I am a Badass – ‘AshSpeaks’ Reloaded
“When you up-level your idea of what’s possible, and decide to really go for it, you open yourself up to the means to accomplish it as well.”
-You Are A Badass, Jen Sincero
I began reading the book, You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero in late 2018. However, what should have been completed within a few weeks turned into a few months. I’d pick the book up, read a couple chapters, relate so much that I’d keep reading past my bookmark, put the book down and not return to it for a couple of weeks. This would happen for a course of two to three months, until I finally finished it in February 2019. Although it took me what felt like a decade to finish this gem, I’m so grateful I chose to embark on the journey. Throughout this blog, I’m going to list a few meaningful quotes I came across when reading this NY Times Best Seller!
Launching of AshSpeaks:
“…our beliefs become our actions, our actions become our habits, and our habits become our realities.”
Who is AshSpeaks? Not your typical journalist to say the least. I came up with the alias pretty easily. “Ash” is short for Ashlee, which is my name and “Speaks” comes from… well, me speaking. Instead of the traditional blog it once was, I chose to switch things up. I’ve added more tabs, one being the “On Cam” tab where I post my video content from events I’ve attended, and another being the “Aesthetics,” tab where you can find my graphic related content.
When I first read the quote “…our beliefs become our actions...” in Sincero’s book, it stuck out like a sore thumb, I just had to jot it down. I’d been a huge fan of on-camera work since my sophomore year of college. My classmates and I were required to produce quality packages, and edit them as part of our curriculum. It was around that time that I thought, “Ah… maybe I should take this more seriously. I actually enjoy being in front of the camera.” Take a look at this short clip from 2015 where I’m missing 2 nails, and talking with my hands entirely too much, LOL. But, can we talk about how practice makes perfect and growth?!
https://video.wordpress.com/embed/qn4vbPY8?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=1&loop=0&preloadContent=metadata&muted=0&playsinline=0&controls=1&cover=1
So you might wonder what was holding me back, eh? Complete L A Z I N E S S. Literally JUST that. I already had the knowledge of producing and editing, with the software on my computer collecting dust. But at the time, I guess I hadn’t wanted it as much. As discussed in my ‘The Importance of Networking’ blog, I graduated and spent the majority of my free-time on LinkedIn. I connected with a ton of people, but someone who stood out the most was a reporter from News 12, The Bronx. She was so sweet and had no issue giving me pointers and taking me under her wing. I’ll never forget her advice to just report on events around town using my phone to record. It was THAT easy, and it still took me two years to finally get started. I guess I just had to finally believe in myself. Safe to say, I definitely can come to terms with the saying, “You can lead a horse to the water, but ya can’t make it drink,” LOL.
“…Manifest the reality that you want. Life is an illusion created by your perception, and it can be changed the moment YOU choose to change it.”
My dreams are slowly but surely becoming my reality. How? Because I’m manifesting and putting my all into them. It’s THAT simple. Ultimately, I’d like to be an on-air host, but I also love producing… so, why not incorporate both? By doing this with AshSpeaks, I’m able to solely produce my own videos exactly how I choose to! AshSpeaks is my brand. I come up with the ideas, put together the script, shoot b-roll, ask questions AND edit the footage. It feels so good to be able to do it all, and I owe it to Scripps Howard School of Journalism & Communications at Hampton University, for getting me started! This is my passion, and I can assure you that this is only the beginning.
Once you understand that time, like the rest of your reality, is in your mind, you can make it work for you instead of being its’ slave.”
“…you can make it work FOR YOU, instead of being its’ slave.” Yalllllllll, I hate to say this, but I became a slave to the wrong thing. Working for a company and doing something I grew to really hate wasn’t good for my wellbeing at all. I’m also someone who couldn’t mask how they felt even if I tried, although that’s something I’m working on. My dream for AshSpeaks was put on hold because I became obsessed with making money. And the money I made would be spent on bullsh*t… not even investing in my business. SMH. Thank God my mindset did a 360 my outlook on life is different. I took charge. I turned my blog into a website by purchasing my domain. Created a business email account with my domain, AND designed my business cards. I say this to say, people won’t take you seriously until YOU TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY. One of my colleagues asked for a business card (because of my flyer designs) to give to one of his friends who’d been looking for a graphic designer. But, here’s the joke… I hadn’t had any made yet. Yes, the idea crossed my mind, but I never acted upon it. I felt so disappointed in myself that I lost a potential business opportunity, and from that day on, I said to myself, “Ok, Ashlee… it’s Go time!”
“…envision what you desire, set goals, demand of yourself that you become who you need to become to create the life you desire.”
So, BOOM! I envisioned my desire: entertainment reporting (which will eventually lead me to host, God willing). I set a goal: I purchased a whiteboard and would list 1-4 goals for the month. In February 2019, I wrote: “Pray more, get a full-time position, write/report more and lastly, Stay focused.” Demand of yourself that you BECOME WHO YOU NEED TO BECOME TO CREATE THE LIFE YOU DESIRE: I finally held myself accountable by actually doing what I’ve always wanted to do. So, yay… go me!
“…those who achieve success share one key thing: the belief that they can be, do, and have whatever they set their minds to accomplishing.”
I was once told, (and I’m sure you were told to) “the mind is a powerful thing to waste.” If you train your mind to do something, understand that YOU CAN DO IT! The first step is believing in yourself, the second step is taking the necessary steps to achieve your goal. Put your game face on, Get focused, and Take charge! *sings* I just wanna be, I just wanna be successffffulll, ahhhhh (Trey Songz voice), LOL. But, no seriously. Believe in yourself, you’ll go farther than you anticipate. I promise.
“…it’s not your job to know the how; it’s your job to ask for what you want and wait to discover the how; then take action.”
I knew I wanted to be on camera, I knew I wanted to produce videos, and I also knew how to go about doing so… but like I said, I was lazy. There were times I would pray at night for my purpose, and without even realizing it, beginning to take myself seriously was part of my purpose. So far, I’ve received a plethora of comments from viewers who’ve called me a “natural,” and said they were proud of me. One of my professors who taught me the craft said, “Good luck following this path. You were made for this kind of work!” Needless to say, my heart is full and I truly can’t wait to see everything come together tenfold. Stay tuned, guys. I got that work cooking up!
With love, always.
