Lessons I've learnt from ‘You are a badass at making money’ by Jen Sincero

Today, let’s talk about money. I’ve recently binge-watched the whole two seasons of la casa de papel (money heist @lacasadepapeltv) on @netflix and read the book, ‘You are a badass at making money’ by Jen Sincero (@jensincero).

Here’s what I’ve learnt from Jen Sincero’s book: “You’re a badass at making money” -

1. This is muy importante - money is just a piece of paper. It represents an exchange of fixed value. Tear it up, and it’s worthless. Relationships matter more, they’re priceless. (Ps. I learnt point 1 from watching La Casa De Papel, and is the only exception here. The rest of the points below are what I learn from the book.)

2. Faith and belief are more powerful than you think. They subconsciously guide your actions and you can choose to be a victim of your situation or own up to how you perceive em.

3. You’ve a gift and purpose that’s waiting to be discovered. There’s a road map for you to get there. You just have to keep walking and try not to get lost.

4. They say you’re a result of the 5 people you spend most with. And the person you spend the most time with is you.

5. This is too iconic, I just have to quote Jen Sincero straight up - ‘Badassery badassifies’. (*Brb I’m adding these to my vocabulary)

6. You have to risk looking stupid and discomfort is good for you. 

7. People who had it harder than you have done miraculous things with their lives. Success is not about where you’re at, it’s about where and who you decide you’re going to be. 

8. How you think of yourself matters more than what others think of you. 

Hopefully these helped you in some way - whether it's clarity or affirmation, you do you! Lemme know your thoughts, I’m always open for a chat ✨

Much love,
Leah

Be the Captain of Your Happiness, (Cause Why Wouldn't You?)

Let's dive right into some content I'd like to share with you. And that's this book right here.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson

It's exactly what the title says and if any of these sound relatable to you

1. Finding rejections and failures difficult to accept

2. Overthinking situations/ interactions

3. Getting mad over minute negative encounters during certain events or with people

4. Prioritising external validation over internal belief,

I'd say definitely give this book a good read. It doesn't exactly provide structured learning content but the examples Mark provides and its accompanying insights will definitely help you shed light on how to improve your mental health and well-being.

I'd include some of my favourite takeaways to get you started. 

1. The act of not caring doesn't imply being indifferent (that ignorance is plain rude btw), but the importance lies in being completely comfortable about being different.

2. Yearning for more positive experiences, is in itself, a negative experience. Accepting negative experiences, (ironically) is in itself, a positive experience.

3. We're not entitled to be happy all the time. It doesn't come on a silver platter! Happiness is a form of action; be the captain and stay responsible for steering your experiences from distasteful to delightful.

Highly recommend this book - hope you enjoy this read! 

Much Love,
Leah

Everyone's a Creative

Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Today, I'd love to share one book in particular with you.

I absolutely love this book. For all the creatives out there, this book is a must read - whether you're a designer, baker, ceramic artist or architect, I highly recommend it. In fact, it's for anyone, really - I believe everyone's a creative at heart.

In primary school, I remember that my teacher wanted to prove a point: that everyone's different. I can't recall his name but he made each of us draw an umbrella on a piece of A4 paper. We aren't allowed to look at what others drew except work on our own umbrella drawing. As expected, everyone drew different things. For me however, the big revelation isn't that everyone's different - it is: everyone's creative. We all drew an umbrella as told without hesitation, we didn't say "But I can't draw", "I don't want to, cause it'll turn out bad" or "I'm not creative enough to do anything wildly remote to that". Thing is, that's what we say all the time when we get older.

What I'm trying to say is - We all have it in us; god damn it! Being confident in our abilities to execute creative thinking, it just so happens that perhaps "what we think are expected of us" or "what we expect ourselves to be" changed as we grew up. We become more aware of what others think and perhaps, fearful of being inadequate or not being "creative enough", which to be honest, it’s an inevitable thought, no doubt. We are after all, human.

This is also why, I believe in the act of playing. It is paramount or as I would like to argue, an essential pre-requisite, to creative work. It engages in the power of the subconscious mind, which draws deeper than any conscious thought would. But before I ramble on with my other 101 branching thoughts, I guess I'll just leave you with a quote from the author. 

You are worthy, dear one, regardless of the outcome. You will keep making your work, regardless of the outcome. You will keep sharing your work, regardless of the outcome. You were born to create, regardless of the outcome. You will never lose trust in the creative process, even when you don't understand the outcome.

- Elizabeth Gilbert

Again, highly recommend you check this book out if you haven't already. You'll gain tons of insights and be reaffirmed that sometimes not okay is perfectly okay.

Much love,
Leah