One of the best things that happened to me in 2020 was when my unemployment money stopped coming in September due to fraud. True story. Being on unemployment AND getting duped.

I like to think it was God’s way of telling me, “Tisha, it’s about time to fly on your own now.” And since September also happens to be my birthday month and the month I decided to start being more bold, I think He had good reason. Funny how things always seem to work out and present you with the bigger picture, don’t they?

My husband Sean and friends suggested I file for unemployment in April when COVID was first starting, and while I felt a little odd in doing so knowing that others deserved it way more than I did, I also came to the hard realization that I was starting over from scratch yet again in my business and had experienced a significant loss in income I was depending on.

The weekly money deposited onto my EBT card? Sure, it was super helpful as it helped me pay off some bills and keep my finances in check for a short while.

But the one thing I realized is that if the money kept showing up without me working for it, would I ever really “work hard?” Or, would I become dependent on it, complacent and never actually find my own way?

Would I really figure out how to turn my flailing business around?

Would I take the ideas that pile up in my head and actually make them happen?

Would I ditch the crutch so to speak?

Well, seeing as how the funds ran dry in September and I no longer had the government weekly bailout, I had to. There was no other choice. September also became the month I did things I never did before – I gave a startup business grant on my birthday. I created my own #tishatalks LIVE talk show and I started to do things to move the needle in my business again.

Mindset plays such a huge factor whether we choose to take the easy way out and depend on others to do it for us, or if we decide to go all in. Here’s the hard fact – no one will do it for you. It has to be YOU.

I went all in in September.

I decided while the crutch was nice for a short time, I couldn’t lean on any longer. It was time to start standing taller and on my own; figure out what this life had in store for me and start rebuilding it. One day, one learning adventure, one rule of life lesson at a time.

As we move into this brand new year ahead, what “crutch” do you need to ditch to start standing tall on your own?

Rule of Life Lesson #129: