... But so far, it's soooo NOT!
Hello and Happy New Year!
The New Year is fascinating to me, all the high hopes, the chance to do it differently, the clean slate, I love it! I don't really get why it makes so much difference to us mentally, we can start over at any time, decide to change something we're not happy with at any time.
Why do we have such hopes the new year will be different? Couldn't we just feel like that about each day? It makes no sense to me! But I do it too...
I was told that 2018 would be a challenging year, a year of self-discovery and learning and it totally was, by far the most challenging year I can think of and it did teach me a lot about myself.
So, supposedly, you do the work and reap the reward, meaning 2019 was supposed to be awesome. Except, by the look of things, it seems I'm still stuck in 2018!
But let's rewind for a bit here. My goal for 2019 is "simple".
I want to dedicate my life to creativity and make so much money doing it I'll be able to quit my job and do it full time.
I am a school manager. It sounded fun at first (and it was) but now I see it has a very small learning curve and once you topple the learning curve, all you have left are invoices, schedules, logistics and a lot of crisis modes, dealing with parents, students, teachers, etc.
Though I'm grateful and lucky to have this job, it is not what I was born to do. It does not make my heart sing and it does not make me want to get up in the morning every day with a smile.
And there have been times I felt that way about a job. When I got to write for a living for example. I chose stability over passion and thought I was doing the right thing, but in 2019 I've decided to try and have stability while doing what I love.
I mean actually doing it, seriously and professionally, not treat the things I love as hobbies and half-ass it because I don't trust my talent enough to pull me through.
Also, I have the SandyOwn Etsy shop which, again, has pretty much been treated like a hobby because I didn't believe myself enough.
Well, all of that self-doubt stops in 2019. I owe it to myself to try and make it on my terms. I'm going to be 38 years-old this year and I'm still wondering what my parents will think WHEN (not if) I tell them I'm quitting my job to focus on my crafts (writing and sewing, to begin with at least). And that tells me I have a lot of work to do.
I've done a couple of things in order to make my goal happen.
Sewing-wise, I've added a couple of new listing to the shop and am working on adding more. I've invested in promoted listings, Google Shopping and Facebook Ads. I've increased my Instagram presence and created a Pinterest account which I'm trying really hard to maintain active.
Writing-wise, I'm doing the Jon Morrow Guest Blogging Certificate Course, mainly because I want to see what's new on the market and I'm hoping it will get me a foot in the door as well as help organize some procedures I've done in the past but hope to do better. The writing/blogging business is in constant change and I figured I needed to refresh my knowledge.
Plus I love learning new stuff.
I know there is a lot more I still need to do and then there's probably other things I should be doing that I know nothing about. But I figure it's a start.
But despite all of this, so far, my year has been less than stellar.
I'm moving out of the home I've been living in for the past year and I'm having a really hard time finding somewhere new. Meaning I'll probably have to move back in with my mom until we can find somewhere to rent. This alone has turned my world upside down.
Writing-wise, I'm still doing the course, I hope to finish before the month ends, but it's been hard to concentrate with everything else that's going on.
On the sewing front, it's crickets really. I know these things take time, but in all honesty, I'm having less movement in my shop than I had before doing all this. I know it's January and people are broke after Christmas and I know 8 years of not doing much to promote my shop is hard to catch up on.
But my point is... COMMMEEEE OOOONNNNN!!! Give me a freaking break! Knowing it will all be alright eventually does not help me much in being alright now. I am at my wit's end, juggling the anxiety, stress, fear, sadness. I'm ready to start moving and nothing happens and when something happens it only makes it worse!!
So yeah, not in a very good place right now, but I'm committed to keep going and I'm still very much certain it will all be worth it in the end.
And, in the middle of all this, I decided to share my journey with you, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
