It’s Okay to Start Over Again

Last year was a bit of a roller coaster. I left a good-paying job I’d had for several years and decided to try blogging and freelancing for a while.

Leaving the job was also a matter of principle, but that’s a story for another post.

The year started great. I spent an abundance of time (and money) learning the business of blogging, how to write better posts and content, how to promote a blog, etc.

At the same time, I dipped my toe in the freelancer pool. That adventure was also largely about learning the ropes.

Learning is great, and necessary, but can be challenging if you don’t have an income coming in at the same time.

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Then the Rains Came

The year was going great. I was learning a lot and felt like I was going to be a success in time.

Then, about the middle of the year, a dear friend got seriously ill. She fought her battle for about six weeks before losing her war. It was devastating.

Another friend came forward in that time and admitted to a drug problem. While things have improved, her life is still a bit of a mess.

Next, reality struck.

While I was learning the ropes and bringing in some money, the amount of money going out each month far exceeded that which was coming in.

Even though some posts were doing extremely well, such as 12 Signals That Point to Bipolar Disorder and Speaking Bipolar – A Mental Illness Translator, I chose to focus on the negative.

As bipolar after does, it flung me to the ground and told me I was failing.

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Start Today!

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Staying Down is a Choice

If you are walking through a parking lot and stumble and fall, you have two choices:

1. You can choose to continue lying there and never get up.

2. You can get up as quickly as you can. (And likely do a quick look around to make sure no one saw you. Or, at least, that’s what I would do.)

As you’re reading this, you’re thinking, “No one would choose to continue lying in a parking lot.” For the most part, you are right.

But we do often choose to stay down when we stumble in other ways. Sometimes we stay down for months or years.

That’s what I did last year.

When reality hit that my blog and my freelancing career were not taking of with the momentum I had hoped, I let myself feel defeated, and I’ve been lying in the proverbial parking lot since.

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I Choose to Get Up!

It’s not all bad. In October, I decided that money had to start coming in from somewhere. I reached out to a business contact from my previous job and have started a new career.

Honestly, it’s a bit terrifying, especially since I’m in the latter half of my 40’s. However, I like what I’m doing and am fairly good at it.

I’m an avid reader, and something I read a few days ago really stuck with me.

Talking about the freelance/business builder mindset in her new book, Passive Income Freedom: 23 Passive Income Blueprints, author Gundi Gabrielle asks the question, “How much time did you spend in college?” Then she goes on to ask why you would ever spend any less time on any other endeavor.

Why is it that we are so willing to spend years pursuing an education, even though most of us never work in the field we studied?

Yet when it comes to other avenues, we give up after only a few weeks or months? Or, at least, I do.

We do it because the education, the time invested, is a means to an end. We are investing in our future.

Learning new career paths or habits is no different. We may not be paying a tuition, but it every bit as much of an investment in our future.

As bleak as parts of last year were, I learned a lot. The truth is, now more than a month into this year, I am starting far ahead of where I was even six months ago. Even in my downtime, I continued to learn, and knowledge is power. (I’m doing the Superman pose right now for effect.)

Time for a positive musical interlude. It’s a new day after all. This song always makes me smile.

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You Have to Pick a Direction

I’ve never really been one to make new year’s resolutions. Let’s face it, for most people, they are a joke.

We promise ourselves in December that everything will be better in January, and that we will make better choices as a result.

The calendar flips, and quickly we realize that we are still the same person we were a few days ago. The resolution seems impossible to obtain, so most of us ditch it before the end of January.

Many of my resolutions in the past haven’t even survived until the middle of January. C’est la vie.

So, instead, I am setting goals for this year.

1. I am going to learn my new career field to the best of my ability. (I already have one certification under my belt. Whoo hoo!)
2. I am going to give this blog and my dear readers (yes, each of you) the time they deserve.
3. I am going to finally polish off the novel I have been working on for years and try to self-publish. (More on this coming soon!)
4. I am going to keep getting up no matter how many times I fail.

There is no doubt that there will be hurdles and roadblocks along the way. I will stumble during the year, and likely will spend some time lying in that parking lot.

Let’s face it, sometimes it’s just hard to get back up.

But I will not stay down indefinitely. Neither should you.

Until next time, keep fighting.

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What About You?

Are there any valuable lessons that you learned from last year? What goals are you pursuing right now?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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