Dear Monday,
Thanks for having the word “mon” in you. That’s french for “mine”. In case you weren’t aware, Monday, but it makes me think of you more as “my day”, & frankly that sounds like a much more promising way to start the week.
-My Freshman Year of Life
Industry: Finance
Hat: Financial Educator, Founder/ CEO, myfabfinance.com
School: City University of New York – Brooklyn College Florida International University;
Major: M.A, Urban Policy and Affairs – B.A, Public Administration
Oprah Winfrey once said, ” Failure is a great teacher. If you are open to it, every mistake has a lesson to offer.” No one perhaps understands this better than Financial Educator Tonya Rapley, who found herself in a sticky financial dilemma when her credit score hit an all time low of 540 points. However, Tonya didn’t let this situation define her, in fact she took it upon herself to learn from her past mistakes and in a short 18 months, had improved her credit score by a whopping 130. With her honesty and bubbly personality, Tonya has garnered a large following by sharing her financial journey on her blog My Fab Finance, a finance and lifestyle blog that provides resources for financial empowerment and professional development. I had the time to chat it up and learn how we can create a healthy relationship with your pockets.
Six months after college I was working at a call center; this is not at all where I imagined myself at the time. I graduated in 2007, at the height of the recession, so I made the best out of the situation. However, I knew that it wasn’t the end of it all, so I kept applying and six months later I was hired by Lowes as an Inventory Analyst.
I have a large amount of pride and till this day I still do. When I graduated I had this attitude – “nope I’m not going to work at the mall ”and my mom put me aside and told me “you’re not above doing anything nothing is above you Tonya. You need to do what you need to do.” So it was at that point, that I learned humility. No matter how much you prepare, you will always fall short, which leads me to my next lesson; flexibility. I didn’t have a firm goal after graduating, but I was always open to learning skills from the different industries in which I worked.
As I stepped out the train platform early Tuesday morning, I came across a group of singers sponsored by the MTA- Music Under NYC . Unlike other days where I am maneuvering NYC subway traffic during rush hours, this time I found myself glued to the platform as the group sang Lean on Me by Bill Withers.
My reaction caught me off guard as tears started to fall down my face partially ruining my makeup. Where was this coming from? Why the sudden tears?…I was being reminded of how far I came as an individual, how far I came to accept that “failure” is not the end of it all but a lesson and that life is a roller coaster. You see this girl couple of years ago,when faced with life hurdles would keep to herself and handle business as usual. I had the tendency of blocking whatever was going on in my life and putting on this poker face. It was natural and easy to deal with and plus I was never fond of having people in my ” Business”. I always figured that people had their own things to deal with , why would they want to hear mine? But, when you have a circle of people who LOVES you, they notice unusual patterns, such as being MIA or even the little things like your smile.
My lack of disappearance from social events, became a red flag to my friends and family and they quickly reached out. It was then I realized that I can’t go through life alone. What was I stressing about ” Life” It wasn’t going how I planned it to be ( Bratty Nat) I wasn’t satisfied with my job amongst other things. However, even though I complained I managed to be grateful for the things that were going well.
So as the group sang “Lean on Me” it was a reminder of where I was a year ago and how I managed to push through. If you are out there and you are having a hard time I pray for you.I pray for every twenty somethings trying to figure “life”out; just remember you’re not alone. Just learn to embrace your journey, because later you will realize that it was all part of the process.
Put aside comparing yourself from others virtual prosperity and focus on your goals. All that I ask of you is that you find someone you can lean on, a friend a family member, if anything you should always lean on the word of the Lord for comfort. At the end of the day, we aren’t meant to fight our battles ourselves, reach out to someone.
Love Always.
Nathalie C.
My Freshman Year of Life 