For those of you who don't have LinkedIn anymore, when you're applying for jobs, what do you put in the LinkedIn address field when it's required to have a profile?
If I can get work without having to have a LinkedIn anymore, I'd like to do that.
No, it's a Micron art pen size .005. They cost about $3 each and so far, this one has lasted. Almost any fine point pen fine. The generic workbook I'm using outside of this one has letters so big a regular cheap ballpoint pen works best on that one. The electronic PDF one-- well you can just load another copy and start tracing again with the tablet pen or stylus too.
This is a traceable Quran. I found a version on Amazon. There's also a company called "Quran Trace" that offers a little bit nicer ones. I have a Quran tracing workbook (generic) that does smaller sections of it too. I brought one of those with me on the road. I also found a traceable Quran PDF for free floating around on the internet. I installed that on a tablet to trace electronically with a pointer or stylus.
I understand stacking sats, but I also want to make sure I'm stacking letters.
There's 5th-wheel grease on my hijab.
** LONG REPLY **
The platform itself is amazing. The education for each business model (campus) is hyper focused and thorough. They don't allow people who don't make money to teach.
It's really one of the best places I've ever seen to learn business, work ethic, and discipline. The methods are always up-to-date.
The marketing and the promises are true on the surface, but it's the undercurrent of what's required to reach your monetary goals is pretty much brutal.
And the pace never lets up.
The amount of work required only increases and there's no true way of getting around it. You will eventually need a team, but you must be able to pay them. They also teach you to do all the work yourself FIRST so you understand what's truly involved to properly guide (or fire) the team.
The marketing messages on some things are very true on the surface and on other things, I think they were grand experiments.
For example, I want to say about 1 1/2-2 years ago, there was the promise of something called the TRW coin. For members, it was going to be an investment into The Real World university, the platform itself.
For what you're getting for the value, if you're paying for any kind of business school out of pocket -- this this the far better value. Education is incumbent upon all and for me, this is what I could get behind -- making this education more available. Hands down.
But most people cannot keep up the pace or do what's really required to be "successful" under their definitions.
For members, there was also supposed to be income attached to the TRW coin. A lot of income. I was a small fish compared to others and may not have received a very big piece or very many shares (coins), but it would have been enough to give me some financial breathing room, right?
But it still hasn't come.
Having worked for digital identity companies and blockchain companies, I understand what's involved to get a coin approved and through all the regulatory agencies, etc. So some of the delay for the first year or so was understandable.
During this time, some of the messaging inside the campuses started changing.
I know many people, especially some younger people today, do not have the attention span or retentions spans of anything greater than a gnat. So they may not remember or care about those changes, but I'm 49. I'm Generation X. I remember stuff.
When I first started, the marketing messages were "Show up for six months and your life can change completely!!!!"
About a year in, the messaging started changing to "There's no guarantee of when you'll get rich. Success takes as long as it takes."
And this last month (2 years in), "If you can't show up every day for 2 years, you'll never make it!!!"
Huh?
Looking back, I was doing the work of a team BEFORE I joined The Real World. I needed a team back then (I was so overworked, I couldn't see that back then). But I didn't have any money to pay a team, so that's a no go. So I kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing, and pushing, and pushing, and pushing, like they teach you.
And I started to hit a burnout wall like I did with my job previously, and I couldn't allow myself to run head first back into some of the health conditions that previous burn out (for years) has caused.
And I had been pushing for 2 years BEFORE I joined.
Here's what they tell you vs. what I believe:
Them: You that you are 100% responsible for your success.
Me: I'm responsible for turning to Allah and trusting Him completely at all times. My risq is written. I'm not working to earn my risq. I'm working to get myself aligned with the door it's standing behind.
Them: Failure is your fault.
Me: To a degree, that is very true. There is always MORE work I could have done, but could I have in reality? Not the way it is set up. Real life doesn't work like that. No matter which you slice it, it doesn't.
Them: You dictate how your life goes, not the other way around.
Me: When you have LOTS of cash coming in all the time (and most of these people have TEAMS to help them) it's easy to say that because you can throw $$$ at an issue and help it go away. Outside of this, there are things that you cannot control that you must deal with. That's not your failure; those are your obligations.
Part of the way through things, I noticed some of the methodologies changing.
I joined, in part, to learn about methodologies I couldn't find anywhere else on the internet for free. In one campus, I learned that you can do the methods they prescribe (and they do work up unto a certain point), but then if they don't work for you, the remedy is: "You must test what works for you in your market. Test DMs, cold emails, reach out more..."
Ok. I waited another 6-8 months and saw this messaging repeatedly.
Basically, here's the ACTUAL formula to your business success:
1. Improve yourself in every way possible: Physically lose weight, get into shape, stop doing bad habits. Learn to speak better. Read more. Educate yourself. Surround yourself with good people. Increase your skills (which they teach). You must always be working on each of these areas, almost daily.
