A Guide To Making Jefa Moves

Stop everything you’re doing right now. Think about your next five years. I know, I know. What an unpopular question to ask. But hear me out. Pretend that you’re in the space in which you’re imagining your future: What do you see? Are you on your way to being even more of a badass or is your imagination being a bit modest at the moment? Whatever the case is, I hope that you know that you’re in control of any outcome. Of course, I understand that sometimes life doesn’t pan out the way we’d like for it, but the good news is that there are plenty of things that we can keep under control.

First of all, please don’t feel unmotivated if you feel as though life is only (figuratively) slapping you around. Instead, focus on how to stay on track, despite any derailments you’ve been experiencing. Please keep it together a little longer and try to engage in some of the following moves that may help you acquire success.

Remember, success is relative, so your meaning of success may be different than mine and that’s totally fine.

Be okay with failure. 

Failing is an inevitable part of success. I’m sure you’ve heard of this before. It almost sounds like it’s played out more than when “Despacito” was peaking everywhere. I used to hate hearing this (and kind of still do), but there’s reasoning to this madness. The thing is that we wouldn’t be able to truly enjoy our achievements if we didn’t taste the ground from time to time. So, don’t sulk (too much) if you’re in a situation you feel you won’t be able to get out. Stop and think how that failing circumstance can be seen as a learning experience. Try finding solutions to your problems. Let yourself break down, but get back up ready to give it all your fight. Oh, and prepare yourself to wiggle your way out of future failures. Learn what you could’ve done differently and how you could avoid certain predicaments. Just know that you are bound to fail again. The only difference is that you will be ready to face them next time. Well, that’s only if you start learning from them today. So, get to it!

Check your circle. 

I’m not talking about that Netflix show that has become many people’s guilty viewing pleasure, either. I am talking about who surrounds you. If you’re like me, you have friends from all different walks of life and that’s perfectly okay. However, we do need to pay some attention when it comes to choosing the people who will influence our personal growth and development. I’m not saying everyone around you has to be a genius or wealthy AF. That’s just unrealistic. But before you can even think about your surroundings, you must analyze your life. Look, personal development will never be present at a bar while you take body shots with the cheapest tequila the bar has to offer. As fun as it sounds and as much as you think this is crucial to the development of your social skills, it’s not. Trust me, I would know. Those times are fun, but at some point we must think of our future.

Here’s the thing: Sooner or later (please try to make it sooner), body shots must become dinner meetings and keg stands somehow become phone chats with a mentor about their stance on a current event. I can understand how this sounds like a snoozefest, but this is for your own good.  Sadly, partying aimlessly won’t get you too far in life.

You have to learn how to be strategic about the moves you make down the line. In order to change your priorities to further benefit your life, you must choose who will inspire you to get there. I hate to break it to you, but the friend who always wants to get into some mess at 1 AM on a Wednesday night is not the one who will help you make jefa moves. You’ll need people who are ahead of you in every way. You’ll want people who have experience already and can openly offer advice to you. Find them and learn from them. It’s okay to mimic their behaviors and to try to be validated by them. You’ll know that these people have their life together and you’ll want to mirror that. Do all of that. That’s you changing your mindset for the positive advancement of your life thanks to the people you surround yourself with. Pay attention to that. That’s you growing and it will feel f-ing awesome.

Your mental health is part of it all.

Taking care of your mental health, without a doubt, will always allow you to maneuver your way into better situations in the long run. Mi gente, it’s no fun to try to win at life when your mind is at war with itself. Believe me, everything will feel more difficult than it is and that’s what we should try to avoid at all costs. I will tell you that the first thing you should do is see a professional if you feel as though your mental health is in extreme danger. You can also see a school counselor, a friend, or a relative you trust, if you need to talk about it. There are online forums as well that may help you navigate through your mental health.

