XD30 – Day 25 – Irregardless

I passed my third certification exam on the first try! I am very proud of myself especially after the morning that I had. I didn’t know that Metro changed its service hours so now on Sundays, it opened at 8am instead of 7am. I walked from home to McPherson, back to Farragut West (where some Asian man asked me if I had $5 in hashish at Farragut Square. Geesh! Drug dealers were NOW wearing hot pink t-shirts?! Who knew!). I then crossed the Square back to Farragut North only to learn the K Street entrance still had the gate up but the L street entrance was open (You had only ONE job!). Once I saw the 16-minute wait, I climbed the escalator back to McPherson where I waited another 19 minutes to roll to Reston. I arrived at the testing center at 9:30am. The instructor said that he just got started teaching. Oh vey!

This was NOT my first weird certification experience. I passed my PMP exam the day of the earthquake in 2011. The scrum test system crashed the day of the test from too many users and the Lyft driver missed the Vienna metro exit yet I still passed the Certified Scrum Master exam. I refused to be rattled over such nonsense. Not even that irritating broad whose favorite pastime was sitting in on certification workshop but not taking the exams then complaining about how backed up she felt. Girl, bye! She wasn’t the only one who made it a sport of sitting in these certification workshops but not taking the exam immediately afterward. There was another lady and gentleman in my training class who did the same thing. They acted as if it was nothing. I couldn’t waste that type of time sitting there which was why I now had three certifications and they didn’t. That’s what Udemy was for! Udemy out there giving away certification courses on the cheap for $10 (I scored mine for that much!). I bet they spent more of food and liquor than their own self-improvement! That lady was just the most annoying of the bunch.

I was happy that it was nice (not dripping humidity) outside because I walked to blow off steam (and stupidity!). It took me 30 minutes to register for the exam because it was onsite registration and another person who openly admitted that this was his second time sitting in on a computer language course and he didn’t think that he would pass (Are you serious?! You held my registration up for that?!). Anyway, I completed mine, went to the testing area, grabbed my headphones, prayed and got to work. I passed my certification exam on the first exam. I received my printout and certificate of completion and rolled back home happy knowing that I got what I came for. 

XD30 – Day 24 – As Long As I Don’t Get a Talker

                I returned home from an all-day event and discovered that I had way more than I thought I did. Raggedy Kinko’s self-service card readers malfunctioned on me early this morning. If I wasn’t in a time crunch, I would had asked for a replacement card to make my copies.

                Awaking at 6am on Saturday takes a lot of dedication and effort. I guess most people sleep in on the weekend. I have training ( I am big on continuous improvement and oftentimes the weekends are the only time I have time to learn. I am actually happy that this is on the weekend because I don’t have to take off.).

                I am happy that there are very few people. As I age, I have very low expectations for training. I don’t ask for much just no buttholes and group exercises. I am also very happy that I don’t have either here. I have also learned that one of the trainees received a discount on services. Hey, I want more training aligned with my current career.

                Having this instructor is eye-opening. That’s why I prefer a human being teaching versus self-study because I get out of my own head. I have trained a previous couple of days to get acclimated to the material but with the instructor explaining, I totally get it. It’s like everything is clicking. In the morning, I am like okay, I am going to pass. 

XD30 – Day 23 – Learning More Than Ever Before

I am extremely grateful to awake this morning being in a way better position than yesterday. One of my daily affirmations is being open to learning something new from people, places and things. I learned so much yesterday and was grateful to receive answers then than next week or even today. Wasting time is one of my biggest pet peeves. I have seen and experienced massive change in one week. That’s how fast my life goes sometimes. Rapid change can occur very fast. I have gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s the reason why I have received 4 promotions in 10 years. I am on the cusp of getting uncomfortable again for the next venture. 

XD30 – Day 22 – Eyes on the Prize

                I am focused on preparing for the next phase of my career. Yes, there is a whole lot of negative things swirling around me; but, I refuse to let them distract me from my goal. Actually, I am glad that I am away from my cell right now because I get focused. I can hone in on what I need to do.

                Confession: I have received assistance for training and there’s a 90%+ passage rate; but, I am still doing my part to adequately prepare for the training. I always want to walk into the training center knowing what the topic is. I have never walked in cold without knowing anything. I own my learning and feel that although I am receiving assistance, it is still my responsibility to learn as much as possible.

