When A Blogger Loses Her “Day Job”
After losing my job last week, I went through so many emotions:
I went from glee (Yes! Maybe I can be a full-time blogger now! They did me a favor!)…
…to scared (How the heck can we afford to pay our bills now?!)…
…to pathetic (I failed my family!)…
…to resolve (Well, I guess that’s life! Carry on!)…
Now as I write this, my next emotion is determination (This change was meant to be and I’m not going to waste the opportunity!).
I debated on even writing about being let go because I didn’t want to harp on it, or make you feel sorry for me. But you’ve been on this “day job” journey with me for awhile. It was only fair to let you know the game has changed significantly for 2015!
My Future in a Horoscope
The day before I was let go, the stress was mounting. I went to the deli for lunch, hands jammed in my pocket, and looked off into the distance while waiting on my order, and thought to myself, “Something’s gotta give.”
Right then I grabbed a nearby discarded newspaper and my gaze fell upon the horoscopes, a section I never ever read. Like never. But I read it that day; this is what I saw:
I’m not one that believes in the false prophets of horoscopes written by starving freelancers, but this message was for me. The Universe forewarned me I was going to be taken for a ride; forced out into a world in which I would doubt I could make it “on my own” and question from where next month’s mortgage was coming. It urged me to break past mental barriers of self-doubt that creep into my mind at 3AM and my mind searching, (“Can we really make it on a reduced income??”).
I’ve Got to Thank My Employer
I have to thank my employer. THANK YOU! They did for me that which I didn’t have the guts to do myself: to leave. I would like to be a full-time blogger. To leave a secure job with amazing benefits–um, yeah…. totally not easy to do! But being let go forces me to come up with solutions to that which felt so unattainable.
I still don’t feel 100% confident in my ability to blog full time. However, I know without a doubt that social media is something I love. Writing and working with clients–amazing. And while I collect unemployment, I must job hunt, and will look for positions that will help me to further develop my social media and blogging goals, while pursuing my blog full-time.
My “In-Between Phase”
Two months ago God literally gave me a sign in the parking lot of Costco:
I stopped in my tracks, put my van in reverse, and snapped away. God and the Universe were conspires to nudge me in the right direction.
God was telling me that the “in-between” phase (this phase) is going to be ugly, dusty, and uncomfortable. But improvements are in progress. Something better that will come as a result.
So please pardon my dust right now, my friends. Improvements are in progress!
What’s Next For Me?
Losing my job forced me to see that I’m so wasteful. As thrifty as I am about decorating, I’m wasteful when it comes to food, crafting supplies (umm…and that hoard-of-a-pile in my garage! LOL). For example, I bought two new gallons of paint for my basement makeover in my 30-Day Junk Free January Room Challenge. TWO! It cost me $76.
I bought it last week when I had a job and the assurance of another paycheck coming in 2 weeks.
But last night, while working on the basement, I scanned my gallons of paint and realized I already had two old cans of paint very similar colors (!!!).
At that moment, it hit me: We have fat to trim! We can get rid of the waste.
And maybe…..just maybe……with a renewed sense of thriftiness, we might just come out ahead.
So have any of you experienced losing a job? How did it impact your life for the better? Leave a comment and add to the conversation!
Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
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Good morning! I made it to the bottom of the page, so I guess we’re now officially best blogosphere friends! 🙂
You’re awesome, Michelle! LOL Welcome! 🙂 It’s fun at the bottom of the page! That’s where all the action happens! 😉
wow! most inspired post I have ever read. what I have lost that is I have the new opportunity to do new things. and it will make me famous…………………Thanks!
Thanks, Mamun! It’s now been 8 months and surprisingly, things are going really well!!
This comes late, but I’ve not have a iPad, tablets or even a iPad w/o the i, only a desktop MAC, and my ifon that isn’t updated yet, so that little screen can really make my eye site struggle some. After doing some digging around online, emails, etc, I am just now getting to your devastating “Boot” from your job. ;-D
I feel like it’s the law of attraction and you sent out to the universe and got what you wanted. I say this in the most respectful way and not I am not a crazy alter universe looney.
I read a book about it, and I do feel that it is something that we sent out to he universe and u call your shots. Like you said, I think it is a bittersweet thing. You didn’t have the courage to do this due to your family and finances, but the universe had better things for you. So I look forward to seeing what new projects you have and can’t wait for the January Challenge of yours and those who joined the challenge. Good thing I didn’t cause I haven’t done mine. Just started it.
Hi Anna! I’m delayed, too. Just because my inbox is a hot mess. It’s a constant struggle to stay on top of it! I totally agree with you, though. Inside, I wish hoping to figure out how to make an exit, but had some things (mostly money) stopping me. As much as I don’t mind change, it was a big one in my head and I couldn’t get my mind to wrap around the fact that I would have to adjust so many things. But since it happened, I’ve made those adjustments just fine! In fact, I am planning to post about this tomorrow, to update everyone. I wasn’t able to respond to everyone’s kind works in the comments above, but I read them all, and felt so supported! 🙂 Thanks to you, too! And no worries on just starting your own January de-clutter challenge. You can join the February one, called “Finish It Up” February! 🙂 Join HERE: https://thriftdiving.com/FinishItUp
Serena
I have not lost my job but I have set a crazy tight budget because I want to purchase my first house in the next two years. I never realized how much I just threw money away. I am going to love looking at your previous post (new to your blog) and look forward to your future ones.