Dr. Tiffany Ofili Porter

In the age of social media where it feels like everyone is only posting their wins and downplaying their losses, I’m always hyper vigilant about the content that I share. Sure, I get that at times it’s hard to be vulnerable and willingly share some of the hardest moments we go through behind closed doors, but I am a firm believer in the power of telling your story and maybe even encouraging someone along the way.

Knowing that, here are some of my key moments of year 2022, and more importantly, what I learned along the way.

1) I retired from track and field

I officially announced that I was hanging up the track spikes in February 2022 and as prepared as I was for the moment, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t filled with a lot of emotion. When you go from being an athlete for your whole life to starting a new chapter without that key piece of your identity, it can be challenging, even when you feel ready like I did.

The outpouring of support and well wishes I recieved from my fellow runners, supporters, coaches, federation, etc literally brought me to tears. It served as a great reminder that sport has a way of uniting people, and you can impact others without even realizing it in the moment.

I was recently on Abigail Irozuru’s Define Your Success Podcast where I go into more detail about my journey: LISTEN HERE

Lessons learned:
• it's ok to feel hesitant about closing one chapter, but never let fear keep you in a space you're ready to walk out of
• taking a leap of faith may seem scary at first, but the greatest growth often happens outside of your comfort zone. 

2) I started my blogging/content creation business

As a woman who’s favorite subjects growing up were Math and Science, and eventually working in a profession that relies heavily on those skill sets, I never spent too much time exploring other interests. When I retired from Athletics, I had more free time and decided that I’ve always loved to create and provide value for others in any way I could. I serve people as a pharmacist, but I wanted to explore what creating useful content for others could look like in a differnt capacity.

This desire is what birthed my Blog and eventual content creation business.

Although it wasn’t my inital intent, after doing loads of research about the content creation/influencer business, I learned that there are ways to use my passion for creating and generate income simultaneously.

Lessons learned: 
•  it's important to remember we are multifaceted beings, and exploring other passions may open up doors & opportunities that will blow your mind. 
•  certain skills, like the knack for serving/helping others can be transferable and helpful in non-traditional 9 to 5 settings as well. 

3) I exceeded my financial goals the first year of my business “launch”

I put launch in quotations because what began as a hobby, has turned into an income generating business that I am incredibly proud of. Even though I began my social media rebranding strategy in January, it wasn’t until Q2 of 2022 that I acquired my first paid brand campaign.

How I was able to monetize my brand/content in 2022:
1) Through partnering with brands that I love and trust and creating content for their social media marketing campaigns
2) by writing blogs for businesses for their own marketing
3) By sports commentating/on field presenting at track competitions

I know people can be funny about money talk, but I am a believer in transparency because you can help others by sharing your own experiences. My (relatively arbitrary) goal for the first year as a blogger/content creator was to generate at least $15,000 in income. I know that’s not a huge number but being that I had no experience in this space, and there is a bit of a steep learning curve, I felt that was a fair starting point. I’m very happy to report that I exceeded that goal, and have a new found confidence heading into 2023.

Lessons learned:
•  as long as you're remaining true to yourself and remembering your "why", there is nothing wrong with monetizing your hobbies
• setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals are important and usually pay off when you are willing to put the work in. 

4) Our family experienced a horrible accident

Although 2022 overall was a great year for me, a huge low was that my daughter had a severe playground injury that could’ve been life threatening. Witnessing it was one of the scariest moments of my life, but I am so grateful to God for protecting her and allowing her to see a full recovery. I could go on and on about it, but in an effort to keep it short, I was not only reminded that God is good, but that my baby is extremely resilient and tough.

Lesson learned:
bad moments in life are inevitable, and trying to find a silver lining in the storm can be useful to help you cope, even if it takes months to happen.

For some, 2022 was the best year of their lives, while for others it was average at best. Regardless of where you are on that spectrum, you made it to the new year, which is a blessing. I’d encourage you to use that as motivation to take the steps necessary for 2023 to be fantastic. I get that sometimes things happen that are out of our control, but we do have the power to position ourselves to build day by day.

Ready for that business launch? Put the groundwork in and devise your plan.

Want to lose 25 pounds in 6 months? Commit to regular clean eating and a consistent workout regimen.

Want to read 25 books in a year? Carve out 35 minutes a day to knocking it out.

Want to start a new romantic relationship? After working on yourself, map out what specific avenues you will take to meet people.

I’m reminding you, as well as myself, that no goal or resolution is attainable without putting in the work and remaining committed.

Here’s to mapping out clear goals and working on smashing them consistently.

We’ve got this!


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