Another thing you can do to promote a healthier mind is to start saying no. You aren’t a superhero, so you shouldn’t try to do too much. Take on things that you know you will be able to complete without putting strain on any other tasks you need to work on. I’m not saying you can’t be a multi-tasker, either. By all means, juggle away! All I want you to do is to say No when you feel like you can’t handle something. Oh, and please say no with confidence. I know some people feel bad saying no (I’m one of those people), but you should never feel bad for saying no. If anyone makes you feel bad for that, then forget them. Move it along without looking behind.

Once you understand how important it is to preserve your mind, you will cherish it more. Not to mention, your decision-making will become sharper due to the care you provide to your mind. Trust me, taking over the world with a peaceful mind will help you charge at life with more force. You just can’t make the right moves without having your mental health in check.

Invest in yourself, boo.

Y’all. I’m as frugal as it can get. I swear I’m a penny-pinching 98-year-old woman trapped in a 29-year-old body. I really just enjoy frugality. Well, it can also be because I’m traumatized by the times I was always broke in my younger days, so this is how my trauma reveals itself. But just because I’m frugal doesn’t mean I don’t know the importance of investing in myself. See, properly investing in yourself can make a huge difference in your life.  When I talk about investing in yourself, I’m talking about honing yourself as an adult with lots of value. You really don’t want to go into life without many skills, especially with how crazy the workforce is now for us millennials. There’s no getting around it that it is expected for us to know everything, which is annoying. The good news is that we can step ahead of these expectations. The reason for that is because we have so many resources readily available for us.

Being that the Internet is so accessible, there shouldn’t be any excuse on why you can’t invest in yourself. There are so many places you can acquire skills from. Before I actively went looking for different ways on how I can prepare myself for life, I didn’t know how many things we have around us. The more I actively searched for other ways to teach myself necessary skills, I realized that the Internet is filled with ways to help you. There are websites and apps that will charge you a small fee to certify you with certain skills. For instance, if you’re into marketing like myself, you can navigate through the following sites to further develop these skills:

Or if you want to learn about SEO, you can go to the following places:

  • This is the one I did — SEO Training by Yoast.

  • This one is a bit more pricey, but it’s one of the top sites.

  • You can even take these courses in Spanish, if that’s your flow.

How about learning about finance? We got you. Search through these websites:

  • Udemy rules for free online courses, especially with a specialization in anything relating to finance.

  • Harvard also provides free finance courses. Look into them. They’re worth it.

The great thing about these online courses is that they’re usually a fraction of the price and you may even be able to include them on your resume. Just check to see if the site you’re using is reputable.

As you may know, the Internet is endless. You are bound to find what you are looking for one way or another. I do suggest that whenever you try to sign up for some of these courses, you make sure that they have been verified. Try Googling those sites to see if any reviews populate (reviews should pop up). All you need to do is to read through them. Please don’t get scammed. Be thorough in your selection!

You can also invest in yourself in higher education. Please note that I’m not here to lecture you over whether you should get a college degree or not. Honestly, that’s not my place. I understand that college is not for everyone and that’s perfectly fine. I know that’s not the only way you can succeed and make jefa moves. However, I will suggest a few things that may help you out if you do decide you want to go to college.

First of all, consider your choices. Perhaps you may have heard that a four-year university is the ONLY way to go and that’s how you’re going to secure a job. But I’ve got news for you: That isn’t completely true. You can also secure a job after attending a community or junior college for your first years and then transferring to a university. You’ll even be okay if you decide to do all of your college degree in a community or junior college. So, don’t stress it and screw the botched advice you might be getting from some people.

Also, you don’t have to limit yourself to college in the United States. As corny as it sounds, the world is truly your oyster.

It’s no secret that getting a college degree in the states can give people quite the debt. However, there are ways around it. Of course, you can try getting a scholarship. But that’s not always an option for everyone. Instead, try applying to colleges and universities outside of the United States. This process can be somewhat tricky, but it never hurts to try. Nevertheless, it’s worth the try because oftentimes educational institutes around the world are more affordable than the United States with the same quality (or better!) in education.

