Ep. 269 Life After Graduation 10 Tips for Recent College Graduates

[00:00:00] is dedicated to helping women who want to analyze, apply and amplify their God-given gifts.

[00:00:21] We accomplish this by discussing topics such as business, self-improvement, health and beauty

[00:00:27] and my random thoughts about life from a Christian perspective.

[00:00:30] I'm your host, Latasha Johnson.

[00:00:34] Are you tired of feeling less than enough just because you're single?

[00:00:38] Then you'll love my new book.

[00:00:40] How to live an extraordinary life with or without Mr. Right, a Christian Woman's Guide on how

[00:00:45] to survive and thrive on Single Avenue.

[00:00:49] It's time to acknowledge, address and dismantle the harmful limited mindset many single Christian

[00:00:55] women have internalized.

[00:00:57] Take the first step to discover and embrace the plans God has in store for you.

[00:01:02] If you want to be notified when the book is released, please check out the Hustle in

[00:01:06] Faith website.

[00:01:07] I cannot wait to share this with all my single ladies.

[00:01:10] You have everything you need to live an extraordinary life with or without Mr. Right.

[00:01:23] Struggling after graduation?

[00:01:25] I've got 10 game-changing tips that will set you up for success.

[00:01:31] One of the main reasons why I decided to do this video is because as I was doing

[00:01:35] some spring cleaning, I came across some photos and it has been 20 years since

[00:01:42] I've graduated from college.

[00:01:44] Let me tell you, looking at those photos brought back so many memories and I just sat

[00:01:50] back thinking how quickly time goes by because it still feels like yesterday when I walked

[00:01:57] across that stage but obviously that's not the case.

[00:02:01] There were so many emotions that I had at that time and now here I am 20 years later.

[00:02:09] Hindsight is 2020.

[00:02:10] Right?

[00:02:11] I wanted to share some of the things that I've learned so you don't have to learn through

[00:02:15] the school apart knocks.

[00:02:17] That's what I want to do.

[00:02:19] Even though so much has changed since I've graduated, what has not changed is that

[00:02:24] life after graduation can feel like a whirlwind of uncertainty and challenges from landing

[00:02:32] a job to managing your finances.

[00:02:35] The post-graduation period can be overwhelming.

[00:02:38] Right?

[00:02:39] No worries.

[00:02:40] I got you.

[00:02:42] Again in this video, I'm going to be sharing 10 essential tips to help you navigate this

[00:02:47] chapter with confidence and clarity.

[00:02:50] So first I want to address the fact that there are so many challenges that today's

[00:02:54] college graduates face.

[00:02:56] The transition from student life to the professional world can be extremely daunting.

[00:03:02] The pressure to find a job, pay off your student loans and establish yourself can

[00:03:06] feel like a very heavy burden.

[00:03:10] Challenges and taking proactive steps to tackle them head on is crucial.

[00:03:16] Alright let's dive into the 10 essential tips to set you up for success after graduation.

[00:03:23] The first one, and you know, teach it's own but this one should be first.

[00:03:30] You have got to put God first.

[00:03:31] I don't care what you do.

[00:03:34] If you don't put him first, it is not going to work out.

[00:03:37] Take it from someone who has learned from the school of heart knocks.

[00:03:41] I cannot get over the fact of how many situations I could have avoided had I just put God first

[00:03:49] and allowed him to guide me to the paths that he wanted to lead me to.

[00:03:54] You know, I kept thinking that I knew what was best for me.

[00:03:57] I just thought that he was just going to bless whatever it was that I wanted to

[00:04:00] do and you know, I refer to it as a bless my mess, right?

[00:04:07] You just want him to bless whatever it is that you want him, that you want to do and

[00:04:11] just assume that it's you two are aligned.

[00:04:14] And there were so many times where clearly that was not the case.

[00:04:18] And I had to go through a lot of different detours to get to where I am now.

[00:04:22] And so many of those detours were not necessary.

[00:04:27] They weren't necessary.

