'I Encourage Women To Have 'F.U.' Money': What Tyra Taught Me About Financial Freedom
The minute you decide to take control over your own life and happiness, you will be amazed at the results.
While there are some things in life that we cannot control--like bad weather, gas prices, or getting older--there are two things that you can control -- your happiness and your hustle.
In a recent interview with Glamourmagazine, Tyra Banks dished out several career tips and made me realize how important it is to be the boss in all aspects of life. As a woman of many titles, the media mogul is not a rookie when it comes down to being fearless and a true #girlboss.
Through her many jobs and business ventures, Tyra has always figured out a way to stay in control. She sets a great example for young women and is proof that when you know how to control your money, happiness, and learn how to hustle hard for the life you want, life becomes a little bit easier.
Check out a few career and life lessons that I learned from Tyra Banks, the queen of fierceness.
1. Know when to restrategize and reshape your personal brand
In the interview, Tyra discussed how becoming successful wasn't easy. In the beginning of her career, she had so many doors slammed in her face, but she used each "no" as a learning experience, and learned how to find other ways to reach her goals. Even after she became successful, Tyra noted that some people were still giving her a hard time. Later in her modeling career, she began to hear things like, "You're getting too thick," which for most models would have forced them to get on Kanye's workout plan and drink nothing but skinny detox teas. Tyra, on the other hand, took that criticism and found a way to use it to her advantage. She figured a way to restrategize her career around that criticism and found modeling gigs that weren't afraid of a woman with curves, like Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated.
Just like Tyra, we have to know when we should look into reshaping our personal brand when certain circumstances occur. When this happens, you should continue to stay true to your values, but should also figure out ways that you can improve your personal brand so that you are more marketable. For example, if I am an HR manager that is famous for successfully recruiting through job search engines, I have to learn how to restrategize and refine my recruiting techniques as the demand of the world changes.
2. Never Stop Studying Your Craft
When Tyra decided to choose the catwalk over college, her mom made sure that Tyra was driven and had a "can't stop, won't stop" attitude. In the interview with Glamour Tyra said,
"I [found] a fashion library in downtown L.A. I went and read magazines, watched tapes, and learned the top photographers. I was like, wow, there are big pearls at Chanel, and at Yves Saint Laurent they have hair slicked back in a chignon and red lips. So I went to Paris and put beads on my neck to walk for Karl Lagerfeld, and put on some red lipstick in the alley for Yves Saint Laurent's people. And I booked 25 fashion shows."
Tyra's success shows that she has always believed in the value of preparation. From the beginning, she worked extremely hard so that she was always prepared for anything that came her way. Even once opportunities began to knock on her door, Tyra had a bold and a fearless attitude. She took the opportunities by the horn, and gave each one all that she had, which in turn helped her reach the level of success that she has now.
[Tweet "Be prepared and be bold. "]
As professionals, it is important for us to stay on top of our game by sharpening our skills and learning as much as we can so that we are always prepared. Just like Tyra, once we receive the opportunity, we need to be bold and believe in ourselves. Too often, we wish so hard for certain careers, but then we fall into a level of uncertainty and a lack of confidence.
I remember when I received my first management job, I was extremely surprised because I was offered it even though I hadn't even applied for it. I originally applied for a lower level job, but apparently I was amazing in my interview so they offered something greater to me. When I got the call for the management job, I was so surprised and confused--like really, who in their right mind was trusting little ole' meto lead a team when I had zero experience and was still trying to figure out who in the hell I was as a person? The attitude that I had affected me in the first few months of my job, and it taught me that by playing small and not believing in myself, I was hurting myself the most. Just like Tyra, it is important to remain fierce and to believe in yourself at all times.
3. It's Okay To Be Vulnerable
Tyra mentioned that her Harvard Business School professor taught them that it is okay to be vulnerable. "Show emotions. If you feel like frigging crying, cry."
For Tyra, that piece of advice stuck. To her, it was more than being vulnerable, it was about being real to yourself so that you are not being someone that you are not. Sometimes when we hear the word "vulnerable" we associate that with being weak, but it is the exact opposite.
Vulnerability implies having the courage to be yourself. The best employees and managers know how to be vulnerable and they understand that vulnerability is what brings out our authenticity and helps us connect with others.
4. Never Be Afraid To Take A Break
When asked what she would tell her 25-year-old self, Tyra replied, "Take some time for yourself. You're still gonna be successful if you go on that vacation. I felt I had to sacrifice, that I needed to constantly go."
You should never work yourself crazy to the point where you are just going through the motions of life, but aren't truly living. Just like Tyra said, "you will still be successful if you go on that vacation." The world will not end if you take a little time out for you, to do things that youlike to do. Now I'm not saying that you should have a "treat yo'self" day everyday, but occasionally you should definitely have some "me" time.
[Tweet "Never work yourself crazy to the point where you are just going through the motions of life."]
5. There Is Power In Financial Freedom And Having Your Own
Tyra tapped into the importance of being in control of your financial freedom by discussing what she learned from her mom's experiences.
"My mom stayed with my dad for too long because of financial reasons. If she'd just had a little side hustle, a little of her own money, she would have left. So I encourage women to have what I call 'F.U.' money."
