My Curly Adventures by Jessica Serna

I was born and raised in San Antonio! Although I always thought there was nothing to do and couldn’t wait to get out and explore the world, I’ve been a Texan my entire life.

I was such a bookworm growing up. At first, I started with fiction books; eventually moving over to biographies and other nonfiction books. One particular book inspired me the most: In the story, the main character is told he would never amount to anything and was called the dumbest kid in school. His family suffered from poverty and he had no one to believe in him. One day his mom set out to change this by making him read several books a week. He learned about Geology and science and anything that would interest him. He soon rose to the top of his class and eventually went onto medical school. I was so inspired by the way his entire life was transformed by books and the way knowledge is readily available to us all by means of libraries.

I learned so much from his biography; we are not forced to stay in our current life circumstances. And if we do not feel smart or good enough, there is a free solution out there. Even in high school, when I didn’t understand subject material, I would seek out a book that would help me to understand. I didn’t have exposure to what careers might be out there and available to me, so I read about everything until I found what would interest me. Even now, I use books to teach me about everything I need.

My family always instilled in me a strong sense of independence. They always wanted the best for me and wanted to make sure that I was working hard to pursue those goals. Essentially, college should have been unattainable for me because of the high tuition costs. However, my family always encouraged me to find a way.

Even before high school, I was focused on doing my best to get scholarships. I spent summers in math camp so I could get ahead and to earn free college credits in high school. I participated in as many high school extra-curricular activities as I could. I worked a part time job, which served to support my family and save up for college. In my free time, I did all the free SAT practice tests I could find. I couldn’t afford those expensive SAT prep courses, but I could afford the free SAT practice books at the library; I poured over every single one of them. Nowadays, there is so much more free information available to us online!

Because my parents didn’t let our situation make me feel limited, I felt empowered to seek out every opportunity possible to me.

After two years of working constantly, and saving just about every penny from my job, I still didn’t even have enough to cover half a year’s tuition. I could have felt downtrodden, but my family kept telling me something was out there. In the end, I received a full scholarship to a college in Dallas that changed my life.

However, I was also armed with backup plans if things didn’t work out.

The College Years

Those college years were formative for me. As part of my scholarship, I was introduced to a community of other hard-working individuals. Even to this day, they continue to grow and flourish despite limiting circumstances. I was exposed to different cultures, different world views, and different career paths which I had never known.

Initially I studied Psychology. I wanted everyone to have access to opportunities and believe they could shape their future the way they wanted. I read books in high school, such as 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,' that helped me see how important mindset was in overcoming obstacles.

Even though I got a full-ride scholarship, I knew the journey was not over if I wanted to land a job. I sought out a research position (typically those weren’t offered to people until their Junior year). I took extra classes to make sure I soaked up all the knowledge I could. During the summer, I worked a job to pay my bills while also taking on summer classes and unpaid internships. I even graduated early and was able to take some masters classes and received a master’s certificate. By the time I graduated, I had multiple jobs, volunteer opportunities, leadership roles, and internships under my belt. I don’t think there was any more room to fit experience in the schedule I had. I was so convinced that I had what I needed to land a job!

Study Abroad

One of the great and unexpected opportunities that came with my scholarship was the chance to study abroad. As a Latina who didn’t speak Spanish, it’s been my life’s goal to be able to comfortably speak it (and one day spend time living in Mexico and connecting more with my culture). There was a program to study abroad learning Spanish in Spain, and people recommended I go because of how cheap flights were to other countries when you’re in Europe.

It was that trip that really opened my eyes to the beauty of travel.

Studying abroad meant I got to live with a family and immerse myself in the culture. I was forced to speak another language. With all the time I was there, I got to go beyond being just a tourist and discovered hidden gems and places off the beaten path. Most guides will tell you about the most popular beaches in Spain, but I can tell you about the ones where you’ll feel like you have the place all to yourself and some of the most beautiful waters. I returned home inspired and dreaming of traveling the world in a way that allowed me to dig into those special spots and learn about the culture.

I finished up school that next semester, excited for the opportunities ahead. I didn’t know how I would make travel work, but it was always in the back of my mind.