[00:04:28] So if you're looking for a shortcut, go to God in prayer and ask him for guidance

[00:04:33] as to where it is that he wants to lead you.

[00:04:36] We all have a book.

[00:04:37] I'm really big on this song 139 16.

[00:04:41] God has created a book for all of us of all the different plans that he has in store

[00:04:46] for us, but so many of us never get a chance to actually see what's in that

[00:04:50] book because we're too busy thinking that we know what's best for ourselves.

[00:04:54] And we don't go to him for guidance to figure out where it is,

[00:04:58] where our destiny actually lies.

[00:05:00] We try to create it ourselves, right?

[00:05:02] So that would be the first piece of advice.

[00:05:06] Number two, do not believe that your degree is magical.

[00:05:10] OK, I hate to say this and I get it.

[00:05:13] You are so proud of that sheet of paper.

[00:05:15] I was too.

[00:05:16] I thought that that paper was going to open all the doors that,

[00:05:22] you know, all the doors were just going to be open magically for me

[00:05:26] because I have that little sheet of paper.

[00:05:28] OK, it did not take me very long to figure out that was not the case.

[00:05:33] Right.

[00:05:34] And you may be in that situation yourself right now trying to figure out

[00:05:37] what in the world is going on.

[00:05:39] I've got the knowledge.

[00:05:40] I've got I've got the piece of paper that everyone seems to want me to have.

[00:05:46] Sadly, that that piece of paper is not magical.

[00:05:48] OK, once you get into the real world, you're going to realize that

[00:05:53] it's you're the one that's going to have to really figure out

[00:05:59] how to make that piece of paper work for you, not the other way around.

[00:06:03] And unfortunately, it's kind of who you know and not what you know

[00:06:06] in the corporate world.

[00:06:07] So your network is really going to

[00:06:13] help you be in a position to get some of those opportunities.

[00:06:16] But again, if you know God, that's your shortcut.

[00:06:19] OK, so you don't have to go around sucking up the people.

[00:06:22] I am not that type of person, never have been, never will be.

[00:06:26] But if you are trying to figure out what is going on,

[00:06:30] why am I not getting here there?

[00:06:34] It's probably because you're relying on that sheet of paper way too much.

[00:06:38] Right. So what are some things that you can do

[00:06:41] to make sure that that paper works for you and not vice versa?

[00:06:45] Are you, you know, going out there taking freelance assignments

[00:06:49] until you get your first direct hire job, which is exactly what I did.

[00:06:52] I actually worked full time and went to college full time at night.

[00:06:56] So I was working while I was in school, getting that education

[00:07:00] until I was able to get a direct hire job.

[00:07:03] So that's some that's some ways that you could, you know,

[00:07:06] make sure that you're able to make ends meet until you get your first job.

[00:07:10] And now that you guys have the Internet, I mean, I didn't have this as an option.

[00:07:13] So I would be out there doing a lot of stuff online.

[00:07:19] And we're going to get into some of that later in this list.

[00:07:22] Number three, stay single until you discover who you are first.

[00:07:30] I know this one's going to be a little controversial

[00:07:33] because it is ingrained in us from the very once we graduate from high school

[00:07:40] and we get into college, people start talking, oh, you know,

[00:07:43] are you getting married? Have you met the right one?

[00:07:47] It's almost like between 20 and 30.

[00:07:52] It's like, let me hurry up and find Mr.

[00:07:55] Right. And it's just like, OK, but you don't even know who you are first.

[00:08:00] I cannot stress that enough.

[00:08:02] And a lot of people may think that that's lousy advice.

[00:08:07] But I think a lot of those folks that say that are also the very same folks

[00:08:13] who I am not trying to throw any shade in any way, shape or form.

[00:08:16] But these are the same folks who end up 20 years later.

[00:08:20] Either they are they are a married single,

[00:08:22] meaning that they're married in name only, but they operate as two separate,

[00:08:26] you know, each person is doing their own thing or they are divorced

[00:08:33] and kind of bitter.

[00:08:36] And all of this could have been avoided.