Tyra feels that we all need our own money to do things independently and to not feel constrained. Having this money gives us financial freedom and it keeps us in control of our lives. If you don't know how to take better control over your money, you will find yourself stuck in places or situations because you cannot afford to do anything else or go anywhere else. Taking control of your money means putting more than $20 in your savings account when you think about it. Taking control of your money means saving at least 10% of your income and also finding ways to invest and grow your money. With your savings account, treat it like it's another bill and pay this "bill" every time you get paid. If you are horrible at paying your bills, set up automatic payments and have the money for your "bill" deducted out of your paycheck, and sent to your savings account on a consistent basis.
Learning how to manage your money is one of the most important things that you will ever learn how to do.
[Tweet "When you have financial freedom and money saved, you won't feel confined to people, jobs, or situations."]
Tyra is definitely someone that you can look up to when trying to figure out how to be a boss and take control over your life.
Let us know below how you plan on taking control over your happiness, career, and finances!
Brittani Hunter is a proud PVAMU alumni and the founder of The Mogul Millennial, a business and career platform for Black Millennials. Meet Brittani on Twitter and on the Gram at @BrittaniLHunter and @mogulmillennial.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Between the rise of the creator economy and the gig economy, the window of opportunity to leverage your creativity for long-term gain has never been more potent.
For the last four years, I’ve worked as a full-time freelance writer and content creator. A year into this journey, I knew that if I wanted to create a sense of structure around my life outside of a traditional 9-5, I would have to create it.
To my surprise, that came in the form of social media.
Now, you might be wondering how someone might be able to juggle their work in a creatively-dominant career like writing while still having the mental capacity to produce ideas for their own personal brand, and well, that answer didn’t come easily.
In 2021, I hit a wall with writing and content creation.
With the stress and uncertainty that came as a result of the pandemic, to being burned out from having to live off my creativity, I reached a breaking point. For me, writing was always a space to explore my thoughts, process heavy topics, and express concepts that only words could bring reason to. However, when I didn’t have the brainpower to write or create content, I knew it was time to set parameters around my hobby of content creation and my passion for storytelling.
In this case, the biggest challenge was finding the balance between the two by releasing the guilt and shame of taking a break from both in order to reconnect with them.
Through years of trial and error, the fog finally cleared, and I was able to hit my stride in 2023. From garnering over 10K followers on TikTok, building an Instagram community around lifestyle and creative encouragement, along with my wellness collective, Black Girl Playground, and writing for xoNecole as a lifestyle contributor, the creative juices have been flowing steadily.
And it all happened by creating a strategy that allowed space for planning, resting, and creating. Today, I’ll be sharing my top tips to help you find your balance between your side hustle and passions.
On staying inspired and motivated when working on various content creation and freelancing projects:
Early this year, I came to the bright conclusion that I needed to shorten the gap between ideation and execution — and it completely changed how I create.
Oftentimes, when we have an idea come to us, we let it sit for too long, and then before we know it, we’ve either lost the enthusiasm to put it into action, or someone else grabs it. If you want to stay in a flow of creativity, whether side projects or full-time work, it’s important to not get slowed down by self-doubt, procrastination, or perfectionism.
Give yourself permission to act on your ideas as they come to you. Even if they’re a little muddy or not “perfect,” you can always fine-tune them later.
@yagirlaley shrinking the gap between [ideation] + [execution] 🧠💡#fyp #creativeadvice
On the importance of choosing a niche:
If there’s one thing that has helped me balance my work as a writer and content creator, it’s putting each in its own niche (or category). By definition, a niche is a specialized segment of the market or a specific area of expertise.
When you are creating in the same niche that you’re also making a living in, that’s an easy way to get your wires crossed. And at times, this could lead to feeling as if you don’t have any ideas for yourself because you’ve given them to the other area you're juggling.
When balancing two, you want to have enough fresh ideas to give to your personal projects and your full-time work to avoid any overlap. This ensures that your personal creative vision isn’t compromised when working on client projects while still having some for yourself.
On the strategies that have helped to maintain a consistent workflow in both areas:
I can’t stress enough how important it is to create a workflow and structure for yourself as a freelancer — this applies to those with a 9-5 in the day and a 5-9 at night, too.
As someone who admittedly has ADHD tendencies, object permanence can sometimes create a block in time and project management. That’s why I encourage creatives and professionals to create systems that allow you to see the work that’s ahead of you.
Personally, I can’t live without having multiple calendars going at once. My Google calendar keeps track of interviews for articles and events, while my physical calendar helps me keep track of important dates. I also work out of an Excel sheet where I can log in ongoing stories and track their status from drafting to submission. I’ve also heard great things about the Notion app for planning and tracking.
When it comes to creating content, spending time doing bulk content days has been an asset to my creative workflow. When I complete the videos, I save them to my drafts and upload them as needed.
Credit: Amberita
Courtesy of the writer
On the best advice for someone who is considering pursuing both content creation and freelancing simultaneously:
Don’t be ashamed of taking a break and resting — because both are essential to the life of a creative. Last month, I returned to Instagram after taking 6 months off from posting. During that time, I worked on growing my TikTok page, using the platform to practice vulnerability and allowing myself to put the fun back into creating content. Without the time, I can’t say I’d be able to approach Instagram with the same ease and playfulness; but thanks to that time away, it was possible.
Resting, letting our minds wander, or simply doing nothing are all just as productive as creating. No one can produce at all times, we have to allow ourselves the space for new concepts and ideas to flow to us. In addition to that, when we take breaks from social media, it allows us to stop the wheel of comparison and consume more than we create. So if you feel like you’re in a creative rut with all you want to balance, it may be time to take a step back, unapologetically.
Your creativity will thank you for it.
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Featured image by Sir Taylor