You Have The Time If You Make The Time

When I was laid off for 20 weeks last year, I got busy. I knew that sitting around doing nothing would drive me into despair, so I did everything I could think of to keep moving forward and keep going mentally and emotionally. So every day, I’d wake up to an alarm clock, get myself ready as if I was going to work, and sit in front of my computer to “do stuff.”

It ended up being one of the most productive times of my life. You see, that “stuff” was goals and dreams I had put on the backburner.

After returning from my travels in 2017, I was figuring out what to do next. I came up with a career plan for starting my own communications business where I could be my own boss and work remotely. I had vague ideas of what this business venture would be — what would it even do? — and the plan was broad, but I knew that it would allow me to live the dream — travel while earning an income. Freedom to do my own work and live my life the way I wanted.

But, when I found job, I promptly put that plan in a folder with other notes and forgot about it. I was back to being a full-time employee with a steady paycheck. I didn’t need my own business. I thought, “I’m not cut out for running my own business. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Too much work, too stressful, I told myself. The usual excuses.

Fast forward to 2020 to the new phase of unemployment. Two friends that were established freelance writers and connected me with some editors. For the first time, I was getting paid to write stories! I started to learn more about this thing called “copywriting,” which apparently I had already been doing for years in my different jobs and turns out you can make a living off of. So I signed up for a course and eventually became a member of a copywriting group. Suddenly, being a solopreneur didn’t seem so impossible. Things were moving along.

When I did find a new job, I was determined to keep going down this path. Frankly, I was amazed at my own productivity and can-do attitude. I had come too far to give it up and go back to the secure yet complacent lifestyle of a 9-5 job forever.

If I still had that dream of living my life the way I wanted, this was a way to get there. And this time I had momentum. No more excuses.

I did go into overwhelm mode for a bit when I had the writing thing going, but was still clueless about turning that into an actual business. Then I found out that the month of January in my copywriting group was dedicated to business planning! I was being handed guidance and direction from people who had tons of advice to share because they had all started exactly where I’m at. So I set a goal and made a plan with a timeline.

Really, it is a matter of breaking down the huge, scary priorities into doable tasks and not worrying about the non-essentials. I’m figuring it out one thing at a time — slowly but surely. So far, I have stuck to it. This means that sometimes I come home from my regular job and have projects to complete, or working on Saturdays. I used to think I didn’t have the time for new endeavors. Yet I have found that there really is time for everything that matters to you — if you make the time for it and then choose to do it.

It all comes down to you. The choice is always yours.

So…I have something in the works. It’s exciting to have something that I’m building on my own, something to look forward to. The best part is that I’m not a passive participant in my own life. I am making decisions and going for it.

One day not too long ago, I was going through some papers and I found that career plan that I had written out. And guess what? Without even realizing it, I have been accomplishing what I had set for myself: find a job to gain experience and improve my skill set; freelance on the side; take courses. I am right on track.

I don’t think I would’ve been ready to do this three years ago, but I’m ready now. The time is now.

Photo by Kjartan Einarsson on Unsplash