Making Jefa Moves BELatina Latinx
Photo via healthline.com

Let’s take the Complutense University of Madrid. This is one of my favorites. They offer online Master’s programs at a median of $6,000 Euros (which translates to a little over $7,000 dollars) and that’s phenomenal. On average, higher education is more than $30,000 in the United States and there’s no doubt that $7,000 dollars is definitely more attractive. They even give you the opportunity to pay off your school little by little. On top of that, the Complutense University of Madrid has programs in English as well. All you need to do is sit down and go through everything (calmly!) before you make a decision. Oh, yes. Most of their degrees are reciprocated in the United States. It’s a win-win situation for sure.

This is just one example of the many universities around the world that are willing to accept foreign students. It’s really unfortunate that most of us aren’t ever educated on these different options. I feel as though society drills unnecessary expectations into people, but at what expense? There are so many options at our reach, yet we are barely given the chance to explore it.

Before making any decision about your education, look into the endless programs the world has to offer — not just the United States. Check online programs. I know England has a few that may appeal to some of you. Doesn’t that sound exciting?

But please understand that I’m not a career counselor in any way. I’m just giving you advice based on my personal experience. Frankly, I would’ve loved to have someone tell me all of this when I was younger, but you live and you learn!

Accountability.

Make yourself accountable for your actions. What I mean by this is that you shouldn’t try to blame others for your shortcomings. That just won’t take you anywhere. Instead, own up to your decisions and take charge of how they’ve unraveled. I want you to keep in mind that there’ll be plenty of times where you’ll be disappointed with the results of something that was attached to you, but that’s just life. You have to accept your shortcomings as much as you accept your achievements.

Don’t forget about those money moves. 

Money is so versatile that it can fix or create problems. Sometimes even simultaneously. This is why a lot of the moves we make toward success should place some focus on how you manage your money.

I know that managing money can be frustrating sometimes, but it’s something that must be done. I’ll be honest with you, I was terrible at managing my money years ago. I would allow my bank account to be almost empty every time and then I’d be worried how I was even going to survive the next day. It was a stressful time, but a lot of it came from my careless decisions concerning money. I had no business buying out the tab for people at my local bar or buying outfits every weekend to try out the new restaurant in town. What the hell was I thinking? I realized that something had to change and that budgeting was my only hope. The problem was that budgeting for a month was so difficult for me. Everything became easier for me when I started to budget on a week-to-week basis.

The way you budget on a weekly basis is by allocating funds for seven days at a time. Prior to setting up that budget, I would have the larger bills set aside, such as rent and utilities. After that, the remainder I’d use the remainder of the money for my weekly budget. For example, I’d say I would only spend $20 dollars for meals each day, $35 to fill up the gas tank for the week, and $40 for miscellaneous spending. Following this budgeting method allowed me to save money and feel at ease with my finances. Aside from budgeting, you also want to be conscious of your spending. I’d suggest you ask yourself if you really need whatever you are ever about to purchase. I promise it’ll put things into perspective. In no time, you’ll only buy what you need, which will give the opportunity to save even more.

Save it. 

I can’t stress this enough, but open a savings account. Or find a spot in your home where you can hide money away. Really, it doesn’t matter where you store it, just make sure you are saving money. Making moves is all about being prepared and saving for a rainy day is something you should take into account. However, I’d suggest you save more for other things besides rainy days. Try setting a small goal for the reason behind your savings. It could be to buy a house, a new car, or even those new shoes you’ve been eyeing for a while. It can be whatever you’d like. I just want you to get into the habit of saving because that’s the simplest form of responsibility. Excelling in saving money means you’re much closer to your version of success than you thought.

Having a little bit of guidance in life can make things just that much easier. I’m not saying my suggestions are the best or better than anything out there, but it’s something to consider. At the end of the day, I just want all of us to make jefa moves and to reach all of our proposed accomplishments. So, go on. Make those moves and make all of us proud!

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