I’m Starting Over
Well, almost.
The last few years have brought a lot of change into my life. I think most people can relate.
When COVID hit, I was the managing editor of my community newspaper and the last employee left at that paper. I was happily married to a man who supported my dreams and made me laugh. Our blended family of four was doing pretty well.
Sure, we had complaints. The house was too small for the six of us. We didn’t have the best neighbors except on one side. And our neighborhood was not the best. But other than that, everything was smooth sailing.
But change is inevitable.
COVID brought furloughs, which I spent doing Uber Eats to make up for the lost income. Gas was cheap, and the roads were clear. There was a freedom to being the only car on a usually congested highway and making easy left turns at impossible intersections.
Tragedy has an uncanny ability to make us face the inevitable.
In my case, it wasn’t COVID that finally led to tragedy but the slow death of the community newspaper. But the freedom of those open roads (and some rereads of Kerouac and Burroughs) led me to start my own businesses.
With my job at the paper, I had freedom. I was able to come and go as the news cycle flowed, and I didn’t have many people looking over my shoulder. I wanted to keep that freedom.
The Writing Detective was born. And it was successful. My years of writing led me to some unique and fun opportunities.
One of those opportunities was the purchase and move to our dream house. We finally had space for the entire family. And that family grew to include more dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, and guineas. We finally had the little farm we dreamed of — The Waddle and Cluck.
Life was good. Life was busy. Life was successful.
My business expanded from just writing to include public relations and social media management and I was running three blogs.
2024 was going to be my year! Until it wasn’t.
AI, Google updates, the economy — there is a perfect storm of things working against writers right now. And I’ve lost about half my normal income. And I’m dealing with Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome.
Funny thing about the freedom that comes with owning a business (or 3.5) or being a freelancer — just as with everything else change is inevitable. Change can make you feel trapped and hopeless.
Do you know what all successful people have in common? It isn’t what time they get up, and it isn’t the number of hours they work in a day. It’s their ability to pivot. It’s their ability to look at a situation and make the necessary changes.
That’s why I’m starting over. I’m rebuilding from the ground up.
I’m starting by looking at my systems.
Before you can be a success, you have to take care of yourself, so that’s where I’m starting. Improve my personal systems then improve my business systems.
Things are tough out there for freelancers, bloggers, and people in general right now.
If you are game, I’ll take you along on this journey and share what I’m learning and how I’m improving my personal and professional systems to get back on top.
If you feel so inclined, you can follow me here on Medium. While my content to this point has been mostly about writing and marketing, it’s going to expand.
If you are more interested in just the business side — follow me at @writingdetective on socials.
Just interested in our homesteading journey? @waddleandcluck
Or if you just want to hear about what I’m reading and tips for writing — @apenandapage
How are YOU faring in life right now?
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