A Dark Place

I started applying to jobs everywhere. Yet despite all the experience I had accumulated, it still wasn’t enough. I was turned down for job after job until I started losing confidence in myself. I was working at a local coffee shop where my primary job included refilling coffee beans, taking out trash, and cleaning restrooms. While working in a coffee shop was something I enjoyed, it wasn’t part of my long-term plan. I convinced myself it was the only future I could expect for myself and spent some time in a really dark place.

Meanwhile, my friends landed prestigious jobs in their respectivecareer fields. I was afraid to report back to those who believed inme, only to have to tell them I had gotten nothing but rejections.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

A little while later a friend told me about temp agencies. I was told it would be higher pay and a foot in the door, so I signed up immediately. I got a call for a job just a week later. Doing data entry for an investment company wasn’t what I had dreamed of, but it was a step in a new direction.

The boost of salary and consistent hours was a start. One of theperks was that while inputting all this data I could listen to music, orin my case: podcasts and audiobooks!

I devoured anything and everything about running a business, self-development, finance, and anything of interest that would also help me be a better person. I valued getting paid to learn.

Jessica Serna for ELLA Inspires Magazine

www.ellainspires.com

There was even talk about growing within the investment company. I had never been exposed to this field so I never knew it was something that interested me. However, one of the biggest things that came from this was a renewed sense of self-confidence.

And although I enjoyed the job, it still wasn’t what I wanted to do, and it still wasn’t perfect (the pay was under a livable wage and I came home with awful headaches every day.) I continued to apply for relevant jobs in my field. To me, education was the gateway to financial freedom; I searched for those jobs that would allow me to invest in others.

One day I finally got a bite. I thank my previous job for this because I felt so much more confident walking into the interview. In previous interviews, I was desperate. This time, I knew that if I didn’t get it, there was still a job waiting for me where I could later move up. After completing the interview process, I got the job!

All that hard work had finally paid off! I spent a year going on and on about howit was the perfect job and I couldn’t be happier. I finished the day with energy and looked forward to going into work every morning.

It was a dream come true. Little did I know there was something out there bigger than I could dream up.

MY CURLY ADVENTURES

That passion for travel was still there. However, with a nine to five job, I couldn’t just jet set around the world. So, instead I looked locally. I realized I could go sand surfing in Monahans. I enjoyed visiting our own Texas wine country in Fredericksburg. I was enchanted by the English gardens in Weatherford. All of these were weekend trips that I would take two to three times a month and would post on social media just for fun.

Soon people started asking me about these trips and how I was able to travel so much. They were shocked to find we had all these gems so close by. I began to gain a following and then one day a bike company reached out to me and offered to pay me in exchange for posting about their bike. I figured it couldn’t hurt, and sure enough, after I posted a picture to my Instagram, someone paid me.

Suddenly the ‘gears’ started turning, and I realized there was a potential to make my travel passion an exciting side hustle. I started digging into everything I could about blogging and social media. Just as I had learned about everything else, knowledge was out there if you are willing to search (although this time in the form of posts about blogging, networking, and more podcasts).

I launched a blog and spent all my free hours pouring into it!

The thing that I did not expect was that this side hustle would start taking more and more of my time. I couldn’t keep up with campaigns, emails, and all the work that came along with it and also do my job. I had also come to a point in my job where I had completed what I needed to do and had created a solid strategy and funnel that made me feel like I wasn’t abandoning my job. I questioned whether or not I could still create an impact with my job as a “Content Creator/Blogger/Influencer” or whatever you want to call it. However,

I realized I could use my platform to share my story, inspire others, share resources, and advocate for causes for which I am passionate.

Transitioning to working for myself has meant more to me than I could have imagined. I’ve spent the past three years as a full-time travel blogger. A lot of this involves traveling around Texas and documenting all there is to do. I get to come back and use my social media platforms and blog to promote the destinations. It’s exciting to know that my blogs help people find couples getaways, family trips, and all types of local travels. I’ve heard all kinds of stories of people who didn’t realize there was so much to do nearby; even surprising personal stories of the positive impact my blog has had on their life. Along the way, I’ve also gotten to continue to promote the causes I’m passionate about and connect people with resources to help them achieve their dreams.

While travel blogging is nothing new, most bloggers were sharing about destinations all around the world. Many people working a nine to five job cannot travel to multiple countries a year, but many can travel to nearby cities.

By focusing on local spots, I have been able to create a brand and product that is greatly needed for Texans.

