Meet Tykesha

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tykesha. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tykesha below.

Tykesha, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

For years, I marveled at the volume of work that other writers and bloggers were capable of producing. I reasoned that they must be different, a special breed of people, in order to create such massive amounts of content. I would watch them from the sideline and become paralyzed, feeling unable and unmotivated to do anything because I reasoned in my mind that if I couldn’t DO it like so-and-so, it wasn’t worth doing at all.

But then, one day, I came across a quote that said, “Never compare your back-end of the business to someone else’s front-end of the business.” That resonated with me deeply. I started to think about how most of us only share our highlights and wins, very rarely do we see the sacrifice and losses that led up to that win. That one quote forced me to look inward and take inventory of what was really going on with my business. I started to pay less attention to others and more attention to myself and my habits. I then discovered Brendon Burchard’s “High Performance Habits” book which helped me to understand that my lack of productivity was the result of bad habits I’d formed over the years. That book then led me to “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. “Atomic Habits” forced me to realize that I don’t have to be great all at once and that I could be more effective and productive if I increased my output by only 1% each day. One percent every day will produce an aggregate of 37%, which means that if I’m only a little more productive each day, I could scale any mountain with time.

Those two books helped me develop my current work ethic while forcing me to better understand my everyday habits and how they impact my overall life goals. They also helped me understand that I don’t have to scale the entire mountain in one day. I could literally just take two or three extra steps than I’d planned to accomplish my goals.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a freelance travel journalist and photographer based in Maryland and the founder of www.MommaWanderlust.com, a site dedicated to family travel. My journey began with a desire to share my travels with those who cannot afford to. This type of work is special to me because I can visit a destination, engage all my senses, and capture its essence with my writing. My ultimate goal is to make readers feel like they were there with me.

I have the unique opportunity to explore the world and capture its beauty through both words and images. By sharing these experiences, I hope to inspire others to have their own adventures and see the world.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Clarity of purpose, adaptability, and continuous learning are the three qualities I’ve found invaluable on my journey.

Getting clear on my “why” was the most impactful thing for my journey. At the outset, I loved to travel and used journalism as a mode of sharing my experiences with those who perhaps couldn’t travel as I did. But after the pandemic, when travel was no longer an option, I had to dig deep to get a better understanding of what it was about travel that I loved so much. By asking that hard question, I discovered that I don’t just travel for the sake of travel, but I travel to learn.

The ability to adapt to changing circumstances has been crucial in my journey. Whether it’s adjusting to different cultures while traveling or finding new ways to engage my audience, staying flexible has allowed me to thrive in various situations. Embrace change and stay curious and open-minded. Be willing to learn new skills or pivot your approach.

My passion for learning has driven my success. Cultivate a love for learning. Read widely, seek out new experiences, and never stop asking questions. Invest in your education, whether through formal courses, mentorships, or self-directed study. Stay curious and make learning a lifelong habit.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one challenge I’m facing right now is burnout. For a long time, I struggled with imposter syndrome, constantly doubting my abilities and feeling like I needed to say yes to every opportunity that came my way. Now that I’ve moved past those doubts and the offers are flowing in, I find myself working to shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.

The fear of missing out (FOMO) can make it hard to turn down opportunities, but I’ve realized that saying yes to everything often means spreading myself too thin. This not only impacts my well-being but also affects the quality of work I can deliver to my clients. To overcome this, I’m working to prioritize my projects and set boundaries. This means being okay with saying no and trusting that there will be more opportunities in the future.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All photos were taken by myself (Tykesha Spivey Burton) with the exception of the full family photo in Paris. That pic should be attributed to Olga for Flytographer

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