Y’know when life comes up with one thing after another, to the point that you end up losing all focus and just powering on through? That’s kinda what’s happened with this blog. And it totally sucks that I had to drop my regular updates on here.
What Happened?
Between my freelancing, spending time with my daughter, buying a house, decorating and renovating said house, going through a break-up and moving back out of that house, along with all the other daily goings-on (and training… but more on that, later) I have been so damn busy!
My copywriting kicked off to the point that I was getting a lot of new clients at one point, but I was receiving very little emotional return on my investment. So, I’ve decided to cut myself a little slack and back away from projects that I’m not 100% passionate about. This leaves me with more time with my little girl, as well as more time to play and actually enjoy life.
Love Yourself
Folks, I cannot stress this enough. If something in your life isn’t making you happy, you are well within your rights to walk away. As long as you aren’t hurting yourself or anyone else, directly or vicariously, you should do whatever feels right for you.
For me, that meant getting involved with everything I love, again. At the same time, I had to sacrifice a few things.
I love being a mum, and getting calls during precious time with my daughter wasn’t making me happy. So, I laid down my boundaries. Clients who pushed those boundaries were dismissed. Politely, of course.
I love being a writer. But I hate clickbait and marketing jobs, so I’ve backed away from work that pays too little for too much energy, based on niche areas that I have no interest in. They were not my best work and I felt no pride in completing them, so that was better for everyone. Now, I can write about things I care about, which has brought back my passion for the art – and allows me to submit a much better quality of work.
I love being around people. So I made the effort to join in with different groups. Roch Valley Radio has been great for getting involved in small-town community fun and simply enjoying time together (while playing great music). They play in hospitals around the Pennines but have been able to create a wider listenership because of the passion each host shows. You probably won’t catch me on the air, but I’m working away in the background!
I love to learn. So, I took a range of passions and started a night course (I did mention we’d come back to this). I’m getting high-level distinctions in my Access to Nursing and AHP, and I’ve even been offered places at multiple universities.
What’s Next?
I have chosen to continue studying at Edge Hill, doing their Masters in Nursing and Social Work (I received an unconditional offer back in November/December!). I want to help people in seemingly helpless situations. After all, I used to be just another walking statistic, as a homeless teenager. Why not use all my know-how and experience to lift other people out of their current state of being, and into a better life?
This means I get to do a lot more medical writing, which helps to pay the bills. Freeing up time from the aforementioned clients has also allowed me to get back into my gaming. It also means I get to spend free time with my daughter. I might not be making more money, but I sure as hell am making more memories.
One of my favourite things to do with my daughter? Explore. We’ve been walking my dog (oh yeah, I got a border collie last year and she’s amazing), climbing mountains, strolling through the woods and taking pictures. She’s now getting old enough for me to consider taking her camping (and hopefully she will actually enjoy the experience), so I’m thinking stargazing around the UK is next for us.
Community, family and fun. I really am a terrible lucky girl.
I worked damn hard for this. Sure, there are a few things I wouldn’t mind changing. There are times that I’ve found myself looking at the process of spermatogenesis and wanting to slam my face into the keyboard, because I’ve felt like it’s just not sinking in. I’m even finding myself having to work from the bottom again, in terms of game-based writing, because I’ve been out of the loop for so long.
And, yes, I’m aware that those two areas are at completely opposing ends of the writing spectrum. What can I say? I’m still a jack-of-all-trades at heart.
But, at long last, I really, truly feel like I am getting there. In the words of my amazing friend, Rachael “you didn’t take a step back – you took a step sideways. You’re still moving forward.”
She’s much wiser than me.
This post was originally published on Live Life Magazine. You can catch further updates on this website.