In the late 1970s when I was still in high school, I dreamed of being a working writer. I also dreamed of telecommuting, long before the concept or term was invented.
In those years, and the two decades that followed, I had no less than 26 jobs.
(Unheard of in those economic times.)
Not surprisingly, family, friends and complete strangers made unadulterated fun of me and my seeming inability to stay at a job longer than 18 months. (Actually, I made 4 years with one job, so nyeah.)
It wasn’t, I argued, that I couldn’t keep a job; it was simply that I didn’t want to work in what, for me, was pure tedium.
And so I found new jobs. New fields. And new bosses.
I loved learning. I loved connecting with people. I especially loved perfecting my craft.
Until one day, I didn’t love it.
My boss’s boss confronted me about what she called “negativity.”
I cried.
I was humiliated.
I was miserable and I couldn’t hide it.
I was losing the best part of myself and becoming someone I didn’t want to be.
Worse, I didn’t know why.
I thought about looking for another job but my wise and wonderful husband urged me to pursue my lifelong dream of freelancing. I poo-pooed the idea, having briefly starved as a freelancer in the mid-1990s when I wrote for a new-start publication that folded 9 months after launch.
But freelancing was/is my heart’s desire.
So I gave six weeks notice (note to self: two weeks, no more, no less is best), and followed through on my favorite Ray Bradbury quote:
Sometimes you just have to jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.
I had no plan. No clients. No prospects. No network to speak of.
And now, four and half years later (oh, yes, I’ve reached a new milestone!) … I’m happier, more productive, more fulfilled and a better writer than I’ve ever been.
Of course, I don’t recommend jumping into freelancing with no plan. But I also don’t recommend staying in a miserable job either.
My first gigs came from several of my former employers, including a stint as a fill-in for a former coworker on maternity leave. That work led to word of mouth referrals, which led to more clients and more opportunities.
I’m fortunate that I’ve had plenty of help along the way from great clients, online experts and my personal network of caring and collaborative writers. It’s one of the reasons I blog: to help others by paying it forward.
So what, besides fear, is stopping you from jumping off the cliff and living your passion?
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