The Bloom Report Vol 29 [Bloomology] 🌹🌹🌹

Welcome To Friday! 📆

Let this be the year that you finally start listening to your inner voice. The year that you stop waiting for opportunities to come to you and instead you start creating opportunities for yourself.

2024 will be your year of building your own table and creating seats for other people to eat too.

I was forced into this way of thinking due to my layoff and it’s been a game-changer.

While doing my research for this newsletter, I came across this question and I can’t stop thinking about it.

When I reflect back on this for an answer, I was seven and my parents said they would give me money if I wrote a book report for every book I could read in a week. During the first Friday of this experiment, I walked away with $50. That’s a lot of money for a seven-year-old. My parents had to ask me to slow down because I understood the assignment.

The second way I made money on my own was a created a printed newsletter in the 5th grade and it had a gossip column that everyone wanted to read. It was alot of work because and used all the paper in the printer, so I had to increase the cost to $5 per issue. It was so good the teachers shut me down because it was causing fights and kids weren’t paying attention in class.

Looking back I’ve always been a writer and I’ve always known that I had two valuable skills, writing and communications. The power of storytelling and owning my own narrative.

Knowing this gives me confidence and a bigger self-belief in my skills on my own. Without a job or an employer, I know I can rely on myself to get money and create opportunities for myself. I’ve gotten to this place of all I want to do is monetize my genius with ease.

Let me share my tips on how to create opportunities for yourself both in the workplace and in the marketplace.

If you feel stuck in place or aren't getting the kinds of opportunities you want, don't wait around expecting things to change on their own. Take matters into your own hands with these three proven tips:

1. Make Your Interests and Goals Known

Don't assume your potential clients, friends, co-workers, managers, or leaders know what you want unless you directly tell them. Clearly communicate your career interests, skills you want to develop, promote your products and services, projects you want to lead, or new roles you may be interested in taking on. Share the projects you’re working on, even the things that are “in progress”. Make it easy for decision-makers or people looking to hire you to think of you when opportunities come up.

2. Raise Your Hand for New Challenges Outside Of Your Comfort Zone

Step forward and volunteer when interesting projects or initiatives launch in your workplace. Shoot your shot in DMs to get opportunities. You may have to take on additional work, but it shows you're engaged and ambitious. Doing great work on new challenges gets you noticed and paves the way for bigger opportunities down the road. Doing great work and sharing what you’re doing will get you even further.

3. Build Your External Network

Build your community, and your fans list. People are looking for people to follow. People are looking for people to root for.

You are PEOPLE sis!

Don't spend all your time focusing inward on opportunities within your current organization, group chat, or neighborhood. Connect with plenty of people outside of your current network, including mentors, experts in your field, clients, and more. The more relationships you build, the more you'll hear about exciting opportunities and openings you may not have otherwise known about.

Creating opportunities requires effort, persistence, and courage. But taking decisive action instead of waiting passively is the best way to move forward.