2. Keep up with the work and assignments in the campuses. They are self-paced, however, the "implementation" tasks may take you 5 minutes or 30 days depending on what it is. If you slow down, now you're behind. Even if you catch up, it snowballs.
3. Do the methodologies as they teach.
Now here's what they DON'T come right out and tell you:
--- If it doesn't work:
1. Test and experiment with your banner, website, landing page copy, video editing, cold messages, the type of prospects you're targeting, etc. Test everything. (Do you know how LONG all of that takes with little-to-no results when you can't pinpoint exactly what's wrong?)
Basically: Keep guessing until you get it right. (That's what I was doing before I joined. Things came full circle.)
2. Maximize your output. Not getting enough clients? 10-100x your outreach. (Ok. It's a numbers game. Cool. If you've ever been self-employed before, you know this, but this was not the advice I was expecting to get on this issue since that's common knowledge in some circles.)
To do all of these things takes an extraordinary amount of time.
Extraordinary!
AI only helps you if you don't give two hair rat's behinds about quality. As a writer, I still must proofread and edit everything it produces and it clogged up me at that juncture. Creative decisions must still be made. If my name is on it, I want it to reflect accurately with the right tone, messaging, etc.
If you have a full-time job? If you don't sleep, you could make it work, but they teach you that you must keep up on your health.
My health won't let me continue to do mentally intensive anything at a balls-to-the-wall pace for another 2 full years, when I've already keep this pace for the last 4. (Full-time work + side hustle.)
Was it a complete waste of time?
No.
-I got better at negotiating.
-I got better at speaking to my value when it came to closing clients.
-I got better at making videos and finding a way to edit them in a way that works for me.
-I increased my stress tolerance to a point (but not enough to continue the brute for efforts this requires).
-I get way more done when I choose to than I ever have in my life.
-I got better at AI everything.
-In some situations, I can now "command a presence." I rarely use this new skill. For men, it's helpful. For women, it must be used strategically in business or it backfires.
-I've gotten much better at not allowing people to waste my time.
As a Muslim, I've come to need a more Allah-focused teaching and alignment when it comes to business.
This experience taught me what I needed to protect my energy, to learn deeply about risq and what is written in Islam. I wanted to line up what I was learning with what is OK with Allah or not and when and how to use these things.
Do I believe I am capable of more? Yes.
Could I have done more? Yes.
Do I accept responsibility for my failure? To a point.
Does any of this change the math behind monthly expenses, rent being due, being out of work, or the need to cut all expenses? No. And that means that the monthly cost for The Real World also had to also stop.
As for the TRW coin, if it ever arrives -- I know one of the promises Andrew made was that he would personally fund the coin with XX amount of millions each month so that the income for the students can keep flowing.
That's great.
What's not so great, is that over time, I've come to understand that there's a high chance that those personal funds may be coming from business ventures that are still in play (casinos?) and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking that income from a coin funded by that source. Now, that is PURELY MY OWN SPECULATION. I CANNOT SAY FOR SURE if that is true or not.
But I've been Muslim now for almost 3 years. Almost the same amount of time as Andrew. Since then, I've seen how I've grown and changed in Islam and how Andrew (at least on the outside) has not.
Andrew is smart enough (he is!) to have ended some of his obligations with some of his businesses (even if he had to run the contracts out to honor the contracts he has before becoming Muslim) but then NOT renew those business contracts and at the very least, not in the same capacity. Again, this is my speculation, but as a business-minded person and as a Muslim, this is how I would have handled some of those things. My gut instinct, my intuition based on some of the things I've seen lately, tell me that, this is not the case. But again, that is my own speculation.
My personal feeling is back away from it all at this time, especially since I cannot afford the expense right now.
There are multiple halal business models inside of The Real World. None of them are "Allah focused", but they are halal models. Surely, he could diversify in a more halal direction with is personal businesses (and maybe he is?).
I also did not appreciate speaking honestly inside the campuses regarding certain struggles with this workload, not being able to pay bills, etc., and have many (not all) of the people inside those chats basically just tell you what a lazy, POS you are. Seriously, I was well over that. I knew the marketing, the messaging, the "rah-rah" motivational messages, and the talking points (do more work, test, increase your outreach.)
My life does not line up with how they teach you to be monetarily successful. I tried to make it, but it didn't work. At some point, I had to stop beating my head against a wall and then mentally punishing myself for wanting to end the pain that that was causing me.
I do not speak for Andrew or The Real World in any official capacity. These statements are only my personal experiences and observations.
Allah is the source of all knowledge, including business models and He alone is the source of all open and closed doors when it comes to getting a person their risq. I am grateful to Allah and I am grateful He is allowing me to grow in Islam. That is the most important part of all of this.
Now, I get to look forward to the next phase of my life.
I just left Andrew Tate’s The Real World after being there for almost two years.
I’m not sure how I feel.
Kind of freeing, kind of sad.
Released.
Grandbaby was born less than 45 min ago. My daughter called to let me know they are both OK. 🎉🫂
My daughter is in labor. Grandbaby #3 is on her way!! 👶 Whoohooo!
