Wealth assessment (a startastic view)

When I first began pushing my magazine StarChild full-throttle, I was inundated with outside projects that could lead to increased revenue. Several people requested my (paid) expertise for consulting. Others loved my photographic eye, and offered me money to take family pictures and senior photos of their children. Some wanted to pay me to market and/or speak at their events. For almost 99percent of these requests, I did not oblige. Not because the money wasn't good, but simply because my heart just wasn't in it.

One day I was having a conversation with my friend and best-selling author, Kareem Vaughn. He had a great idea he wanted me to execute. After he ran down on the details of the project, he said "All I need you to do is.." and I stopped him there. "I'm straight Kareem. I don't want to do it." He was taken aback. "Why? It's already something you know how to do? I'm PAYING YOU! You'll be making some extra money." I shook my head. "I'm just not feeling it." He reiterated, "but I will be PAYING YOU, Brandee." And that's when I said the words that still make him laugh uncomfortably to this day;"I'm not motivated by money." I said. Matter of factly and finitely.

When I heard those words come out of my mouth, I admit I kind of shocked myself, too. Afterall, I was still working at a 9-5 making bare bones money and struggling to find funding to keep StarChild up and running. On the one hand I always prayed to God for wealth, but on the other hand I was constantly turning down opportunities to achieve it. What the hell was wrong with me? I thought. I tried to convince myself that I was lazy, but my dedication to StarChild and gumption to continually show up to a job I loathed trumped that assessment.

So if it wasn't laziness, what was it? Why would I offer to do someone's wedding photography for free but shun the idea of doing paid photoshoots for people? Why wasn't I following up with business owners to run ads in SC but would not only run but CREATE an ad for free for a business owner if I felt enthused or empathetic toward their plight? Why was I so friggin backward? And how could I change this about myself? And if I didn't change this about myself, how the heck would I manage to achieve wealth? Or better question, did I really want the wealth I prayed for?

Stay tuned...