For members of LGBTQ+ communities, personal growth can feel complicated. You may follow a different path in life than your relatives or close friends have, and sometimes, you might feel unsure of your next steps. If you need a trusted healthcare provider, you can find them through OutCare. Furthermore, these tips can help you pursue personal growth on your own terms, whether that means starting a business, buying your very first house, or going back to school.
Start Your Own Business
Maybe you’ve never felt truly included in the workplace before, or maybe you’ve simply grown tired of your current role. You may feel ready to take your professional future into your own hands by launching a business! If you move forward with your plans to start a business, you’ll probably want to register your company as an LLC.
With LLC status, you’ll have the security that comes with limited liability – and you’ll get some tax breaks! Look up the rules in your state before moving forward, as each state has its own requirements for LLC formation.
Create a Self-Care Routine
Anybody can benefit from picking up a self-care routine! Having a simple self-care routine can help you feel grounded each and every day. You can return to these habits when you’re anxious, overwhelmed, or confused. Odele recommends writing in a journal, creating daily gratitude lists, meditating in the morning or evening, taking warm baths, or spending more time outdoors. All of these habits can help support your mental and emotional well-being!
Buy Your First Home
Perhaps you’ve been renting for years, and now, you’d like to feel more settled in your community. If you’ve saved enough to purchase your first home, it might be time to start researching your local real estate market and browsing listings! Make sure to look up the average home prices in your favorite neighborhood to ensure that you can afford to buy there.
Head Back to School
You may be considering a career change, but you might not have the credentials needed to break into the field that interests you. In that case, you may need to head back to school and earn another degree! You don’t necessarily have to attend classes at a brick-and-mortar campus, either. Instead, you can enroll in an online degree program so that you can work or take care of family obligations at the same time. As you look into different online programs, ensure that any program you apply to is accredited and offers reasonable tuition rates.
Work With a Therapist
Do you need more guidance on your personal and professional goals? Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out which route to take in life – but you don’t have to make all of these decisions alone. You may want to consider working with a therapist for support.
When you start searching for a therapist, you’ll want to look for someone who specifically identifies themselves as LGBTQ+ affirming. Thankfully, there are many therapists who are affirming. You can find LGBTQ+ affirming therapists on OutCare’s OutList provider directory. You can also find LGBTQ+ public resources on OutCare’s National Public Resource Database. Choosing Therapy also recommends reaching out to the nearest LGBTQ+ center in your area to see if they can give you a referral. Ensure that any therapist you’re interested in working with takes your insurance.
Personal growth looks different for everybody. If you’re an LGBTQ+ person, you might be used to charting your own course, but there’s no one-size-fits-all journey for personal growth. If you want to become an entrepreneur, earn another degree, or buy property, these tips will help you along the way!