Happy Thursday Everyone! I haven’t blogged in almost 3 weeks! Sometimes I guess we all need a little break and reset. I ended up having 260 PowHer.fit affiliate applications turned in from my last blog post, so that kept me plenty busy sorting through all of them, choosing who to add to my affiliate team, and getting them all set up on top of all of my usual business tasks. What a blessing it was to have such a wonderful influencer response!

So last week I received a message on instagram, and honestly it initiated this entire topic which is also going to be my first 3 series set of blog posts!

Now let me start off by saying this blog will hit some on the topic of money.  I know that can be a very uncomfortable topic for some people (speaking from past previous experience myself), so if you want to bail out, feel free to do so.  I would rather this just not be “your type of blog” rather than make someone feel uncomfortable or get a mean message.  I also typed a lot in this blog about my own life as a reference.  If you don’t like that writing style, again you do not have to read it!

To give everyone a little back history that may not already know me, my name is Randa and I grew up in a very small town (Population 876) called Bremond, Texas.  I was raised by a hard working middle class family who taught me the value of hard work and how to properly manage money while always living within my own means.  My mom is a bookkeeper and my dad is our County Sheriff.  When I graduated from Texas A&M in 2009, I was the first person in my family to graduate from college.  I started my first ever business as a sophomore in college (2007) and while my family was emotionally supportive, they viewed entrepreneurship as risky.  My parents did purchase me a car (a black Honda Civic Coupe) when I graduated high school because they always told me they would do that if I graduated valedictorian.  I lived in the dorms my first year of college as it was covered by my scholarships, and after that my parents purchased a duplex.  I got to live rent free (not bill free) as long as I managed all the other tenants, kept the other rooms rented, mowed the yard, and did all the maintenance work that I physically could.  So yes, I come from a wonderful and very loving family who always helped me where they could!  As far as my college education, I did that all on my own and I actually MADE money going to college.  I received anywhere from 3-4k back each semester from the additional scholarships I had.  (Side note, I worked my butt off my senior year of high school applying for every single scholarship that I was eligible for!) . With the extra scholarship money, I continued to build my cattle herd and also started Southern Jewlz!

Now fast forward to 2014 when Grant and I started dating.  I owned my own home (only 3 blocks away from Grant!), drove my dream car and worked 80+ hours a week for my store and warehouse.  I was a 27 year old single boss babe, if I do say so myself!  I had never been really serious with any of my previous boyfriends, but as soon as I met Grant I could see a future with him!  I knew that Grant came from a more privileged family and background than I did and it made me super uncomfortable at first.  I was someone who was very independent and never had my parent’s credit card or any boyfriend’s credit card in the past.  Money was just kind of a mute point in any of my relationships.  As Grant and I continued to get more serious, I would slowly explain my insecurity of the money thing, and to be honest, it’s still a little uncomfortable to think back to that time as I write this.  I even remember when we got engaged, I didn’t look at the ring for the first 60 seconds at least.  There’s legit a video after he proposed where someone said, “Randa, look at the ring!”  I knew Grant would go above and beyond, and I just needed a moment to take it all in because I’m not used to receiving such grand, expensive gifts.  I love the meaning and design of the ring Grant gave me so much, and you can read why I didn’t post a picture of the ring after we got engaged on this blog post.  I go back and read that post and can feel my insecurity of the money thing.  Why?  Because I was so worried that people would think differently of me than they did when I was the single, independent version of myself.  Silly, I know.  I’m still overcoming it.  I guess I thought if I didn’t talk about it or bring attention to it that people wouldn’t notice or talk about it.  Again, all so silly, but we all go through our own insecurities!  So receiving that message last week on instagram honestly made me realize that 1) I post a lot more about our life now with my blog so people see our nice home and lifestyle and 2) I never hide the fact when asked about Grant’s businesses.  He is in real estate development as well as many diversified family businesses that have been around for up to 3 generations.  People can just tell that Grant comes from a well-off family and he makes a good living.  What I am finally comfortable with is the fact that if someone wants to assume I don’t work like I used to when I was single – then that’s on them.  I know how hard I work, and honestly I don’t have to prove that to anybody.   Wow – look at me overcoming my own insecurity.

