Hello and thank you for visiting Waggish Writer.
This is the sixth blog post from a series of my journalist persona known as "A Matter of Mantra."
This post will talk about how the mantra listed in the title came into my life and how it helps me. My hope is that if this mantra resonates with you that you may use it to help live your life to the fullest.
WHERE DID MY MANTRA COME FROM
For those following 'A Matter of Mantra' series, it appears to be a conga line of fears and worries of money. This mantra is one of the ones I came up for myself, born from a time that was tough on me at many levels.
In March of 2020, COVID-19 became a major concern. At the time, my workplace (as a barista) hosted two locations where I worked at both depending on where I was needed. We could see the change in customers with individuals staying home. Sales dropped. We were not breaking even. Food and bulk drinks ended up being wasted.
It was a challenging situation when I had been asked to come late and leave early one day on shift. That day, I only worked 1 hour on shift. I wanted to work, but I understood the need to conserve money due to the sharp drop in business.
In my frustration, I spent the time shopping at Meijer, picking up essentials and just in case we have to hunker down with the COVID-19 situation. In April, when quarantine in Michigan was intense, I did not have any work. I hardly went outside. The condo I lived it enforced strict policies due to most of the residents being an older population. I felt trapped and helpless.
The saving grace was my boyfriend had come to stay with me since my sister stayed with her boyfriend, so I was not alone. He was able to continue working remotely. My parents generously allowed me to pick up essentials on their dime at the time. In retrospect, I had so many blessings that I couldn't see at the time. I was focused on what I lost without realizing what I had gained.
After a while, I stopped looking at what I couldn't do and started seeing what I could do. I invested time for self-care, making smarter food choices, and working out inside and braving the outdoors safely. I went back to my writing. In May of 2020, I launched 'Waggish Writer,' the living platform of my creativity. All this things became possible when I turned a negative upside down.
As I was working with Charlotte Kaye at the time as my life coach, I decided to create a new mantra to remind myself not to take this strange time of COVID-19 down the wrong path.
Hence, "A Loss of Income is a Gain of Opportunity to Invest in a Better Version of Me" inserted itself into my life.
HOW MY MANTRA HELPS ME
At this time, COVID-19 is still a present fear. Some restrictions are loosening up. I am able to work at my barista job with social distancing, mask on (except for grabbing a drink or food break), and lots, lots, lots, and lots of handwashing. I am not working as much as I had before at the coffee shop as I picked up another part-time work as a babysitter.
With how money fuels the world, I know it will be something I will have to contend with. However, it has helped me put things into perspective. Times I am not working for the bills are times I am working for myself. I am giving myself time to change the pace and scene. When I do get back to work on the clock, I am recharged and ready for the day. Knowing that I can invest the times I am not working into working on a better me is a stress reliever.
No one works the same way, so I am not preaching this mantra to be a fool-proof method. It is a tool and option that is out there for those who struggle.
As a writer, I take time each time I journal to write "A Loss of Income is a Gain of Opportunity to Invest in a Better Version of Me" five times. Write it. Talk it. Draw it. Tackle this mantra any way that gets the message across for yourself.
If the mantra has helped in any way or the story resonates and you feel comfortable in sharing, make a comment below or feel free to Contact Me if you want it private. We are all having our own struggles in this strange times with COVID-19. Let's take time to turn the situation on its head to see how we can make a positive investment in ourselves together.
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This is Waggish Writer signing off of this post. Stay tune for more in "A Matter of Mantra" series! See you next time!