Music Mondays - I'm Too Sexy
I'm Too Sexy
I’m going to date myself, but I was a freshman in high school when Right Said Fred released the song, I’m Too Sexy, mocking the modeling industry and anyone who thinks they are too cool or too sexy to do something. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of financial sexiness and part of getting financially sexy is understanding that you are never too sexy or too cool for the work it takes to get there.I’ve had a few meetings recently with clients where I asked if they could make extra money and for many of them, they felt too cool or too sexy for the job or side hustle that would make them money. I understand as a 28 year old professional with a masters degree that babysitting is not your ideal weekend activity; however, if you're up to your eyeballs in debt or behind in your savings, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not too sexy for just about any side hustle.
I Thought I Was Too Sexy
The summer before my junior year of college, I wanted to live in my college town with a boyfriend and the only way I could afford to live there was to get a job as my dad refused to pay for my living situation (he wasn’t a fan of supporting my “living in sin”). This need led to my cashier job at Best Buy.As a future investment banker, I didn’t fit the mold for cashiers at Best Buy, but I needed the money and they paid me well. I ended up working for Best Buy the last two years of college and many days I felt too sexy to wear the Best Buy blue golf shirt and khaki pants; however, that job not only paid for my social life but it also paid for a car and helped me get my first job out of college.Turns out that investment banks were impressed with someone who worked over 30 hours a week and still maintained a competitive GPA. It didn’t matter that I wore a blue shirt and khakis while working.My job at Best Buy wasn’t the only one that I felt too sexy or overqualified to work, but money is money and we don’t always get to handpick the ways that we can make money.
We Can't Always Be Sexy
Rather than stay unemployed, the brother of a friend of mine got a job at a fast food restaurant in a neighborhood near him. Whenever people he knows come in, he feels a sense of embarrassment that in my mind is unnecessary. I think it would be far more embarrassing to collect an unemployment check rather than get out of bed everyday and work for your money.Last week on my podcast, I talked to Tonya Rapley from My Fab Finance who lamented about a cultural disdain for being a member of the working class, and I can’t understand where this comes from. From my vantage point, there is no better or sexier person than someone who is willing to work their butt off to support their family and achieve their dreams.If you're someone who needs to fill in the gaps between your financial dreams and your financial reality, beware of thinking that you're too sexy for any money making opportunity. Despite the initial disdain my clients have for their possible side hustles, once they start working them, they quickly get excited about the opportunities they present.
My Clients Are Not Too Sexy
My clients who side hustle and check their egos at the door, not only achieve their financial goals faster but also have fun along the way. For many of them, the side hustle income is their “fun” money. It might not be fun to work in the pet store on the weekends or wipe some kids behind, but it feels better when they know the work assures them something fun in their future.Just last week, one of my clients took on a new babysitting opportunity. When I asked her how she felt about the work that she initially scoffed, she replied, "This job just got me closer to my Italian vacation."The path to financial sexiness doesn't always come with sexy jobs, but to me, there is nothing sexier than honest work that helps you achieve your life goals. Don’t miss out on opportunities to better yourself financially by thinking that any job is beneath you. Don’t say “I’m too sexy” say “When can I get started?”