Well, there are updates! As of July 15, everyone in my office is back to full salary! And, let me tell you, that great news couldn't have come at a better time! I had steady clients for a most of the last six months but just recently, things got a little slim and I prayed that God would somehow provide for me. I'd say this is a GREAT answer to that prayer!
But, of course, going back to full time at my office job warranted some decisions on my part:
- would I choose to accept the offer to go back to full time?
- what happened to my business if I did?
- what happened to my finances if I didn't?
- what about the dream that inspired the business in the first place?
After much praying and conversations with wise friends, here's what I've come up with:
- I'm going back to full time at the office so that I can get back on track with my finances
- Saying "yes" to my fulltime position is NOT saying "no" to my larger dreams and visions
- I'm still going to work to grow my business. Writing for a Change DOES and WILL continue to exist. But, I'm just going to build it wisely as opposed to frantically.
So, you may be asking, what does it mean to be growing my business wisely?
Well, I'm glad you asked! ;)
- Since I have my fulltime job and pay back, I'm not as frantic about getting projects/clients simply to pay the bills. I'll still be accepting projects and new clients, of course. But, I won't panic if I don't have any at times. My foremost goal now is to take care of all the background/infrastructure things and build Writing for a Change to last.
- One of the main infrastructure things I'm working on is honing in on my skills before I try marketing myself. You may remember my mentioning that I was going to go back to school to become a certified Copyeditor. Well, I'm officially starting at the University of California San Diego this fall for their online program. I'm VERY VERY excited! (Now I can become an even bigger grammar nerd!!!!!)
One of the biggest things I wrestled with (as I mentioned above) is the question of how this affects my dream of being a foster/adoptive parent and using Writing for a Change as a catalyst for that dream. But, what I came to (and really felt God speaking) was that this is just a postponement. And, postponement, by definition, still indicates that the intended will still be realized...just not quite as quickly as previously anticipated.
I did hear God correctly in His saying to start the business when I did. I did hear Him correctly that Writing for a Change would be that catalyst. I will still realize those dreams that I so thoroughly believe came from the heart of God Himself. It just won't be coming to full fruition quite as quickly as I had anticipated.
It was all a great object lesson for me - specifically since my salary was part of the object lesson. I mean, my original intent of getting a roommate back in February was to help me get out of debt and to get a little ahead financially. And though there were moments (more than I'd like to admit, if I'm honest) when I was furious that my plan had been derailed, really, the paycut was not a cancellation of my intention but just a postponement. Now that my salary is back and I still have a roommate, I can continue on with the original intention of getting out of debt.
And, those six months of postponement weren't wasted. They were vital in learning lots of things (professionally and personally) and to set the stage for right now. I'd have never entertained the idea of going back to school right now had it not been for the paycut and the new business. And, school is the absolute correct next step both for my own future, the future of Writing for a Change and even for my (potentially expanding) role at my fulltime job.
I'm absolutely thrilled to see how this latest season of postponement will benefit my future and my dreams.
I'll keep you posted!
No comments:
Post a Comment