When Purpose Doesn’t Leave You Alone

I first started The Urban Profit back in 2016. Wild to think that’s ten years ago now. Even wilder to think about where this “brand” of mine has been since then.

I started it almost out of necessity. I just wanted to get better with money. I was only a couple years out of college, had my first big-boy job, and was still always broke. Always living paycheck to paycheck. On top of that, I kept falling into every financial trap in the book. Credit card debt. Payday loans. All of it.

I wanted to learn how to do better. How to escape the trap. And while doing that, I wanted a place to document the journey. Partly because I wanted to help others who might be struggling with the same things. Partly because I needed the accountability. I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t grow up with a community that was financially sound. So I had to learn a lot the hard way. And I figured if I created a page sharing the journey, I’d be more likely to stick with it.

Eventually, people started paying attention. I was featured on podcasts. Folks engaged with my posts. Schools and organizations even reached out for public speaking engagements. Things were going well.

But it was hard. Coming up with new material was hard. Speaking in front of hundreds of people was hard. But do you know what was hardest?

Losing passion for a brand I once cared so deeply about. Letting something I built sit dormant for years. And even harder than that? Trying to revive it in a completely new era of tech and content.

But I realized I had to choose my hard. Nothing worth having comes easy. I had to learn that the hard way, but I’m glad I did.

Because what’s really hard are the “what ifs.” What if I kept the brand alive and pushed through the days, weeks, and months where my creativity was dry? What if I kept reading, studying, and learning? What if I didn’t let my mom throwing away the budget I made her get to me? What if instead of taking her dishonesty around debt personally, I took it as proof that more people need this kind of help?

Ten years later, I have a lot of thoughts. On one hand, I see the struggle to get engagement and how competitive it is now. On the other hand, I’m grateful to still be in the fight. I’ve created more content than ever before. I have an actual digital library now. I wrote my first ebook and my second one is almost done.

But above all, I got more comfortable choosing my hard. I’d rather grind to rebuild this brand than let it sit on the sidelines again. I’d rather struggle to learn something new so I can share my perspective than not learn at all. I’d rather look at all the accounts that blew up while I stepped away and learn from them instead of letting bitterness sit in my chest.

I’d rather take the pain of what I went through with my mom and her financial struggles and turn it into something that benefits someone else.

Regardless of the likes, downloads, or sales, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. I’m proud I overcame the fear of trying. I’m proud to take my lumps learning something new if it means someone else might find life a little easier.

Life isn’t always going to be easy. But if you stay true to yourself and to the mission God puts you on, it will always be worth it. Even the Bible never promised an easy road — but it did promise He’d make a way.

So if you’ve found your way to this post, I hope you find something in it. I hope it gives you a little wind in your sail. But above all, I hope you don’t give up. Your dreams are worth fighting for. Your goals are worth sacrificing for. There will always be challenges. There will always be moments of doubt. But don’t take what I thought was the “easy” route out. I’d hate for you to end up sitting on the sidelines I once occupied, wondering “what if.”

Keep going. Keep fighting. Keep helping. Keep serving. Because even though the journey isn’t always easy, it will absolutely be worth it in the end. Don’t ignore the assignment just because it’s heavy. If God put it on your plate, He plans to feed you through it.