Some of my observations on what is fueling the exhaustion everyone is feeling as well as my recommendation on moving through it.
Book a coaching session with me: https://calendly.com/gerdungmelinda/coaching-session
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Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io
Produced By White Hot
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Find out more about my work: www.melindagerdungcoaching.com
Book a session with me: https://calendly.com/gerdungmelinda/coaching-session
---
Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io
Produced By White Hot
---
Some of my observations on what is fueling the exhaustion everyone is feeling as well as my recommendation on moving through it.
Book a coaching session with me: https://calendly.com/gerdungmelinda/coaching-session
---
Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io
Produced By White Hot
---
Find out more about my work: www.melindagerdungcoaching.com
Book a session with me: https://calendly.com/gerdungmelinda/coaching-session
---
Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io
Produced By White Hot
---
Hey my friends! Its about that time of year where its almost time for benefits enrollment at the old day job. And they've sent out a breakout of expected contributions for 2024 in the state that I live in for the various plans that you can select for the upcoming year. And it is broken out by what your annual eligible compensation is. And when you look at the table that they've provided, you can see that people in the lowest tier of income will have 12% deducted from their paycheck. And it gets progressively less until you reach the highest tier of income up to the 1 million mark. And those people can expect to have 2% deducted from their paycheck. Meaning that is not set on a sliding scale. And now in the table that they've sent out to everyone, they don't have it conveniently broken out by percentages. You have to actually sit there and do the math on that. They have like dollar amounts on the table. But even though like the dollar amounts are higher on what the people in the higher income tiers pay, it is still drastically less of a percentage of their pay then those at the bottom of the tier. This system is literally rigged to be harder on those making less. Plus the costs are going up from 2023 to 2024 already. So unless you get a raise enough that it will cover those extra costs, you will be making less next year then you made this year. And even if you get a raise to cover the expenses, it's not even a real raise because it is literally just keeping things at status quo. And this isn't even taking into consideration inflation. This is literally just looking at medical insurance costs. And I'm telling you all this because people are tired. And in our capitalistic society, I think we make the mistake of feeling a sense of personal failure when we're struggling. And so if it feels like you were fighting so hard just to keep your head above the water, let alone to actually make any changes, I want you to know that it isn't your fault. It isn't a personal failing of yours. The system is rigged against you. There are very real forces at play that are working against us. So if shit feels hard, if you feel exhausted, it isn't just a you problem. And I also say this as someone who 1,000% believes that it is possible to make things better for ourselves. Like in no way am I ever saying that we should just curl up in a ball and give up. Like I believe that there are always options out there. I believe we are all capable of so much. I've told the story on here before of how I gave myself a $25,000 raise just by demanding a higher salary. That was one of the side effects of coaching-- that increase in confidence that allowed me to do that. That's also very real. I've done a dog sitting side gig and made extra money like that. There are always opportunities and ways. Always. I will die on that hill. AND it would be remiss to not talk about how you will also be going up against a system that is rigged against you. And it is rigged against some people stronger than others. If you hold marginalized identities, it is rigged even more for you and that sucks. And it's unfair. The whole thing is unfair. And that doesn't mean give up. It doesn't mean don't seek opportunities for yourself. I believe it is all of our birth rights to seek out whatever opportunities we want. I believe that grit and determination and a solid belief in yourself can take you far. AND I also think you need to be gentle on yourself. I'm a striver. Like, I'm always trying to beat this system because fuck the system. I am determined to break it and because of that I feel exhausted most of the time. Because it is like running on a treadmill full speed on an incline. And that exhaustion isn't because I'm a failure or that I suck. Although sometimes it feels that way. It is really just a byproduct of fucking the system or trying to. And if I were to beat myself up for that exhaustion, not only would I probably give up at some point, but I will be compounding my exhaustion. I will be adding suffering on top. And so this is what I really want you to hear
in this:the need for grace for yourself. Because I don't want to discourage anyone. That's really not what I'm here to do. But I also don't want to put a toxic positive spin on anything and deny the fact that life is sometimes, a lot of the time, really fucking hard. And that doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. It is kind of hard by design. I really truly believe that anything is possible for you my friends. I believe the world is your oyster and anything you set your mind on you can achieve. Truly. I truly believe that with all of my heart. And I also believe that just because it is possible does not mean it will be easy. Possible does not equal easy. And when things aren't easy, as they will sometimes be, it is so important to extend compassion and grace to yourself in those moments. Because that is what will carry you through the hard times. That is what will carry you from one moment to the next. Let yourself rest when you need to because sometimes you will need to. We all do. That's the truth of it. All right, my friends. I love you. Until next time, be well.