[00:08:40] Have they just taken the time to figure out who they were first

[00:08:44] before they decided to go bring someone else into the equation?

[00:08:48] A lot of us, especially during that time period and myself included.

[00:08:52] OK, I'm not saying something that I'm not that I didn't do.

[00:08:57] Myself included in this.

[00:08:59] There were so many things going on between 20 and 30 that it was just

[00:09:04] I just I'm so glad that I was single, especially during that time period.

[00:09:09] Now, I'm not going to lie.

[00:09:11] I wanted so badly to find Mr.

[00:09:13] Right, get married and have the kids.

[00:09:16] And then I realized very quickly, I did not want the kids part.

[00:09:19] No shade, but realize that pretty quick.

[00:09:21] But the marriage part I was still open to.

[00:09:24] But I didn't realize there were so many things that God wanted to show me

[00:09:28] first before any of that happened.

[00:09:32] OK, and in the event, inquiring minds want to know

[00:09:36] I am still single, but it is by choice.

[00:09:42] OK, I'm single by choice.

[00:09:43] I have not met Mr. Right yet.

[00:09:46] And in fact, I talk about my experiences and my upcoming book,

[00:09:51] How to live an extraordinary life with or without Mr. Right, a single

[00:09:55] a Christian woman's guide on how to survive and thrive on Single Avenue.

[00:10:00] So that book is coming out later this year.

[00:10:02] And I talk about my experiences, but also highlight

[00:10:06] how many people in the Bible were single and their experiences

[00:10:09] and lessons that we can learn from them.

[00:10:11] And again, this is not trying to tell you that you need to stay single forever.

[00:10:16] I'm just suggesting that you stay single until you discover who you are first

[00:10:22] because a lot of these divorces out there are occurring

[00:10:26] because you've got two confused, broken people

[00:10:30] that got together thinking that they could complete each other.

[00:10:33] OK, it's not going to end up like Jerry McGuire.

[00:10:37] It's just not like no one can complete you.

[00:10:41] The only person that can complete you is God.

[00:10:43] And once you figure that out, then you position yourself

[00:10:47] to actually be in a position to even think about entertaining the relationship.

[00:10:54] And I know some people have a tendency to,

[00:10:57] well, you don't want to be single because then, you know, they equate

[00:11:01] being single with being lonely.

[00:11:05] Being lonely and single are two totally different things.

[00:11:08] OK, I am definitely not lonely in any way, shape or form.

[00:11:13] I live a very active life.

[00:11:14] I travel. I, you know, I love going out to different restaurants.

[00:11:18] I love doing different things.

[00:11:20] Lonely versus single, two totally different things.

[00:11:24] Loneliness is like having this void that can't be filled.

[00:11:28] And once you start putting God first, I guarantee you

[00:11:32] you're not going to experience loneliness. OK.

[00:11:35] Loneliness comes that void is God's way of showing you that, hey,

[00:11:41] you you you're you're running on empty in a certain particular area.

[00:11:46] If you want to figure out what that is, then we need to have a relationship.

[00:11:50] So that's one thing that I suggest.

[00:11:52] Stay single until you discover who you are first.

[00:11:57] And so that leads me to point number four.

[00:12:01] Leverage your nine to five for what it is.

[00:12:05] You work to pay your bills.

[00:12:07] If you lose sight of this fact,

[00:12:10] you will make a mistake of basing your entire identity on your job

[00:12:16] and not viewing it as what it should be, which is a means to an end.

[00:12:22] OK, I work to live, not live to work.

[00:12:25] This job funds my life.

[00:12:27] It is not my life.

[00:12:29] You have got to keep that in mind because a lot of folks out here

[00:12:34] go out of their way to I've seen some pretty wild things

[00:12:39] in the corporate world. OK, so a lot of these folks,

[00:12:42] they will suck up, they will lie, they will cheat, they will steal

[00:12:46] all because they want to make it to the top of the corporate ladder.

[00:12:50] If you don't want to play that game,

[00:12:53] then you need to do things differently.

