A Nudge
I'm getting a nudge in life that I have always wanted, yet secretly fear.
I fear poverty, or at more precisely living with the habits and psychology of someone who is insecure about money.
I fear not having enough routine and discipline.
Those fears are real, but they are tied to a bigger fear, the thing I need to do. I need to write for myself.
Writing independently, without the safety net of a full-time job and healthcare and an 8:30-to-5:00 routine, is something I have longed to do. I've literally daydreamed about it. My creativity is there. My work ethic is there. My heart is there. But it's scary.
And now, I'm getting a nudge.
My partner just got a job with the U.S. State Department, working in the Foreign Service. He's about to become a diplomat. We move to Washington, D.C. in a few days. In a few weeks, we'll find out whether we are destined to stay in the capital for a while, or where else in the world we will be sent to live for the following two years. The nature of the job is that we will move every two years to a new country, with occasional posts to Washington D.C., maybe.
For the last four years, I've been so lucky to have a full-time job as a writer. Previously, I've been an editor and part time writer, dividing my time 80/20 if I planned my weeks well enough to even get that much time to write. Writing is what I do and what I love, whether it's product reviews (a large chunk of what I write now), feature articles, or scripts that I'll end up speaking in front of a camera.
Writing full-time has been an absolute pleasure because I get to do the thing I love and still have all the securities that keep fear at bay: a regular work week, insurance, paid time off, co-workers, and an office. It's been good. But it needs to end. And it's time to do the freelance thing.
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do." -Tim Ferris, The 4-Hour WorkweekI fear instability.
I fear poverty, or at more precisely living with the habits and psychology of someone who is insecure about money.
I fear not having enough routine and discipline.
Those fears are real, but they are tied to a bigger fear, the thing I need to do. I need to write for myself.
Writing independently, without the safety net of a full-time job and healthcare and an 8:30-to-5:00 routine, is something I have longed to do. I've literally daydreamed about it. My creativity is there. My work ethic is there. My heart is there. But it's scary.
And now, I'm getting a nudge.
My partner just got a job with the U.S. State Department, working in the Foreign Service. He's about to become a diplomat. We move to Washington, D.C. in a few days. In a few weeks, we'll find out whether we are destined to stay in the capital for a while, or where else in the world we will be sent to live for the following two years. The nature of the job is that we will move every two years to a new country, with occasional posts to Washington D.C., maybe.
For the last four years, I've been so lucky to have a full-time job as a writer. Previously, I've been an editor and part time writer, dividing my time 80/20 if I planned my weeks well enough to even get that much time to write. Writing is what I do and what I love, whether it's product reviews (a large chunk of what I write now), feature articles, or scripts that I'll end up speaking in front of a camera.
Writing full-time has been an absolute pleasure because I get to do the thing I love and still have all the securities that keep fear at bay: a regular work week, insurance, paid time off, co-workers, and an office. It's been good. But it needs to end. And it's time to do the freelance thing.