No, I don’t mean the glee club.
My new day job and I parted ways on Friday. Suffice to say that it just wasn’t a good fit. What it comes down to is that I should have known better than to accept a job at a salary that was far less than what I needed to support my family on the assumption that I could just keep on freelancing on nights and weekends, no problem, because, HUGE PROBLEM! As it turns out, I totally do not have the stamina to work two jobs. I was exhausted and miserable, and my husband was miserable from hardly ever seeing me, and I was starting to get sick, and I wasn’t making any progress on my book, and when I asked why I was doing this to myself, neither of us could come up with a good answer. So we sat back down and did the math and weighed the pros and cons, and decided that we’d be better off if I returned to freelancing full-time and putting the focus back on our business.
Of course, we have some trepidation. A steady paycheck, even one that’s too small, provides a measure of reassurance that you don’t get with freelancing. But I’m optimistic. I’ve got a new business plan in place, which is not something I’ve had before; up until now I’ve been making it up as I go. That new plan includes a new marketing/promotion/finding clients plan, and it also includes a whole new slate of self-publishing-related services, including coaching and consulting for new and wannabe indie authors who need to be shown the ropes or require hand-holding. I’m still working out the details, but I’m ready to start lining up clients, so if you are or know anyone who might be interested in that, feel free to drop me a line here or private message me on Facebook.
The day job itself wasn’t a total loss, and I don’t regret the experience. It taught me a lot — not only about WordPress development, but also about myself. I know now that I’m really not cut out for the type of job where you only do one thing all day long, no matter how much I like doing that thing in smaller doses. As much as I get weary of having too many irons in the fire, I do tend to thrive in the sort of job that requires me to wear a lot of different hats. Also, my wiring is just not compatible with a rigid, 8 to 5 work schedule. I knew that already, but I guess I needed the reminder. At any rate, the last six weeks have provided the kick in the pants I needed to shake me out of my rut and motivate me to make my business work. And I’m more motivated now than I’ve ever been, willing to step as far outside of my comfort zone as I need to in order to keep this going. Also, I finally have a vision for my business, for what I want it to become in the next five years, with measurable goals along the way.
I’m more excited than I’ve been in a very long time, and I’m ready to get to work.