[00:12:57] OK, so me.

[00:13:00] I'm not trying to do any of that nonsense.

[00:13:02] OK, I am literally there to do that job and immediately go home.

[00:13:09] Now, because I'm blessed to work from home, I'm already home.

[00:13:11] So I will just shut down that little laptop and call it a day

[00:13:15] because again, that nine to five is a means to an end that all of us

[00:13:21] when we first start off and you know, when you graduate from college,

[00:13:24] I guarantee you nine times out of 10, you are not going to be in your dream job.

[00:13:29] It's not going to be your passion.

[00:13:31] So what are you going to do?

[00:13:34] Are you going to sit back and complain or are you going to take the money

[00:13:38] that you gain from your very stable nine to five job

[00:13:41] and use that money to start funneling your future?

[00:13:46] And what I mean by future is start

[00:13:49] creating your second act while you're working now,

[00:13:54] like I know you're at the beginning of your career,

[00:13:56] but trust me, time goes by so quickly.

[00:13:59] So trying to figure out what you want to do for your second act

[00:14:02] as soon as possible is going to put you in a position

[00:14:05] to always remember the fact that, you know what?

[00:14:08] This is just I don't have to love this job.

[00:14:10] I don't have to like it.

[00:14:11] It's just an instum.

[00:14:12] I mean and after work, make sure that you are doing things

[00:14:16] to place you in a position to fund something that you really do want to do.

[00:14:22] Right.

[00:14:23] I've got hobbies.

[00:14:24] This podcast, I do this completely after work.

[00:14:28] I thoroughly enjoy having this podcast.

[00:14:31] I do voiceover work.

[00:14:33] I do, you know, sometimes I teach English on Sundays.

[00:14:38] I have a hodgepodge of things that I thoroughly enjoy.

[00:14:42] And I know at some point in time,

[00:14:45] a lot of these things that I do in my spare time

[00:14:49] could eventually evolve into my main gig.

[00:14:52] But that's not where I'm at right now.

[00:14:54] Right.

[00:14:55] So where I'm at right now is, hey, I've got this nine to five

[00:14:59] and I make the most of it.

[00:15:00] And the way that I make the most of that nine to five to

[00:15:03] in making sure that I'm able to stay on that nine to five

[00:15:06] is as long as I can.

[00:15:08] Is my next point.

[00:15:12] Your coworkers are not your friends.

[00:15:15] I need to really make sure you understand that

[00:15:18] because some some some people do not know this

[00:15:21] and it's like shocking to me because

[00:15:24] I don't understand how you don't know this,

[00:15:27] but I want you to make sure that you know

[00:15:30] your coworkers are not your friends.

[00:15:32] Everyone that smiles in your face is not your friend.

[00:15:36] They don't have your best interests at heart.

[00:15:38] And again, your coworkers oftentimes are competing

[00:15:42] so many times we work with folks that smile in your face.

[00:15:47] But they have a scarcity mindset.

[00:15:49] So you may not feel that way, but your coworkers

[00:15:53] may feel that way.

[00:15:55] And so if you're not cognizant of the fact that,

[00:15:58] you know what, this person is not really my family.

[00:16:01] This person doesn't necessarily have to have my best interest

[00:16:07] at heart.

[00:16:09] Like they have no dog in this fight as to whether

[00:16:11] you are successful in that position or job or not.

[00:16:15] And oftentimes a lot of your coworkers, the same ones

[00:16:18] that will smile on your face and and tell you

[00:16:21] that things are great are the exact same ones

[00:16:24] that you later find out were trying to be your friend

[00:16:28] so they could get dirt on you and use that leverage

[00:16:33] that information so they could ascend up

[00:16:36] the corporate ladder faster than you.

[00:16:39] And so again, the sooner you realize

[00:16:42] that your coworkers are not your friends,

[00:16:45] it's going to make life a lot easier in the job.

[00:16:47] You're going to be in a position where if folks want

[00:16:50] to ask you, hey, do you want to come to this happy hour

[00:16:53] or whatever?

