If you know me, you know I’m a bit woo woo. I am the friend that will hype you up on anything.
I’m an Aquarius and if you have heard anything astrology related this week, you know it’s a big one.
There’s 5 planets in retrograde, today is 11/11 (a portal day) and Friday is the 13th.
TLDR: All the universe is aligning for a big shift. Let’s goooooo!
So before you go to bed tonight, I’m gonna need you to do these 3 stupid simple things to make your dreams come true.
Because these stupid simple things continue to work for me.
And I am living my dreams every single day. I’m being so fckin real about all this.
My Vision Board I created a couple days ago.
1. Say it out loud.
Yep. Told you it was stupid simple.
Say your dreams out loud. And be specific as f*ck.
Say them as often as you can. Until you’re sick of hearing it.
To yourself, to your friends, to strangers, to your network, to the internet.
The universe is listening.
Evidence?
The DAY my husband and I decided we wanted to move to NYC, I found the Duolingo social job that I eventually landed. It was the first Duolingo Marketing role that I’d seen that wasn’t in Pittsburgh. (We were living in Colorado at the time and felt stuck.)
We moved to New York City two years ago exactly. And it’s our dream come true. (Even when New York humbles us with some reality. That’s a part of her charm. And I love her for it.)
My newest Youtube series, “Office Tea Party” came to life when I would tell everyone that “something with Lady Socialdown is coming.” I said this before I had any idea of what it was.
I created a show where I get to be smart and dumb and helpful and whimsical with my friends who I adore. This is a dream come true.
One time in Los Angeles, I was thinking of making the jump from producing content at Smosh to brand marketing specifically in cosmetics. While at a bar, I brought this up to a random woman who actually owned a recruiting agency for beauty brands.
A few months later, she had Head of Social role open for my dream cosmetics brand. I got that job. (Additional fun fact, we started chatting up in the bar after she was flirting with my husband not knowing he was taken LMAOOOOO I LOVE LA)
My dream rn? I have so many.
I want to hit 4k watch hours on my Youtube channel and monetize (I’m at 3k)
I want Office Tea Party to keep growing in viewership
I want be a “Head of Studio” (for my own studio??)
I want to keep working with dope clients as a Creative Strategist
I want to raise $10,000+ for sexual assault survivors this December for International Justice Missions’s annual Dressember campaign (coming to my socials soon!)
I want to keep speaking. More keynotes. More panels. More webinars. More collabs.
I want to make more money.
I want to book more brand partnerships as a creator.
I want to book more acting and hosting gigs.
I want to be on Traitors. And win. (peep Alan Cumming on my vision board)
2. Believe it WILL work out for you
This one ultimately comes down to trusting yourself.
Do you believe you can follow through?
Do you believe you can make it happen?
Do you trust yourself to make it work?
Much like RuPaul’s quote, “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you going to love someone else?”
How the HELL are you going to get anyone to believe in you, if you don’t believe in your dreams??
If you can’t trust yourself, how the hell is anyone going to trust you???
Conviction. Follow through. Belief in your ideas and actions. Trust thyself.
To see success, you must do this simple (yet hard) work.
Think of it practically: Say you’re on a Social team and you have an amazing idea. If you don’t believe in it, then how will it ever come to life?? Who is gonna rally behind someone who can’t rally behind their own idea??
Other people’s validation cannot get you to your goals, if you don’t validate yourself first.
This is actually a common compliment I’ve gotten in my life and career: That I’m so sure of my ideas. I’m so confident in what I bring to the table. Even when I was early in my career, I never stopped pitching ideas bc I saw them coming to life.
Which brings me to the last stupid simple thing.
3. Chase them “No’s”
“No” is the cost of entry. No one, not even nepo-babies, get 100% yes’s.
It can be hard to hear. It can be deflating. But hearing a “no” gets you one step closer to a “yes.”
So find whatever phrase helps you accept the no.
For me? It’s “What’s for me, is for me.” and “Good news is on the way.”
And a “no” isn’t a failure. It’s not devastation.
For some, it’s a redirection. For others, it’s a just anotha one.
“i won’t go down” - dj khaled (yes this has two meanings)
In my career and life, I’ve gotten used to “no’s.”
I allow myself to process. Then we move on.
And more importantly: I refuse to be jaded, it’s made me resilient. And optimistic. And better.
F*ck, it feels like every time I post on social and it flops (which is often) that’s a no.
And it’s literally fine. It’s literally a part of the journey. We live to post another day.
And probably learned a way or two to improve along the way.
Here’s my list of some of my most epic rejections in the last year:
A job I was in the final round for disappeared after the hiring manager left the company. This was a job that was so sick, and I would’ve definitely taken it.
Good news: If this job went through, I would’ve never been able to work freelance for myself.
I auditioned for a main emcee role for Magic Mike NYC (which opens next year)
Good news: The audition was appointment only. Not only did I book an audition, I thought I killed it. And that was a HUGE WIN for me. I do love acting.
I auditioned for a reality show and got an interview with the casting team. I didn’t book it because looking back: I wasn’t ready. And I wasn’t telling the truth.
Good news: I’m ready to try again.
I haven’t found management yet. I do want to find a manager/team that can build something very special and very epic with me. I want to find people who see my sparkle and can amplify it to a magical degree.
Good news: I kept all my earnings this year. I negotiated all deals for myself. And that 20% cut that would’ve went to a manager, went to hiring 6+ freelancers instead!
And there’s many fails with partnerships and clients and content that I’ve experienced as well.
Good news: Each one made me better. And it also wasn’t the end of the world.
Bonus: Have an attitude of gratitude.
I was just texting with a friend today who also is going through a lot of change.
She said she wants to practice gratitude and sees me as inspiration for that.
And guess what? This is also simple.
A grateful attitude is one that: Says it out loud.
Say the things that make you grateful out loud and often.
I tell my cats I love them every time I pet them.
I tell my husband how and what and why I feel the warm and fuzzies.
I would compliment my coworkers on any job well done (big or small.)
I text my friends out of the blue what they mean to me.
I be commenting, liking and reposting my friends on social.
I tell my friends that hanging out with them is my safe space.
I tell strangers I appreciate their compliments to my work.
I look at gratitude like this: The tender moments, the genuine compliments, the fond memories often come out when the person is gone. Why?
Why hold in the beautiful things that make my heart sing? The moments in life that I feel more alive. The small things that get noticed only by the smart ones. The warmth I feel when I’m seen.
I’m in my feels, yes. I’m in my luteal phase, yes. It’s 11/11 portal day and that’s my angel number, yes.
But everyday, I do believe all these things to be true.
And I know these stupid simple things will work for you.
Do you believe?
Til the next time, I’ll see you on the Internet!
XOXO
Sarah Whittle aka Lady Socialdown aka Captain of the Woo Woo Train