08/25/2026
WE LOVE A GOOD REFRAME, so I’m reframing the way I talk about my “work.”
For the longest time, whenever I talked about everything I had going on, I was reminded in one way or another…
“But you don’t get paid for that.”
And somewhere along the way, I let that change the way I talked about my own time.
Instead of saying I was working I was “busy doing STUFF” or I’d find myself over-explaining exactly what I was doing because calling it “work” didn’t feel justified without a paycheck attached to it.
But 👏🏼we’re 👏🏼fixing 👏🏼that 👏🏼
Because with everything I have going on, I think it’s safe to say…I work!
I volunteer. I lead. I plan. I facilitate. I advocate. I attend meetings. I build partnerships. I answer emails. I create. I prepare. I travel. I show up!
Right now, I’m also intentionally investing in myself as a lifelong learner. I’m taking courses, learning new skills, and continuing my own development. I may not be traditionally “enrolled in school,” but I’m allowed to protect my time for learning too.
None of those things suddenly become less valuable because there isn’t a paycheck or transcript attached to them.
So maybe someone else needs this reminder too:
You are allowed to have professional commitments that don’t come with a paycheck!
If you’re volunteering, taking courses, building something, serving your community, developing a skill, or investing in yourself, you don’t have to minimize that time because it doesn’t fit neatly into a traditional definition of “work” or “school.”
Your time still deserves boundaries.
Your commitments still deserve respect.
And YOU are allowed to treat them that way.
So with that being said…
If you notice my phone spending a little more time on Do Not Disturb, sorry not sorry!
Ya girl is working 🤍
