This past week has been eventful. I’ve been focusing on exams for some of the courses I signed up for, which is why it’s been a bit quiet here. It’s been tough getting even a little bit done some days, but I’m trying to stay committed.
I really want to keep doing these courses and continue putting myself in a better position for job opportunities. I’ve also realised how easy it is to forget, amidst everyday life, that learning is a constant. You always need to stay curious and open to learning something new.
Doing the mental health first aid course—especially one focused on workplace settings—has been particularly insightful. It’s helped me understand how to support others. And it’s also helped me shape the podcast I’m creating for this blog.
I’m also studying finance. I have to admit, it’s been a bit of a challenge, especially at the beginning. I used to love maths in school and did quite well, but picking it up again as an adult has been a journey. Once I started understanding the basic rules, I began to feel more confident—and, surprisingly, I’ve started enjoying it again. It’s something I never thought I’d be able to do, but here I am.
So, with the accounting course, I’ve realised that I need to trust myself more and believe that what I’m learning will eventually stick. I’m slowly finding my rhythm.
All of this—these courses, this season of learning—has been about improving my knowledge and preparing myself for a better future. Whether it’s for career prospects or managing my own life, I’m starting to appreciate the importance of financial literacy. I also realise the value of budgeting effectively.
I’ve come to understand something crucial recently. It’s vital to know your money well. You need to know where it’s going. Understand how it works for you. Recognise the habits you’ve developed around it. Many of us don’t grow up learning these things properly. It’s often just surface-level knowledge. But for real financial freedom, we need to dig deeper. It shouldn’t be such a struggle to understand what it means to be financially free.
Personally, I’ve realised that I’ve become too comfortable with spending and relying on credit. I’ve been told things like “you’ve got good credit, so you can get more.” But I am learning that that’s not always a good thing. The hard truth is that I’m learning that credit isn’t something to aspire for. Here is a great article by Martin Lewis. Like in mental health and well-being, we should think about person-centred approaches when it comes to our finances. This is a good book. I recently listened to it on #Audible. It is called The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom.
Saving up and paying with actual cash might take longer, but it’s better in the long run. It means that you don’t just spend the money once you receive it. You plan for it. Create a strategy on how you are going to spend it.
I remember a time when I would go to the shops with my sisters to window shop. This was the action of going to the shops to see what you wanted and saving up for it. In essence, you would stand outside the shop window and look in without going in to tempt yourself. The hardest part was making sure that you left your wallet and bank cards at home so that you wouldn’t be tempted. And yet, I didn’t fully comprehend how vital this practice was until I got to university. Without lying, this was the epitome of credit-freedom. Banks offered interest free credit cards and overdrafts, which you didn’t have to start paying until after you graduated. Store-cards were available at the flash because the banks would see you had an overdraft and other credit cards. I mean, it was heaven.
All that window shopping that my sisters had instilled in me, went out the window. I was like, I am ready to spend. And obviously, as a student, I didn’t care about my future, because ‘I had time’. And then, it all came back to bite me, when I graduated. I worked my butt off to pay off most of this debt. However, ignoring the letters and phone calls from banks was much harder. To think that even then, I still didn’t understand what financial worth was to me. As I slowly educated myself, I found myself drawn to the ‘get rich quick’ schemes. I gambled the little that I had to play the lottery. I entered money prized competitions in the hopes that I would be the lucky winner. But that never happened. I am still waiting.
And to come back to the present, where do I stand? Well, I learned to start saving after I moved out of home and I had to pay bills. It was easy especially as I was pursuing a career as an actor. Working at bars and for hospitality agencies as the ‘day jobs’ to pay the bills. But I started to put a little at a time aside. In fact, one of the student accounts that I had opened, had a savings account, which I couldn’t access, unless I went to the bank. I left it to accrue over the years and it came in handy when I needed it. I also learnt that no matter what financial state I was in, I will always save a little. Let’s be clear, it was not easy. It still isn’t. Even now, as I type this, I am working through my reserves as I try to find an income.
So what these courses have reminded me of, is my life as a student. It has been a wake-up call in many ways—reminding me of what I value and what I want to build. I’m hopeful that it’ll lead to better job opportunities, even though the job search has been hard. I’ve struggled to find something that suits me. When I do find roles that match my experience, I wonder if I truly want to do them. What do these jobs have to offer me except financial freedom? I am left wondering and thinking about what type of work excites me. And will I ever get to the financial freedom that I deeply desire?
Part of returning to learning is figuring that out, I guess. I need to identify what I want to do. I need to determine how I want to work. This will ensure I have time for my family and myself. People always talk about life/work balance, but I think that that is all perspective.
And I will continue to write. I love writing. It’s something I’ve missed, and one of the reasons I started this blog was to get back into it. I may not always have the time, but it gives me something to look forward to, something to commit to.
So yes, it’s been a week of learning and growth—personally and professionally. Reflecting on the life that I have lived and the future. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, including some of the free courses I’ve found. It’s all helping me move forward, step by step.
That’s where I’m at right now. I’ll catch you again next week—until then, take care.