[00:16:54] You already know that, no, I'm going to go home.

[00:16:59] I'm going to go home because I've got other stuff

[00:17:01] that I want to work on.

[00:17:02] You know, saying no is going to be one of the best

[00:17:07] words that you incorporate into your vocabulary

[00:17:11] because no is a complete sentence.

[00:17:14] No means that you have boundaries.

[00:17:16] No is going to set you up for success

[00:17:19] because when you turn down hanging out with folks

[00:17:22] after work that don't have your same interests,

[00:17:25] don't have your same drive and ambition to achieve success

[00:17:31] and you guys are going to totally different directions.

[00:17:34] It's a huge time suck.

[00:17:36] It really is.

[00:17:37] It is a waste of your time.

[00:17:39] So you want to make sure that you are utilizing

[00:17:43] your time wisely.

[00:17:44] OK, and I'm not saying you can't go out with your co-workers

[00:17:47] every now and then, but I've been in various situations

[00:17:51] where some of these co-workers are way too buddy buddy

[00:17:56] and I'm just not even trying to get into that

[00:18:00] because I've got other stuff going on after work.

[00:18:03] And quite frankly, we have nothing in common.

[00:18:05] So I'm not life is too short.

[00:18:07] I'm not going to make myself uncomfortable

[00:18:10] just to please someone else like I'm not going

[00:18:13] to make someone else happy at the expense of my own happiness.

[00:18:16] So I want you to keep that in mind.

[00:18:19] Another thing, HR is not your friend.

[00:18:23] OK, and I mean that with all of my heart.

[00:18:28] HR is not your friend.

[00:18:30] HR is there to protect the company.

[00:18:33] So in the event that you run into a situation

[00:18:36] and, you know, someone suggests that you go to HR

[00:18:40] or, you know, talk to HR or whatever.

[00:18:43] I want you to remember what I just said.

[00:18:46] HR is not your friend.

[00:18:47] I don't care what they say.

[00:18:49] Oh, we're going to keep it confidential, blah, blah, blah.

[00:18:52] They are there to protect the company

[00:18:54] and you are very naive if you believe otherwise. OK.

[00:19:01] Keep in mind that if you decide to go to HR,

[00:19:04] you better have a strategy in mind

[00:19:08] as to what you hope to accomplish. OK.

[00:19:10] And what I mean by that is once you go to HR,

[00:19:14] you're literally going to HR to to inform them that, hey,

[00:19:21] I have encountered actions that are a liability to this company.

[00:19:28] They're not going to be too happy about that. OK.

[00:19:30] So you're essentially putting a target on your back.

[00:19:32] However, again, you have every right to stand up for yourself.

[00:19:36] So if you feel that you are being discriminated against,

[00:19:40] you know, that is something that you I personally believe

[00:19:44] that you should stand up for.

[00:19:46] But I do want you to have the.

[00:19:51] I do want you to go there informed. OK.

[00:19:54] I'm just going to leave it at that that there may be some sort of retaliation.

[00:19:58] There may be some back and forth.

[00:20:00] And again, the retaliation part totally illegal.

[00:20:03] But that doesn't mean that that might not happen to you.

[00:20:05] So I don't want you to go in there completely blind.

[00:20:08] And again, a lot of information is on the Internet.

[00:20:11] So make sure that you are very well versed in employment laws and things of that nature.

[00:20:16] Another thing that I wish that I would have really, really thought about

[00:20:21] is creating my own opportunities.

[00:20:24] It took me a minute before I really did before I really thought of myself as a brand, right?

[00:20:30] So it feels like getting ready to say this.

[00:20:33] But back in my day,

[00:20:36] when they first started pretty much the Internet and having websites

[00:20:41] and things of that nature, it was it was brand new.

[00:20:45] You know, having a website.

[00:20:48] I taught myself how to have a creative website.

[00:20:51] I taught myself a lot of the marketing and and content creation.

[00:20:56] All of that I taught myself.