                I have never told anybody anything about it because I only care about outcomes not steps. I never broadcast everything that is going on because when I do announce it. I am very general about discussing certain things especially when they haven’t come to fruition yet. Personally, I dislike people broadcasting every move you make. Focus on outcomes, not impressing people with the whole ‘look at me’ thing. Be productive not busy!

XD30 – Day 21 – Getting Sleep and Rest

                This morning is the first day where I have awakened at 6:45am. Usually, I would have not only been up but finished my walk. I have been at peace, going to sleep and enjoying it. I do think that everything is falling into place.

                I am very happy that one of the projects that I truly want to participate deadline’s is still open. I will apply today because I do see myself deepen my broadcast knowledge. I am a member of this group but I am still all about creating high quality content.

                Yikes! I am happy that I have allotted more time towards completing the app because there were more questions on the final page. I am getting it done but whew! They are asking for a whole lot. I will email my contact asking for more information. At least the application deadline is still open.

                I am applying for this because I view this as an opportunity to grow and communicate even more. I love communicating, sharing and exchanging ideas because I learn something new and become smarter.

                Finally, by getting rest I am able to be my best and take full advantage of advice clinics. I have received a value tip that will help me; and, I am grateful because I am fully present to be able to receive this information. 

XD30 – Day 20 – Pile It On

I have been doing the side hustle thing for nearly one year selling clothes that I no longer wear online. I have made some money and decided to add more items into my store. Normally, people say to add on Sunday but I have decided to do it today because people shop every day. Adding four new dresses to my store will help my inventory because there are new things to look at. People are buying and selling every single day and I will do the same. 

XD30 – Day 19 – New Week, New Me

                I am back at it full of vim and vigor ready for this week. I created 18-20 daily tip videos to bolster my expertise. I post my first one on social media and am happy with the result. People actually miss my series. Also I have done my weekly livestream show (regardless of how tired I feel) because 1) I love it and 2) there is a void in my profession. I am glad to have kept my promise to myself to do the show because people are watching. I also upload it to my blog to generate more traffic. 

XD30 – Day 18 – Content Generation

On this Father’s Day, I celebrate my Daddy and generate a whole lot of content! I have shot over 18 videos. My tip series is returning Monday and I will post a screenshot on social media promoting its return. I love creating content because I love to communicate and share what I know. That’s why I love being a blogger and doing livestream. I get to share my information and insights on topics.

                I have hammered out 18-20 videos for my daily tip Instagram series. I am all about teaching people and positioning myself as the expert. I just am sick of the paralysis of analysis so I have just done filming all of my tips and converting these videos onto YouTube. I will release one a day starting tomorrow. It will also give me way more content and things to promote on my project management blog. 

XD30 – Day 17 – No Cash No Service

                I went to a place to get some chicken tenders. It had a cash register but when I pulled out my $10 bill, he said that he didn’t have change. Huh? What type of false advertisement was that?  Look I took my money to BGR, ordered my chicken tenders using my cash and saved $2.50 in the process. That was just messy. Every place else took money. Like I said ‘no cash, no service.’

XD30 – Day 16 – Taking Back My Power

When I saw the second charge this morning, I decided that the buck stopped here! I was no longer just going to take it! I filed a complaint with an agency telling them that the bank made the mistake not me and that I spoke with the vendor to resolve this matter. It felt great because I knew that the bank would listen to the agency. Next when I learned that the mail which I was awaiting didn’t come, I called the bank to address my situation. Even though it had to do verification (why when it was taking money out of my account. People steal from those who have money NOT the other way around!). I managed to get my charges removed turning my balance back to positive. I was still happy that I filed because the person talked about the decision may not go my way. Huh? The bank took my money. Y’all better refund it. Pronto!

                On a much happier note, I made another sale. This meant that I would do another Periscope. I did one yesterday and immediately received a sale. I will keep doing it until every item sold. I also need to meet my weekly sales goals and keep me afloat in the meantime. I admit that at the start of this week, I would have never thought that I would be in this position. All I want is a smooth week without the craziness especially when I have NOT caused any of it. I am in disbelief that someone who is NOT an instigator of any kind is the one getting put through so much mess! 