As soon as reliable income comes in regularly, I want to shut down my website(s), LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Maybe even my Substack.
I'm over it all.
I paid my rent for next month.
In Bitcoin. 🎉
I'm glad the tech is available that enabled that ability (Strike Wallet).
I didn't want to spend any of it, but I had to, and I'm glad I could.
Writing by hand effectively is vital to learning, communication, and being able to think and analyze for yourself.
It's something I cannot get enough of.
I write by hand when:
- Researching at the computer
- Detailing dates, times, locations, and odd observations in log books
- Creating "morning pages"
- Brainstorming
- I need to vent
- I'm thinking of missed loved ones and missed connections
- I trace the Arabic letters of the Quran
- Keeping key reminders during presentations
- Making a list of things I must do the next day
Writing by hand is your connection.
Without it, life begins to fall apart.
In theory, yes. I have my CDL-A now, so I'm qualified to drive an 18-wheeler and other large vehicles. I'm currently in the process of onboarding with a trucking company, however, I am not officially "hired" yet, so I'm not an employee.
This means I still do not have paying work.
If I get a paying technical writing job this week, I'm going to take it as it's going to pay 2-3x the amount of what trucking driving will pay me as a new truck driver.
But, that hasn't happened yet either.
The trucking company could also finish their hiring process in the next few days and I could be off with a mentor in a truck for 4-6 weeks for training too.
Everything is up in the air.
I have a tiny bit more investments I can cash in to help pay the bills, after that? I have to sell the van.
I even applied to drive the garbage trucks and they turned me down. LOL.
And I'm sitting here thinking about all my social media "stuff."
Once I start driving truck, if that happens, then I won't need all my websites or social media platforms. That's kind of a relief in some ways.
We'll see what happens.
Severe storms blew through last night. The alert on my phone said “severe” for flash flooding. A little while later, another alert ranked as “severe”. BASEBALL-SIZE HAIL was in all caps. In both cases there were no cautions to stay home but instead direct orders to take immediate cover. It’s rare they label these warnings as “severe” here.
Trying to fall asleep and looking at the sky, all I saw were flashes. Constant flashes. With the wind and the torrential downpour, my instincts spoke one word that I dread: tornado.
The last time the sky looked that way, my son and I were living in my van, parked at an RV park in the Florida Panhandle. We had the choice of staying in the van or fleeing to the little bunkhouse for “shelter.” It was mostly made of glass. With one bar of cell signal, my friends at the time were trying to tell me about its path. It was after midnight. You couldn’t see it and the radar on the phone weather app wasn’t working.
On its approach two miles coming directly at us, it split from one into two. Both strands went about a mile around on each either side of us. A miracle. A pure miracle if you ask me. But I never forgot the sky or how I felt.
As I laid in my bed last night, I tried mentally prepare myself for baseball-sized hail crushing my van, and along with it any options of getting to a new job or training for a new job that I’ve been trying to get but don’t yet have. I tried to stop my mind from haggling with insurance adjusters that don’t exist.
My text to my son indicated he as already home when the storm hit. He hadn’t gone out with his friends.
Howls. Torrential rain. Flashes upon flashes through the curtain.
This morning, I found that we were under a tornado watch and then a warning.
I didn’t want to look last night. Like in the van, there was no place else to go or be or to flee to. Being scared wouldn’t have helped. Had things had gotten louder, I would have taken the dog and we would have sheltered in the bathtub with me, but it didn’t. I slept well.
According to the reports, there might be more of that today.
After my aggressive job search while seeking technical writing roles (I'm up to around 500 applications into mostly technical writing and related content/documentation positions), I'm seeking assistance for job search resources at my local Texas Workforce Solutions office.
I'm glad I went as their only goal is to get you employed full-time. They have innumerable resources available to the job seeker, two specific ones I hope pan out.
Don't be afraid to seek out local job hunt sources at your local employment/ unemployment offices. You might be surprised by what you find!
I canceled my Alby subscription and my Alby account. Posting from Yakihonne as a test.
I set up a Coinos wallet but it looks like I did that wrong, and now their website isn't loading?
👀
I'll try this all again another day.
Yes, but I don't want to pay for premium account right now to get that primal address.
Just to confirm:
There is no other way to send or receive sats over NOSTR other than opening up lightning channels in some way, shape, or form, is that correct?
I just did a search in my email for the word “apply.” Results total from February 2025 - now = 472. This means I’ve conservatively applied for about 400 jobs since February of this year.
Going through an old hard drive (2017) and found some old affiliate videos I never published. A few things:
* My makeup job was atrocious.
* I was very bold in speaking the truth AND asking for the sale.
* I should have started posting videos back then and stuck to it.
* I really miss that jean jacket and sweater.
* Don’t ever let me wear camouflage-batwing sunglasses ever again.
One video was in response to someone saying, “You’re never going to amount to anything.” My speech back then was on point. I didn’t believe in myself nearly enough.