I just stumbled upon the great question, “How is the Recession Affecting You?” Here’s how the recession helped my get perspective. Ever since I was a kid, my dad mapped out my plan: Get Good Grades —> Go to College —-> Get a Good Job—>Retire. I never thought of these as hard things to do, it just simply was my reality. Degree from UCLA? Check. Good job at Adidas? Check. After 8 years at the brand I loved, I finally realized there’s more to life than what I had achieved. I grew weary and ill in the process of working for them and I knew it was time to focus my energy on myself, my company, my life.

The first person I told was my dad. His immediate response was, “You’ve got to get another job.” Not exactly the encouragement I was hoping for. But to be honest, it had been like that my whole life. He was there to catch me if I fell, but never encouraged me to leap. This time was different. I fought my case like the trained attorney I once wanted to become. I showed him my evidence: The markets were tanking, he’d just lost thousands of 401k dollars, so he knew that all a job could do was deliver stress and a weekly check, not a guaranteed future. Don’t get me wrong, a steady income is nice. But, I knew that working for myself, I had no limited income. I had the flexibility to work as much or as little as I chose. If I could go as hard as I did for the 3 stripes, but this time on behalf of my own brand, I would win big time. I had already built a small clientele of people that loved my work. All that was waiting was the leap. The Leap of Faith that says, “God Believes in Me, I Believe in Myself and so should You.”

So, I jumped. And hit the ground running! I feel like a kid again…I love what I do, and if I want to take a day off to play, I can. In fact, last Tuesday, I went on a ride while the rest of the city stayed inside. And then, I came home and worked until 4am. Sure, there are lean months, but there are flush months too. Nothing feels as good as answering to no one but my customers. Every time I hear Beyonce say, “Where yo boss at?”, I smile a little on the inside, because I am a BOSS.

So, yeah, I’m balling like it’s RECESS. Anyone want to play?

Porsche Taylor
www.springcartdesignlab.com