What's Inside the Blog
It’s hard for me to admit this, but I didn’t realize I was slowly suffocating in the workplace.
For me, the realization happened all at once even though the signs were all there, slowly building, probably for years.
In this blog I’ll share a little of my story to illustrate my point–sometimes, you don’t even know that you’re struggling. Then, one day, you wake up and realize all the signs you’d been begging to become clear were already there.
Creating My Own Copywriting Career: How Freelance Freedom Changed My Life
You don’t have to know all the details of my backstory to relate to this story (but if you want to hear it, I’ve shared a little bit of how I got into this business in another blog post).
I’ll give you the short version for brevity’s sake.
I was a breaking news journalist working at the Tampa Bay Times. I’d spent my time in college dedicated to countless Journalism internships, freelancing at the local paper, writing for my college’s newspaper while holding down a second job, and devoting myself to learning the craft of journalism. I was serious. It was my calling, after all.
In J-School, they teach you that you’re more than just a writer–you’re a watchdog.
Your influence is bigger than just printed words on a newspaper (that gets tossed out the same day). You’ll make a mark, change the world, tell stories–whatever it was, you’d find fulfillment in making a difference.
I wanted that. I felt like I was on the right track.
But after years of digging my heels into building that career, I found myself, day after day, sitting in my Mazda 6 at 5 a.m. praying to God that I wouldn’t hear something over the police scanner when I walked into the office.
But even that sign wasn’t enough. I just thought that’s how work was supposed to be. I was anxious, living on coffee (a beverage I’d never drank before I became a journalist, by the way), volatile in my relationships, and always (always) in a bad mood that I couldn’t quite shake.
Even all of these things didn’t amount to my understanding of where the source of my anxiety was coming from.
The real sign came for me when I realized I was spending every waking moment outside.
I was sitting on the beach after running five miles (what was a short, daily run for me at the time, another sign of my mental instability, maybe).
I’d already done yoga, went for a swim, and spent time aimlessly wandering the beach. It was starting to get dark but the last thing I wanted to do was go home.
These feelings on their own aren’t necessarily negative. We’ve all been in a position where we didn’t want a beautiful day out to end. But going home meant getting around for the end of the day–and the end of the day meant work was coming shortly after.
This was how I spent almost every single day after work. I’d leave the office and drive straight to the beach. And then I’d stick there like velcro until I had to painfully peel myself away.
One day, as I tried to talk myself into leaving and heading back to my 400 sqft. studio apartment in the city’s historic district, I realized, maybe for the first time, what was really happening.
I was living in a constant state of almost panic.
I was outside every moment I could muster because I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Freelance Freedom is Powerful: Here's What I Mean
I went from being strapped to a desk and watching the world happen around me to doing whatever the hell I wanted, whenever the hell I wanted.
I can’t overstate this freedom enough. I know people exaggerate how the freelance thing impacts their life.
And I’d never sit here and claim that freelancing is easy-breezy. Here’s the truth. It’s not easy. It’s challenging. It’s tough. It’s a career that can easily drive you right out of your mind.
But the freedom that comes with it is unmatched.
I like to think that I created my own career–but I know I’m not the first person to do this. I get it. We all find our own ways in life and do things we’re proud of.
I genuinely believe that crafting this career is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life–maybe one of the greatest things I’ll ever do, even.
A Job Isn't Just a Job–But Sometimes It Is
I want to start this off with a disclaimer– it’s not beyond me that a job isn’t always about fulfillment. I understand how the world works. I’ve been part of the “workforce” since I was 15. I worked my way through high school and college and didn’t ever have the luxury of working for fun.
At the same time, I knew I wanted to be passionate about the career I picked. But let me set the record straight. I get that you need money to survive. I get that you’re not always in a position to just quit your full-time 9-5 and see what happens.
I get that we don’t all have the luxury to stop worrying about money and pursue our passions to see what happens. I’m not ragging on people who can do this. And I’m not ragging on people who can’t.
What I’m saying is that we’re all in different situations, so our iterations of finding job fulfillment are going to look different and take different amounts of time. And you know what? That’s more than OK.
Whenever I mentor writers who want to quit their jobs and jump into full-time freelancing, I always approach the subject cautiously.
It’s not always about the willingness and the drive–sometimes it’s about the reality of your situation.
Maybe I’m a bad freelance writing guru, but I wholeheartedly believe your pursuit of job fulfillment shouldn’t come at the expense of your livelihood. Let’s put that a different way: you do not–and should not–have to put yourself or your family in jeopardy to pursue the career you’re passionate about.
It’s not all or nothing. It’s not sink or swim.
Sometimes, it’s consistent, smaller efforts in the background while you do what you have to do. And that’s OK.
6 Signs Freelance Freedom is Calling Your Name
You're Exhausted All the Time
And I don’t mean physically exhausted. If you’re mentally drained every day of the week–even the days you’re not working–it’s likely you’re dealing with the mental drain that goes hand-in-hand with constantly performing at a job you just don’t care for.
