Bronx homegirl Cardi B’s platinum hit “Bodak Yellow” was the club jam for the summer of 2017.
Hell, it even inspired an impromptu party on a New York City subway platform. Love it or hate it, you couldn’t escape it. And you also couldn’t escape Cardi B herself. Her stripper to rapper story was everywhere and her infectious boisterous energy was splattered all over social media and television.
With a platinum hit, new teeth, and a marriage proposal in the books in 2017, it’s safe to say Cardi B had a great year. With help from the lyrics of “Bodak Yellow” and bits of Cardi’s life, here are a few tips to make your 2018 as lit as Cardi B’s 2017.
Make Money Moves
Maybe your financial goals don’t involve red bottoms and luxury cars that cost six-figures. That’s cool. That’s more than cool.
Create goals that fit your lifestyle. Credit scores, debt, taxes, and retirement accounts are probably some of the most unsexy topics on Earth, but if you want to make money moves in 2018, you will have to have some honest conversations with yourself. Most people are not terribly savvy when it comes to finances. You want to buy food, clothes, shelter, etc and you get money to pay for said expenses.
That’s pretty much how people operate. Well, have you ever thought about how much easier your money could flow now and in the future if you took a closer look at the investments in your 401k, had an actual human being accountant (not an online program) to look over what kind of tax breaks you qualify for, or took steps to repair your credit instead of avoiding looking at the score? You might think you can’t afford a financial advisor, but there are free and low cost ways to get on the right path. Check out sites like My Fab Finance and The Budgetnista for concrete ways to start making money moves right now.
Don’t Get Comfortable
People say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing everyday and expecting a different result. There’s some truth there.
Cardi B has done something different at every turn and has reaped the rewards of those bold changes. She used to make it rain in the strip club, then she was doused in likes on social media, then she was a fan favorite on a reality show, and now she is getting money and accolades for being a platinum-selling, chart-topping rap artist. Imagine if Cardi had been too scared to step outside of the stripper life just because it was familiar and paying the bills? The same applies to you. Don’t get so caught up in the comfort of the status quo that you forget about stretching yourself and reaching for more.
Be a Boss
This is not one of those bits of advice that looks down on folks with a 9 to 5.
There is NOTHING wrong with having a steady paycheck and it’s damn near orgasmic to have health benefits. This is about being a boss in everything you do. Work smarter not harder, right? So, okay you have your day gig and you have people you report to and maybe people who report to you.
Think about how to streamline those interactions and how to better utilize your time. For example, if you think there are too many damn meetings at your job, say that and offer a solution. Maybe utilizing a Basecamp or Slack account more efficiently could eradicate those time-draining meetings.
Be the boss of you in every aspect of your life. That former colleague of yours who is always full of negative energy every time you run into her around town? Ignore her. Completely. You don’t owe anybody your energy, much less some sad, mean person with a grudge.
In short, make 2018 the year nobody can f*ck with you.
Follow Demetria Irwin on Twitter @Love_Is_Dope and connect with her on Facebook.