XD30 – Day 15 – The More You Know

                In the midst of my financial struggle (I awoke to a negative charge after seeing a positive balance the day before), I used the cash in my pocket to priority mail my order, changed clothes and rolled to the contracting conference. I had to get out of my space and keep my mind off of that craziness. I also wanted to see the former mayor of Cleveland who now ran a women’s public policy think tank. The free conference was literally right down the street; and, the same place I worked a couple of months ago. Immediately when I walked into there I thought ‘maybe I should had signed up for this’. However, they fed us which was good enough. I learned so much especially all of the free resources that were available for me looking for federal government contracting opportunities. The only drawback was no charging stations. I had to walk home to recharge my cell phone. I returned to the ending reception where I ate pina colada cotton candy but I still missed 2 sessions because of no charging stations.

                Attending this conference afforded me another opportunity to talk about something besides eBay and project management on Periscope. Look I love making money via livestream hawking my wares but talking about the conference that I attended is a breath of fresh air. People get to see what else I can talk about. I will check into another conference to hobnob and learn more about making money and new topics in the very near future. 

XD30 – Day 14 – Money in My Sock

Goodness! Here I am thinking that I have stretch my money all the way until the end of this week only to learn via voicemail that one of my parents has watched my YouTube videos and is giving me money to upgrade my ‘presence.’. Immediately I tell everyone on Facebook because my parents are 65+ and they are critiquing my YouTube videos! How many senior citizens are doing that?! Exactly! Also I check my bank balance and see that there is way more than what’s in there yesterday. I can breathe just a little (I wish I would have known a little earlier else I would not had cancelled that meeting because I thought that I was dirt poor. That’s another blog post though.). Furthermore, PayPal says that my echeck has cleared so now my other money isn’t held up. I transfer that ASAP! Today truly feels like the wheels are churning.

                I am still putting a lot of new items into my eBay store to start summer off on the right note. I also want to move as much merchandise as possible. I have started doing eBay YouTube Livestreams and will do one later today because YouTube gives me another audience and storage options. I can also embed these videos online. I particularly love the screenshare feature because then all I have to do is plug in my webcam, show my eBay store and roll! I am still pushing myself to earn more money than I did yesterday!

XD30 – Day 13 – Pay Me Dust

                Sheesh! As soon as the money comes, the money goes. I check my bank account and am down to little or no money. Even though I am grateful to have cash in my pocket, I am happy that deposited the money else everything will bounce. See I am happy because I don’t have to think about the what-ifs. It could have ended worse than where I am sitting. However, at least I don’t have a negative balance.

                Yet, somethings are tied up elsewhere; and, I am fixing to make sure that I get these matters resolved. I know that I have the sales capability to generate the income necessary. After all, I am grateful to have one eBay sale and I know that once I have another sale…then another and then another. I will return to Periscope, add merchandise and try something new this time: YouTube Live. I have done YouTube Live with project management and webinar; but, never my eBay 

XD30 – Day 12 – Cash in Hand

                I am so grateful that my friend has loaned me cash. Now I can deposit it and have it float. I won’t have any bounced checks and am very grateful for this. I can stay at home, work on my job search and stay in the air conditioning. When it is 95 degrees in the shade, it is the simple things that count. I truly need peace of mind especially when I am in transition. I am very happy that I have some things on lock because I truly want to start as soon as possible. 

XD30 - Day 11 – Bouncing Back

                I am feeling much better after 1) willing myself to the CVS for ginger ale (sold out due to last night’s Capital Pride revelers so I have to get lemonade); 2) Midol and 3) sleep. My ear infection is gone (or whatever that was) and I all ready to bounce back and take control of today and this week. I am ready to get back into the saddle and start working, earning and learning. I do feel that this will be one of my best weeks ever because I am working and no longer beholden to anyone or anything. 

XD30 – Day 10 – A Friend in Need

                Having a new job is great but I need cash flow in the meantime. This means asking one of my friends for money. Having been in DC for over 11 years, I have never asked for help; but, there is a first time for everything. I am grateful that she has helped me because now I know that I can cover my food for at least two weeks; plus, I will start working (at least getting paid training) this upcoming week. This is probably the only time that I will ever need gap insurance. 

XD30 - Day 9 – Coming through

Finally! My security clearance has come through. I don’t know why it has taken this long but I am very happy that today is Friday and it has caps off my week on a high note! This is the best thing ever because now I also know that I qualify for a whole lot more stuff which is great. In addition, I have had someone watching my How to S.W.O.T. Away the Competition webinar which is a major feat in my book. Someone is interested in my material which is great. Furthermore, I am going to use this as a tripwire for my book! I do think that this will be great. Lastly, I am very happy that my Cavs have bounced back from the brink of extinction to win big at home. Go Cleveland!