I recently made a huge life choice: I quit my job. I have no back up plan, no idea what I want to do with my life but I am now officially unemployed. I have been miserable at my dead-end job for years and thankfully a few life experiences made me realize I needed to make a hard decision:
- I got a temporary job with things I never realized I needed (breaks?!)
- I sustained a pretty nasty muscle tear which landed me in months of rehab
- A very close friend who was the same age and kept pushing off living his life for “later” passed away.
All of this set the stage for my need for change in my life, but it was starting Silk & Serif that really started my journey down a path of self-reflection.
I don’t normally write inspiring pieces about..well, anything. Ive decided to share a little about my experience with blogging and how its altered my life after such a short period of time.
So, what else has blogging taught me?
To Reflect
Blogging is largely marketing yourself as someone who is knowledgeable and excited about a subject. It’s about sharing information, opinions, research and experiences. The search for my own identity as a blogger has lead me to reflect on just what kind of brand or image I am projecting outside the computer as well as within. I had no idea that my outward image could hold me back from everything I wanted.
Set Goals
I have been struggling with what I want to do with my life for a long time. I’ve been unmotivated and uninspired to continue on the track I’d set for myself long ago. I’ve realized that working in a field that I enjoy and find fulfilling is the most important thing in the world. I’ve started working on setting goals for myself: get driver’s licence, work on grammar, finish my degree and research careers in publishing or working with words. I have a very long road ahead of me for at least three of the four, but difficult goals are better than no goals at all.
Feeling Valuable
Each time a person posts on one of my posts, follows me on Twitter or emails me regarding something blog related I feel a bit more valued. I have never been much for outside sources contributing to my self-worth. A blogger is part of a supportive community that is always willing to help you grow, learn and develop while simultaneously pushing you to try new things. Although my work is imperfect and covered in glaring errors it still gets read and someone enjoyed it enough to respond. That’s amazing.
Silk & Serif is by far the furthest thing from a successful blog with 5 months under its belt, but it opened a door to a community where people support one another while sharing common interests. The community makes you connect with people who have the same likes, but very different lifestyles and you learn about other ways of living outside your own experiences.
Blogging has been the best therapy for making me realize I haven’t been taking care of myself or my happiness. Regardless of whether my blog shifts into obscurity or continues to grow this little slice of the internet has reminded me of things I’d forgotten: myself!
Loved this post. I also quit a job earlier this year for a number of reasons but mostly because it was not only leaving me unfulfilled but incredibly frustrated and angry, so I took a chance and just left. To be honest I have been struggling to find suitable contract work since, but I don’t yet regret the decision. One of the consequences of that decision was the resurrection of my old blog and a return to blogging. The Genteel Arsenal originally started as a bit of a personal development experiment and continued because I simply enjoyed the process, now it is helping to provide some valuable discipline with reading and writing when I am away from the workplace. I must confess that my blog posts are often written in a hurry and sometimes I just don’t see errors until several days after posting, that is an appalling bad habit on my part, but I do still enjoy blogging.
I am thinking about posting something on the post card exchange which I think I first read about here on your blog, so I will include a link back to Silk & Serif. I don’t get a lot of traffic but it might further the bookish blogging conversation here.
Good luck with your goals. At the start they always seem so distant but before you know it you will have completed all of them and will be looking for some new ones. I am thinking about setting some new challenges and goals for myself but I feel in a bit of a point of flux at the moment, not quite sure were things are going. In the meantime I have blogging as a rewarding hobby.
I should add that blogging has lead to some great online friendships with some very different people, that is one aspect that I have found enjoyable and rewarding.
I know what you mean about being unfulfilled, frustrated and angry with work. I worked for the same company for six years and don’t have the parent-backup so it was really hard to leave. I’m not sure if I regret it or not: I’m horribly bored and lonely, but not exhausted and feel more myself than I have in years. I am glad I took the chance to leave – I’d probably still be there unappreciated, exhausted and bitter.
I accidentally posted my last comment before I completed it (WordPress app!).
I found blogging before quitting my job but it has kept me occupied in the hours I am not applying for jobs. I love that reviewing legitimizes my reading habits – before I’d feed guilty for reading instead of doing something “useful”. Plus, blogging provides an opportunity to learn about other people, places and publishers. I’m also learning social media!
The post card exchange has been good. I got another one a few days ago and I’ll post it on Thursday!
I will definitely be linking in my blog roll once I set it up! I love your reviews and taste in books so obviously I’ll be back! 😉
Just dropped by and to continue the conversation, I know what you mean about bored and lonely, leaving a job leaves you cut off from that day to day interaction. I had not realised that would be so important and that I would miss that contact but it is still better than going home angry and frustrated and constantly doubting my own skills which is what was happening at the old job. I was lucky in that I have a partner with a good job so I could fall back on his support but I really need to find something that lets me use the skills I have. Blogging and reading is great it gives some structure and purpose, I figure anything that shows you can use social media in a constructive way can only help career wise. Good luck with your plans.
I am fortunate enough to have some savings to rely on, which is currently paying the bills. Thankfully I’m all about keeping a small fund for emergencies! Unfortunately, finding employment is like finding a needle in a haystack for most of us. I definitely didn’t realize how much the job market has changed since I last looked and I’m also horrible at “selling” myself. I think I’m a fantastic employee – driven, focused and committed – but convincing an employer of that? Yeah, that’s difficult.
My blog isn’t really popular but at least it gives me something to do and gives me access to conversations with tons of great people (like you!). I really love making new friends and blogging helps a little with the loneliness.
I do miss getting up in the morning and going to work which is incredibly surprising. I always hated early mornings! I think my decision has been great practice in self-exploration and generally illuminating. I am really glad to know I’m not alone in the journey!