Sometimes you need permission to just go for it. This is it. Go for it!

Today’s guest, Ellen Yin is such a powerhouse. She is a successful entrepreneur and business owner with a whole lot of wisdom to boot. Her focus is to help entrepreneurs go from nothing to their first $10,000 month. Ellen’s experience offers a great learning opportunity for you to rise up and take control of your income.

If you have a clear vision of what you want your life to look like, and you realize where you are is not it, permit yourself to change that. Something big doesn’t have to initiate the change. Average is the enemy; you were made for so much more than average. Money is a tool that gives you options. Lean into curiosity and set aside your ego. Do things you’ve never done before. Do one small thing at a time, and don’t let the skill-sets you have now prevent you from starting today.

“The person you are today isn’t capable of creating your new reality. You have to become someone different.”- Ryan D. Lee

Ellen Yin Shares Her Financial Backstory

Ellen Yin was able to pay off the entirety of her student loan debt during her senior year of college. The summer before her junior year of college, she pitched herself for an internship with a fitness company. As part of that internship, they sent her a copy of Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover to review. She had always been pretty responsible with money, but that was her first experience with personal finance. Her new-found knowledge encouraged her to take a look at her debt and come up with a game plan to pay off her debts within a year.

Ellen committed to working two jobs during her senior year of college. One of her paychecks went to paying for rent, food, and bills while the other income was all put towards her loans. When asked where her drive came from, Ellen believes it is mostly due to her upbringing. She is a first-generation immigrant who highly valued the sacrifices her parents made for her. She was able to see the struggles her family went through as a cause of language barriers as well as the overwhelming transition of starting all over in a new country. Her exposure to those hardships instilled a strong work ethic and desire to succeed.

The Problem With Complacency

After college, Ellen’s internship turned into a full time position, but by the winter, there was a company-wide layoff, and she was forced to look for a new position. She found a job in marketing with a healthcare company. But from the first day of working, she immediately knew the job wasn’t for her. There weren’t any glaring issues with the company other than the nagging feeling that she didn’t belong. Ten months in she decided to make a drastic decision and quit her job. She had no backup plan but was intent on figuring things out. This decision was fueled by Ellen’s clear vision of what she wanted her life to look like. She knew that the marketing role did not align with her vision, so she set out to change it. Because she had set aside savings, Ellen could leave her corporate role and lean into her curiosities. The money she saved allowed her the freedom to make different choices.

“If you realize where you are in life does not align with your vision, give yourself permission to change it.”- Ellen Yin

People in her life were perplexed with her decision to leave that job so soon. After all, she didn’t hate the work, and it provided her with a good income. But Ellen firmly believes that complacency is a trap and is worse than being put in a difficult situation. She was not happy with being just OK.

The majority of the American workforce get themselves in a position where they’re trapped. We usually call this the rat’s race. People make just enough money to pay the bills and maybe take a vacation once or twice a year. They live a comfortable life but not an ideal one.

Why Ellen Yin Believes Leaning Into Our Curiosities is Key

“Look at average as the enemy.”- Ellen Yin

The trick to success is by taking things one step at a time. There is too much outside of our control to try and plan everything all at once. This is why Ellen stands by the belief of leaning into our curiosities. That is the place where we discover our passions and hone our skill sets.

While looking for a new job, Ellen was approached by an old coworker who remembered her interest in social media marketing. They owned several coffee shops and were looking for help in growing their Instagram presence. She took on that project and really enjoyed the scope of work and what she was learning. From there, it turned into a sort of ripple effect as she added more clients to her portfolio.

Somewhere along the way, we lose the curiosity we held as children. We sign up for a traditional course of life and fear deviating from that path. But the truth is, the deviation is where our dreams live. It’s so important to think critically and questions the beliefs we hold.

If you’re ready to challenge yourself and your beliefs, then we have the perfect opportunity for you to do so. Head over to our Facebook group to find others who are doing the same and be sure to take our FREE 5-day Cashflow Tactics Challenge. See you there!