Now how does rambling all about our background have anything to do with the point of this blog?  I’m getting there!

Something I’ve recently realized about myself is that I have ALWAYS focused on making a positive impact with my work rather than just showing up for a paycheck.  I didn’t just start doing this whenever I got married and had other financial support within the household I lived in, but I also did this when I was broke as a joke, young, and just starting out.  Whenever I had my little pink house for Southern Jewlz, I would always tell my employees that visitng us was the highlight of most of our customers days.  I felt passionately about that and wanted to keep it that way.  I want people to feel that way today when they visit my blog or any social media outlets!  And honestly, I think it has and always will be one of the main reasons that I find a way to be successful.

Each of our work, the careers we have, the jobs we show up for, or the families we raise at home is such a big portion of our lives!  Maybe I’m jaded since I’ve never viewed any of my jobs or business endeavors as just a “way to make a paycheck”, but focusing on love, encouragement, positivity, and overall impact can make all the difference.  I don’t think any of us should judge someone else’s choice of what we choose for work.  I think ALL jobs are so important: stay at home moms, 8-5pm employees, and business leaders, etc..  I also think whether or not someone may think someone else has to work/needs to work really doesn’t make a difference.  I never realized how insecure I was about any of this until after Grant and I got engaged.  Some people would literally ask me if I was still going to work.  I am someone who will ALWAYS work, no matter what the given job or business is.  After Grant and I got married, I’ve had people call me a rags to riches story which hurt so much!  I didn’t come from rags, and even if I did, why say something so mean?  I didn’t just turn into riches.  I am still working my booty off to make all of my business endeavors impactful, meaningful and successful.  So receiving the instagram message last week meant so much to come from a woman who could tell that my husband did well and that I still put so much heart and soul into all of my own hard work.  That’s just how I’m wired!  For me to feel truly fulfilled as a human being, I have realized I want to make a positive impact on other’s lives while also being able to create more income and opportunity for my own family.  My way is not necessarily the right way, the wrong way, or the only way – but it’s the way that works for me!  I think everyone should soul search to learn more about themselves and what fulfills them from within as an individual.  That’s where I think true happiness comes from!

I highly recommend reading “The Road Back to You” all about the Enneagram.  Learning more about your own instinctive personality only helps you to get to know yourself better, understand more about you, as well as what fulfills you, excites you, stresses you, and so forth.  I also suggest getting to know what your spouse’s Enneagram is, too!

I am a 3 Wing 4.  Yes, I’m the “Achiever/Performer” personality.  To explain the 3 in brief (before adding my 4 wing):  self-assured, ambitious, competent and energetic.  3’s are highly driven for advancement (hello the fact that I’m becoming a serial entrepreneur LOL), diplomatic and poised, but can also be concerned with their image and what others think about them.  This is probably a reason why I struggled so badly marrying a well-off man because I used to be so “worried” that people would think I would not have to work the same as I did in the past. I remember when SJ still had a store front and people would tell me, “I came by, but you weren’t even working the cash register.” That used to bother me so badly!  There was so much that went on behind the scenes that people didn’t see.  I’d be lying if I said starting to work on my physical shape wasn’t just to lose weight for our wedding, but I also wanted to show people how hard I really worked.  Glad that part of my life is behind me!  Even happier that it helped kick start me into a fitness lifestyle and now career!

Side note – I am still not 100% past all of my insecurities, but I’m sure moving in the right direction.  If I was worried about what people thought about me like I did in the past, I would not be opening up or writing this!

A 3 at their healthiest is self-accepting (this is still a fairly new thing for me and it feels so good!), authentic, everything that they seem to be, and role models who inspire others.  Let me tell you, reading that sentence about being a healthy 3 means so much to me!  Bringing these strong suits that I possess to the workforce is a true gift.  This is what I mean about impact over chasing the dollar.  On the opposite, a 3’s basic fear is being worthless.  This is probably why when people would “assume” that I wouldn’t work anymore because I “didn’t have to” affected me so much!  A 3’s basic desire is to feel valuable and worthwhile.  If you don’t know your enneagram number yet, girl go download the audio book of “The Road Back to You” to learn more about yourself!