[00:20:59] You have the ability to just like hit the ground running, I feel like.

[00:21:04] A lot of you guys that have graduated from college have the ability to just go.

[00:21:09] I want to make sure that you are creating your own opportunities.

[00:21:12] Yes, it's great that you have a full time job.

[00:21:15] Fantastic.

[00:21:16] I commend the fact that you are getting that information,

[00:21:21] getting that knowledge, having that stability, leveraging that nine to five

[00:21:25] the way that you should.

[00:21:27] But I don't want that to stop you from creating your own opportunities.

[00:21:30] After that nine to five, what are you doing to make a better future for yourself?

[00:21:36] Especially if you're working in a job that's not your passion project.

[00:21:40] You're that's not your passion job, right?

[00:21:43] It's not something that you, you know, you're not working on projects

[00:21:46] that really, you know, resonate with you.

[00:21:49] It really is a means to an end.

[00:21:51] And there's nothing wrong with that, nothing whatsoever.

[00:21:54] But if you think that your nine to five

[00:21:58] is just going to be your sole source of income forever.

[00:22:01] And I feel like some people still think that this is the case and it's not

[00:22:07] the way that these companies are laying folks off left and left and right.

[00:22:12] There's no company loyalty anymore.

[00:22:14] Honestly, you need to start thinking about what are some of the ways

[00:22:18] that I can go about creating my own opportunities?

[00:22:21] You know, what are, you know, there's a lot of passive income opportunities

[00:22:26] like I also have a t-shirt shop, you know, I sell that, you know,

[00:22:31] something that I can pretty much set and forget.

[00:22:35] That's one of the things I like to do.

[00:22:36] And I mentioned before, voiceover work.

[00:22:39] I've got a whole bunch of different.

[00:22:42] Hobbies, if you will, but.

[00:22:45] I don't treat them as hobbies.

[00:22:46] You may think of it as a hobby, but I don't treat it as a hobby.

[00:22:50] So I want you to think about that too.

[00:22:52] There may be things that you enjoy that you're like, oh, it's just a hobby.

[00:22:56] But if it's something that you would do for love and not necessarily for money,

[00:23:01] you might want to explore that a little bit more because that could turn into

[00:23:04] something bigger, right?

[00:23:06] But again, when I think about creating my own opportunities,

[00:23:10] the key things that I want you to take away.

[00:23:12] And what I mean by that is treat yourself as a brand. OK.

[00:23:15] You are your own brand.

[00:23:17] What is it that you represent?

[00:23:18] What do you have to offer?

[00:23:20] And how would people benefit from knowing you? Right.

[00:23:23] And then think about what are passive

[00:23:25] operative passive income opportunities that you can do

[00:23:30] leveraging the God giving gifts that you possess, right?

[00:23:33] So I just mentioned I've got a T-shirt shop.

[00:23:37] So I've got some designs that I've I've created and I created a mini store.

[00:23:42] So anytime, you know, I could be making money in my sleep.

[00:23:45] Someone may buy a shirt, someone may buy a sticker.

[00:23:48] What are some things that you can do that are creating passive income

[00:23:52] or income that really doesn't take a whole lot of work from from your

[00:23:55] perspective because it's utilizing a skill set that comes easy to you.

[00:24:02] Voice over work is something that comes easy to me.

[00:24:06] And I thoroughly enjoy it.

[00:24:09] So that's another, you know, just another example of what I'm talking about.

[00:24:14] I also want to make sure that you are a lifelong learner

[00:24:18] in this whole creating your opportunity scheme of things because

[00:24:22] if you're not, life's going to be hard for you because

[00:24:27] with the advances that are being made in technology,

[00:24:30] it is it is imperative that you continue to stay up on what's going on

[00:24:37] in life, making sure that you are indulging.

[00:24:39] Sorry. Making sure that you are indulging in all of the various

[00:24:44] platforms that are offering education for free.

[00:24:48] School YouTube.

[00:24:49] I spend so many hours online teaching myself how to create websites, edit.

