I love to be busy. Another thing that I love, besides family and friends, is money. I mean, who doesn’t?!

This year, I accomplished a goal of mine. This goal was to pay off my student loans. I get many questions from family and friends about how I did this, and the truth is I’m not quite completely sure. I wouldn’t say I deprived myself vastly or anything that extreme. I was happy the entire 2.5-3 years I was paying my debt.

I have always been a seeker. By that, I mean that if I do not know something, I will seek clarification and knowledge. Perhaps this comes from my willingness to ALWAYS be right  (everyone who knows me personally knows that I like to “know my stuff” before I even open my mouth…lol). Anyway, I was not always very keen with finances. This was something I picked up over time. Yes, there are books that can help you, but as others always say, “The internet is your friend.” I researched countless stories which showed personal accounts of financial responsibility and irresponsibility. Those stories are the ones that can help get your act together. Once you see how finances can affect a person and their families, it can be a real wakeup call. I am a true believer that in order to get better at anything, you must FIRST have that wakeup call and then look for remediation.

Remediation of my finances brought me to research interest rates. I will not lie—this was the most depressing lesson I have ever learned. I dwelled so deep into this subject that I knew how much interest I was paying per day for each student loan I had. I knew how much I was paying down to the cent, and I even had a spreadsheet I created that detailed this out (I know this seems so obsessive, but it worked for me 🙂 ). I remember calling my grandma and telling her that I pay so much just in interest that if I pay off my loans in 10 years, I will end up paying thousands more. I found this ludicrous because I have a savings account which the bank only pays me less than ten dollars in interest a year… -_-. My grandma seemed to already know this, but I refused to accept this reality. That’s when I began to work.

Within the past few years, I have done the following:

• Book writing
• Jewelry making
• Website development
• Freelance Writing
  • Ghost writing
  • Personalized cards
  • Resumes
• Phone App development
• Fitness instructing
• Blogging

Currently, I am contemplating going to school again and taking the necessary coursework to become an esthetician. Last year, I taught myself how to wax, and I wouldn’t mind waxing others and learning about skincare. My friends think I am crazy for wanting to do this, but I truly feel like I would love to do this. But back to the topic…lol.

That list mentioned previously was all my hobbies. I currently work in the information technology field, and while I have my bachelor’s and MBA, I still look for other avenues of happiness. Despite what others may have told me, I always pursued what interested me, and surprisingly, all those avenues have brought me joy, physical health, and a few dollars here and there (which add up).

For example, let me tell you an embarrassing story that only some close friends and family know. In 2007, I decided I wanted to become a singer/songwriter/rapper. I taught myself how to make instrumentals. I bought a microphone, installed FruityLoops (now called FL Studio), and before the year was over, I had my own mixtape. I even created a Myspace music page and promoted myself. That platform allowed me to meet others, and in turn, I was paid for beats, lyrics, and even to perform a feature on a song. I laugh at these memories because as I get older, I realize I was doing THE MOST. However, I enjoyed it. I even enjoyed helping my friends make a track by rapping on it in my later years of college (even though I hope they NEVER play that in public because although it sounded great, I am still shame…lol).

I always say life is too short to be anything but happy! I say this over and over because it is the absolute truth. Never be afraid to be yourself, and always pursue your interest despite the opinions of others. If you do not know something, research it! I love my life! I love my family and friends! I love to see people happy! I truly believe that my love for life is the reason I have been blessed in other areas of my life, including health (thanks to my fitness classes) and finances. The funny thing is so many say that they want to open a business, but the truth is everyone already has. You are your first business! You just have to find a way to make yourself profitable in more than one way. Invest in yourself, and you will see a return on investment in due time. Don’t worry about the money because it will come in due time. 🙂

-Monica Renata