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Who would’ve thought I’d be so busy without a job to go to every day? It has been a little over a month since I stopped working full-time and although no employers have come knocking (please call me!), I have remained productive.
That’s as important for my mental health as it is for my professional health.
After getting laid off, I knew from previous job search experience that I had to start building momentum right away. It was no time to mope (for too long) or take a break. I immediately updated my resumé and refreshed my profile on every job search platform.
This is driven from fear of stagnating. It is much easier to get things moving and shaking if you’re already in forward motion rather than starting the wheel from a dead stop.
During this time, I also had a burst of creative energy.
It’s amazing what you come up with when your brain goes into hustle mode.
I pitched stories and they were published online. I took on other writing assignments and built my portfolio. I reached out to contacts to offer my writing services. I signed up for a publishing seminar for children’s books I want to write.
I have wanted to freelance write for a while but always put it off because I was too “busy” with my full-time job and life. At least that’s the excuse I gave myself. The real reason is partly being lazy/complacent and partly being intimidated by all that it entails. I need a lot of hand-holding.
How many ideas and dreams have we deferred because of this attitude?
Now I not only have the time but the urgency to do it. I need to do something, not just sit around and wait for a job.
I tend to find these reserves of motivation in myself only when the structure in my life gets disrupted. Then the self-reliance kicks in and I pursue ideas and goals that have remained dormant or sacrificed to comfort. Maybe a little disruption is good.
So what did I do? You’re looking at it!
The more I let the idea unfold, the more I felt it was time to launch my freelance writing business. So I revamped my humble blog into my official website…with my own domain and everything! I’m a perfectionist so I will find something to fix every time I look at it. But I kinda like it.
Please, take a look around. Like, subscribe, share, tell friends “I know a guy…err, girl” if they mention they need writing services. Send them to estefaniagarciawrites.com. I hate self-promotion, but that’s part of it.
Don’t get me wrong…I still need that full-time job! Gotta get that steady paycheck and benefits. But for now this is something I can focus on and nurture. When that job does come, I can keep it going on the side. And maybe in a few years I’ll be ready to do it exclusively.
But I can’t think about that. It’s a luxury to think that far ahead when you still don’t know what will happen tomorrow. All I can do is hit publish today and keep hustling every day.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on pexels.com. Quote graphic designed by Yours Truly on canva.com.
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Great human description of our behavior.