[00:24:55] You don't put it together this podcast because if you look at some

[00:24:58] of the episodes from the beginning,

[00:25:02] it is definitely evolved from then, you know?

[00:25:05] But I want you to really think about becoming a lifelong learner

[00:25:09] because it's just going to be easier for you to easier

[00:25:14] and faster for you to be in a position to achieve success.

[00:25:17] Okay. Another, I'm just looking at my little list over here.

[00:25:22] Another thing that I want you to make sure that you are doing

[00:25:24] is indulging in self care practices.

[00:25:27] Okay. I want you to be careful with what you're consuming.

[00:25:31] Who are the folks that are surrounding you?

[00:25:32] Because if they're toxic, you don't want that around you.

[00:25:36] It's just going to make your life a lot more miserable

[00:25:39] than it needs to be. Right. We don't need a miserable life.

[00:25:42] We've got too many other forces that are trying to make us,

[00:25:44] you know, go that route.

[00:25:46] And so you need to make sure that you do your due diligence

[00:25:50] in the event that one of these people infiltrates your little circle.

[00:25:54] I want you to be sure that you push them out as soon as possible.

[00:25:57] Okay. So indulging in self care practices,

[00:26:01] it really means being careful with what you consume.

[00:26:04] Okay. So for example, I and I'm just looking at my little list here.

[00:26:10] For example, I make sure that I just bring this over here.

[00:26:14] I make sure that I am very careful with what I consume.

[00:26:17] So I thoroughly enjoy listening to podcasts.

[00:26:21] A lot of my podcasts are based on self improvement.

[00:26:25] They talk about business in the Bible.

[00:26:28] Okay. Obviously not in that order, because it would be Bible.

[00:26:32] Bible self improvement in the business.

[00:26:34] If I had to put in order, prioritize that list.

[00:26:37] You need to be careful with what you're consuming

[00:26:39] because there's so much negativity in this world.

[00:26:41] And it's very easy to get sucked down the path of making,

[00:26:46] of trying to conform into what society wants you to be.

[00:26:50] And, you know, society, what I've seen from what society has to offer.

[00:26:55] That's not what I'm trying to do. Right.

[00:26:57] And another way that I want to make sure

[00:27:00] that you are indulging in self care is exercise.

[00:27:04] Poof. Once you start doing a nine to five,

[00:27:08] I'm telling you, for some reason, like exercise after work is very difficult.

[00:27:14] At least for me it was.

[00:27:15] So I try my best to make sure if I can't exercise in the morning.

[00:27:20] If I'm able to exercise in the morning,

[00:27:22] I know that at least I got my, you know, I got my exercise in.

[00:27:26] I feel much better.

[00:27:27] I have more energy.

[00:27:29] It is very important to exercise.

[00:27:32] Okay. You need to make sure that you are

[00:27:35] placing yourself in the position to get the energy you need

[00:27:38] so you can execute on the things that you want to achieve.

[00:27:42] You can't do that without exercise.

[00:27:43] I don't care what anyone says.

[00:27:45] I need that energy, that natural high that you get from exercising.

[00:27:50] Another way of self care is making sure that you travel.

[00:27:53] OK. Get out there and see the world.

[00:27:57] There is nothing

[00:27:59] that is going to prevent me from ever

[00:28:03] being in a position where I don't use my PTO.

[00:28:07] I like, Tosh, you have five PTO days left.

[00:28:11] That is something you will never hear from me.

[00:28:14] OK. I earn those PTO days.

[00:28:17] I'm going to take those PTO days because life is too short

[00:28:21] and God has created so much that I want to see

[00:28:24] in experience with my family and friends.

[00:28:27] So make sure that you get out there and make memories as well.

[00:28:31] Life is not just about working, working, working.

[00:28:33] You need to make sure that you're enjoying yourself too.

[00:28:36] That's why you've got to go about creating that good work life balance.

[00:28:40] And last but not least on this list,

[00:28:43] journaling.