Lessons Learned

There have been so many learning curves along the way. I had to learn about computer coding, how to sell myself as a businesswoman, and how to do all the small (behind the scenes) tasks involved with blogging. I’m so grateful to all those who advised me to treat my blog as a legitimate business, hacks I didn’t think about, and how to value myself.

Supporting Women

As women, it is so important to help each other out! When we come together, we strengthen each other’s weaknesses. There are also so many opportunities to collaborate and I constantly watch for those. There are times when I have an opportunity, and rather than just holding onto those for myself, I see if I can bring others into the circle. Other people have done the same for me, and it makes such a difference. So often we will work together to promote each other's accounts or businesses, and the cross-promotion is incredibly valuable!

My Advice to Women

If a woman is looking to start or grow her business, my biggest advice is to just devour information; read books and listen podcasts. Read anything and everything remotely relevant to what you’re interested in. I spent hours listening to the - Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income podcast - to inspire me and help teach me the mindset of running a business. After that, I recommend looking into top business and financial success books. The more you read, the more certain mindsets and skills are reinforced across multiple books. Each time I read a book, I learn something new that I can apply to my life.

Women That Inspire Me

There are so many women who have been a great influence in my life. I can’t write this without of course talking about my mom. I learned the power of resilience from her. When I was in college, she also went to college. I watched her graduate and then grow in her career and succeed. This gave me so much hope for my future. I look back and can’t believe all that she gave up for me! In addition to my mom, I feel like I look up to every woman who I have encountered in my life in some way.

I think of the girls in my scholarship group who I got to watch succeed and how they each had a different skill that I admired.

I think of the leaders in my community who I’ve gotten to meet who are doing incredible things; while also showing compassion and constantly finding ways to give back.

I think about the ladies who I get to blog with. Each has her own passion, her own skill, and I’m seeing them breaking down barriers, lifting others up, and showing the power of collaboration.

If there is a woman out there who wants to be her ownboss, my biggest piece of advice is to not give up.

Focus on what you love and dig into that. I believe the more you focus on the passions you have, one day it will just click and come to you. When I was listening to the Passive Income podcast, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I felt so confused because I knew I wanted a side hustle, but I didn’t know what it would be. Eventually after listening to all those stories and while pursuing things I loved, it just felt like a lightbulb went off. Although I couldn’t see it, gears were turning behind the scenes that would later reveal this business. It felt like that revelation of my then-side-hustlenow-career came from nowhere. In reality, all that I had learned and listened to was building up to help me reach this conclusion. One day things will click!

My Support System

I absolutely could not do this without my husband. The term 'husbands of Instagram' is not lost on me! He is not only my biggest hype man, but he is so often working behind the scenes to help my business succeed. My mind races a million miles an hour, and he’s the one who keeps me focused and helps when things start to get overwhelming. There are times when I feel downtrodden and wonder if I made the wrong decision. Every step of the way, he reminds me why I started this, why what I do matters, and shows me how hard we’ve worked for this. I think of all the late nights he’s put in and all the things that wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t encourage me to do them. He doesn’t get enough credit for how critical he is to our business.

2020: Overcoming Obstacles

This past year has been full of new surprises. Being a travel blogger during a pandemic wasn’t something I had planned for. My husband and I had built out one of the most extensive travel schedules and were so excited for the progress we had made. Suddenly all of our trips had been cancelled, we were advised not to leave our house, and all of our opportunities had disappeared. Once again, I learned about the power of resilience. I looked to my community and discovered they needed budget friendly destinations.

So, I used my newly free time to write a magazine styled book 50 Texas Trips Under $50, as a resource for those who had been financially impacted but still wanted to travel. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and really solidified the sense of community I had created with my audience.

Up Next

It’s hard to know what’s in store next with all that has changed in 2020. I want to continue to build up local travel resources and continue to repurpose content to help those traveling in and to Texas. I also want to start adding more travel experiences and destinations in Mexico. Since it’s so close to Texas, it makes for easy getaways. I also want to use it as a chance to learn more about my culture. I hope I can share the magic of Mexico the same way I’ve gotten to share the magic of Texas. Whatever is in store, I’m excited to continue to look forward.

I hope that others can use my story as a reminder to continue to persevere. Sometimes what’s around the corner is more than one could have ever dreamed of.