Speaking from my experience, I could get all the sleep in the world, keep my workout routine regular, avoid drinking alcohol, and eat an incredibly balanced diet–but I still couldn’t drag myself out of the mental slump of exhaustion that was my day-to-day career.
Even when I felt great physically, I was mentally drained. And for the life of me I could not figure out why.
Sunday (or Whatever Day) Scaries are Real
I didn’t have a normal schedule when I worked in journalism, so I can’t say I was hardcore stressing every time Sunday rolled around. But if I had two days off, whatever-night-before-work it was would roll around and I would find myself in a full-blown panic. And I couldn’t even really tell you why.
Journalism was stressful and an emotional rollercoaster. So, at first, I figured I just couldn’t handle the mental energy and emotional strength it took to deal with constant death, endless crime, and horrifying things (because for real, you guys, in journalism school they literally teach you the line “if it bleeds, it leads”).
But when I switched over to a career in PR–which wasn’t exactly low-stress but wasn’t a constant feeling of terror that I’d have to talk to a dead person’s next of kin immediately following their fatal accident–I still couldn’t shake the night-before work stress.
The Grass Always Seems Greener
I was hearing about other people’s adventures. I was throwing myself into online communities where people took to the road without a plan. I romanticized other people’s lives because they were doing something better than me–they had to be, right?
I automatically assumed that if someone was happier than me, they had to have it all figured out. The grass looked greener every where I turned–even if it was blatantly obvious these people I envied were not living a life much different than my own.
All You Feel is Anxiety
Every other emotion I felt–at work and outside of work–was substantially overshadowed by anxiety, doubt, and a bad mood. Don’t get me wrong, I had a range of other emotions–I’m a human, after all. But all of them were so much weaker compared to my anxiety
You know that really amazing feeling you get after you’ve done something incredible? Maybe you hiked a mountain you didn’t think you could. Maybe you fell in love. Maybe you made a major breakthrough in your personal life. Whatever it may be, I’m sure you’ve felt that emotion that’s all-encompassing. Something that’s so big and bold and loud that you can’t escape it.
Unfortunately, that’s what my anxiety felt like–and it felt like that almost all the time.
You Can't Find an Ounce of Joy in Your Job
This might be a sweeping statement, but I genuinely believe there are positives about most jobs out there. And lots of them can bring you joy, even if it’s just for a moment. When I first started in journalism, I found a ton of joy in the gig. I loved (and still do) talking to people every day. I loved writing stories. I loved giving people a voice in print–something that never really goes away.
I found all of that super rewarding for the first several years of my career. But then something shifted. I tried (like, I really tried) to find even a slice of joy in my job, and I couldn’t. I am a pretty optimistic person, but I was struggling.
When I switched over to PR, I thought for sure I’d be able to find a little ounce of joy somewhere. And, I did for a moment (it was a distillery, after all). But after a few weeks, that positivity faded. I wondered what was wrong with me. I wondered how I could be so cynical only a few years into my 20s.
And while it definitely took some self-reflection and accountability on my end, I also realized that a lot of it had to do with the work I was doing every single day. I wasn’t achieving anything, I wasn’t doing anything meaningful, and I wasn’t living.
The Paycheck Doesn't Matter Anymore
By no means did I make decent money as a journalist. And being in PR wasn’t all that much better (though it was marginally). But I was definitely making ends meet, and I wasn’t struggling. But as good as financial security felt, it didn’t seem to matter.
My paycheck was doing more than just getting me by–I was saving up and living a comfortable life. And still, I didn’t care.
I’m not saying this is always a sign of being unhappy at your job, but it was one for me. I didn’t care that I was doing “well.” I didn’t care that I was succeeding financially. I didn’t care that I was “thriving” and not having to worry about rent.
All of that good and important stuff was substantially overshadowed by how deeply unhappy I was.
The Good News? You Can Change It
One of my favorite things to say is, “life has no rules.” Sometimes I’m being silly about it, like when my husband wants to watch another episode of show and it’s already late or if my best friend texts me “pancakes or an acaia bowl?”
Why not watch another episode? Why not have both for breakfast? Life has no rules.
But sometimes, I’m very serious. Because, in most ways, I genuinely believe that life doesn’t have any rules.
Only the ones we make ourselves believe.
If you want to change your career, even “late in the game,” you can. Life has no rules.
If you want to be a freelance worker and travel the world, you can. Life has no rules.
And if you want to take a look at your life, realize you’re not happy, and start somewhere totally new from scratch, you can.
Because life has no rules.
If you want to start a freelance writing career, I can help. If you just want to talk about what it takes to kick your old career to the curb (even gradually and mindfully), I can help with that, too.
I can’t promise you I’ll have all the answers–and you might not even want to become a freelance writer in the first place. But if I can help one person figure out what’s right for them–if I can help one person start living a boundless life like I have–then that’s something I want to do.
JOIN THE BOUNDLESS CLUB
MEET YOU IN YOUR INBOX
Snag a spot on our email list for inside details, discounts, & candid copy advice. No spam, just value (and our signature Golden Retriever style good vibes).