[00:28:45] I know you're probably scratching your head on that last one,

[00:28:47] but I want you to get in the habit of journaling

[00:28:51] because that's going to place you in a position

[00:28:54] to really see how much progress you're making

[00:28:57] from where you are right now to where you end up 20 years from now.

[00:29:02] It is such an amazing feeling to go back and look at some of my journals.

[00:29:08] And I'm a writer, y'all.

[00:29:09] So when I say journals, you know, T.H.

[00:29:11] It's so I know some folks use digital journals.

[00:29:14] I'm a writer. I love to write.

[00:29:16] So I handwritten journals.

[00:29:18] I have handwritten journals from years ago

[00:29:21] that I'm in a position to go back and just look at how much progress I've made.

[00:29:26] And it's a sense of accomplishment really looking at

[00:29:30] where you were and seeing your thought process and how much you've grown.

[00:29:36] Like that is priceless, and I want you to experience that feeling as well.

[00:29:40] So I've got a couple different types of journals.

[00:29:45] Pick one that resonates with you.

[00:29:46] I do all three.

[00:29:47] That may be a bit excessive for some folks, but it works for me.

[00:29:51] So you may want to think about getting a daily journal.

[00:29:54] So that's something where you can just, you know,

[00:29:57] write out all your feelings in one spot every day.

[00:30:00] There's a gratitude journal where you could just write out

[00:30:03] all the things that you're thankful for.

[00:30:05] In fact, this is something that I got into the habit of

[00:30:09] right after I lost everything.

[00:30:12] I'll leave the episode for that to go into that a little bit

[00:30:16] in the description.

[00:30:17] So if you want to learn more about that.

[00:30:19] But.

[00:30:20] Ironically, after losing everything,

[00:30:24] I was in a much better position to do that gratitude journal

[00:30:28] because I did not realize what I had until it was gone.

[00:30:32] And you don't necessarily have to wait until everything is gone

[00:30:36] in order to express gratitude, right?

[00:30:39] You know, I don't want you to sit up here and take advantage of things

[00:30:42] that so many of us take advantage of, you know, I got up this morning.

[00:30:46] I've got my health.

[00:30:47] I've got, you know, food, clothes, shelter.

[00:30:50] A lot of us just assume that we're supposed to have that, right?

[00:30:54] But not necessarily.

[00:30:56] Not necessarily.

[00:30:58] And so those are things that I would write in my gratitude journal.

[00:31:01] I'm so grateful for these things because there

[00:31:04] when there was a time, you know, when I didn't have a job,

[00:31:07] there was a time when I didn't have savings.

[00:31:09] There was a time, you know, there was all these times that I had

[00:31:13] that I was taking stuff for granted.

[00:31:17] And at this point in my life, I just don't do that anymore.

[00:31:20] And I want you to start off fresh and not doing that as well.

[00:31:24] Be grateful for what you have and start journaling what you have.

[00:31:28] Start a gratitude journal so you can look back on the things that you you have.

[00:31:34] And then another journal I had is a prayer journal.

[00:31:36] So if there are things that you're still praying for that have not come to fruition,

[00:31:41] that prayer journal is going to enable you to see, oh, you know what?

[00:31:45] God answered this prayer.

[00:31:46] He answered that prayer.

[00:31:48] Still waiting on this one, so maybe there's something I need to do

[00:31:52] to place myself in a better position so I can get that prayer answered.

[00:31:55] You know, but it's been amazing to see the different prayers

[00:31:58] that he has answered for me as well.

[00:32:01] So before we wrap up, I encourage you to share your own tips for life

[00:32:05] after graduation in the comments below.

[00:32:13] Thanks so much for listening to this episode.

[00:32:15] If you enjoyed listening to Hustling Faith and would like to support the show,

[00:32:19] please consider sharing it with your friends.

[00:32:21] Rate or leave a review.

[00:32:23] Donate or make a purchase at our shop starring you crew.

[00:32:26] Remember, if you're everything to everyone, the risk being no one.

[00:32:31] You never know who you will inspire.

[00:32:32] See you the next episode.