Now a 3 wing 4 (which is what I am) is known as “The Professional” and fun fact – Rachel Hollis is the same 3 wing 4 on the Enneagram as me!  3 wing 4 means I predominantly take on the personality features of a type 3, but share several with the type 4 as well.  I have had to learn to back off from being a workaholic and putting too much of my identity into how I’m perceived based on my career.  All things that I am still working on!

So why do I think focusing on impact is so important and successful in the workforce?  Because no one can capitalize better than someone who is driven to make a difference in people’s lives.  If every business, workplace and family focused on how to improve the live’s of those around them, I think we would live in a much better world.

To share my own example from last year.  I started working on my first Randa Carrabba the Label collection in January 2018 with a goal of launching in the Fall.  I was still the owner of Southern Jewlz, but I was preparing to sell the company soon.  I was lifestyle blogging and fitness influencing for another program.  My launch date for my RC Label was set for the first of October.  Just a week before, I was approached by a previous mentor of the fitness program leader I was influencing for, and after researching on the information I was given, I knew I needed to go a different route.  So I announced I would be leaving the program just a week before I launched my RC Label company and first collection.  I didn’t really know how everything would pan out, but being such an “impact” person, I knew I needed to follow the signs God put in front of me.  After announcing I would be leaving, I spent 3 straight days communicating with many of my online community members, and God continued to show me that I made the right decision, but I was being stretched too thin so I had to push my RC Label Launch back another week from spending 3 unexpected days just communicating with many of you.  My launch went good (not great, but good), however I had to figure out what to do since so many people were following me for fitness.  I was not a personal trainer or nutritionist and had no intention of becoming one (no additional time to give), so I decided to team up with one of the best and start working my booty off to build the PowHer.fit app.  This was never part of my plan, but I knew if I wanted to be successful with Randa Carrabba the Label and dress women for some of the most special events in their life, I needed to help women first FEEL confident in their own skin.  So PowHer.fit is my impact baseline business.  To say it’s been hard growing and building the PowHer.fit company (there were 3 web developer and software switches within the first 6 months alone) while also selling Southern Jewlz, coaching and influencing for the new Southern Jewlz owner, while moving forward with my next collection of RC the Label,  working out 5-6 times a week to lead by example, trying to keep up with this lifestyle blog and just my own married life and little family at home would be an understatement.  This past year has been one of the hardest to balance, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding.  I think as women we all like to feel good about ourselves and surround ourselves with those who make us feel just that.  The community I’ve been able to connect within PowHer.fit is one of the most impactful groups I’ve ever been a part of.  My husband reminds me that it will get easier and having more time to spend on my label will come in the future, but this is a prime example of chasing impact rather than the dollar.

The PowHer.Fit community is a true example of how a business that impacts people lives will bring the most joy to your world. The financial success is a byproduct of hard work and truly bettering people lives including my own, and we are one big accountability support system for each other.  My biggest piece of advice is to not worry about what people think you should or shouldn’t do but rather focus on what positive impact you can have on others lives. If someone wants to “think” I don’t work the same as I did years past, then honestly I’ll take that as a compliment.  I know as I continue to age and mature, I’m only putting more and more love and care into all that I do.  After all, as long as we are happy with ourselves, who cares what others think? (Still a work in progress on my end, but I’m so much better than before.)

Go find out what number you are on the enneagram, figure out what really excites you and makes you happy, and start living more of that way in all aspects of you life – work included!  I promise when you’re happier as an individual, the relationships you have with others will improve as well!  Everything always starts from within!  When you’re on the right path, you will suddenly have all the energy you need to tackle everything!

Thanks for reading my ramblings!  Stay tuned for the next Randa Carrabba the Label launch on Thursday September 5!  I really wanted to have my Paris blog and video up for y’all before then, since Paris played a good inspiration factor into this upcoming collection, but sometimes life just gets a little too hectic.  I swear I’ll get the Paris trip up sometime before 2020 LOL.  I did shoot a few RC lifestyle looks while I was in Paris, so you’ll see that in the upcoming launch!  I would love for you to follow along on instagram at Randa Carrabba the Label.

In closing, I thought this quote was perfect, “Confidence is splitting your crown up into little pieces and sharing it with everyone you meet.”

xo,