This is a personal Words of Wisdom clip for everyone today. Hopefully, this advice from Arianna Huffington and my own experience inspire someone today.
In a Super Soul Sunday episode with Oprah Winfrey, Arianna shares the story of her sister, Agapi, who did well at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. However, Agapi was rejected for a part she was sure she would land. However, she used her talent of acting that same day to bring joy to a busload of New Yorkers. Arianna was inspired by that story and shared it in her book, Thrive. For her, it was a story that your talent can still make a difference even if you’re not necessarily making a living from it.
I have to remind myself of this so often. I run this inspirational site and am building it up as a “brand.” But it’s so easy to get caught up in the rat race behind what that means. Drowning in analytics, worried about engagement rates to get work from other brands, etc., etc. I saw a post on social media the other day about how we are so laser-focused on becoming “brands” and “influencers” that we forget our hobbies and passions can be just that. Everything you do doesn’t have to be for money; it just simply be something you love to do.
That’s backward in this capitalistic society, I know. I’m about multiple streams of income too, y’all, but I’m not killing myself to do it. I’d rather impact people’s lives in a positive way with this site than solely focus on making money from it. That was the ultimate mission after all. So I encourage anyone struggling with the same thing today to focus on the impact of your work. If money comes, cool, but what’s most important is touching and changing lives. At least to me.
Watch Ariana share this wise advice below!
Imperfectly B 