How To Enjoy A 50K—Step 23: Become a Full-time Freelance Writer and Never Have Time for Anything Else But Don’t Even Worry in the Slightest Because You’re Happier Than You’ve Been in a Long Time
Oh hi, remember me? It’s a been quite a while since I’ve posted and here’s why: I broke the fence, chased a dream, and am loving every minute of my decision.
The fence was my desperate search for a full-time job that would offer me a salary and benefits, while simultaneously squashing my happiness and desire/ability to truly be a writer.
Reflecting on my last post, I can tell you that, though this river of writing has always been here, I didn’t trust it enough to sustain me. In the midst of sending out well over 100 resumes, I applied for a few writing jobs here and there, assuming that nothing would become of any of them.
Two were scams. And all of the others (with the exception of one) did not pan out. And yet, the exception did. When the editor emailed asking me to take part in a paid writing test, I assumed it was spam. That’s how little faith I had in myself.
A tiny voice deep down in my toes whispered, “Check it out. What’s the harm?”
At first I wrote a few short articles on plant care and figured it could be a side hustle when I occasionally want to bring in some extra cash. Then, because I’m a strong writer and I only submit professional-level polished work, they asked me to become an editor. And I replied, “Oh my goodness, thank you. I would love to, but no. I’m not trained in editing and I have no experience.
And they said they would train me and pay me full rate while I learned.
That voice spoke up again, but this time it had a lot more conviction and a touch of sass. “Suck up your fears, sweetheart,” it said. “This is obviously what you’re going to do.”
At first it was stressful, but I found my groove and remembered to breathe and stretch while I work. Then, because it turns out I’m a damn fine editor, I asked if I could also write full-length features on plant care and gardening. And, oh, could I expand to the sister site on food and write about vegetarian and gluten-free cooking.
And they said absolutely I could. In fact, they would love that.
In four short months I have completely ditched my search for a full-time job, even going so far as to take my name out of the hat for a job I had a very good chance of being offered. I have become a full-time freelance writer, only writing articles on subjects I’m genuinely and thoroughly interested in. This is a key factor in making this work. Due to the ADHD that rattles my brain, it would feel like torture to write articles about things I don’t care about. I would see no purpose, give up, and quit within weeks. (Actually, probably more like days or hours.)
I don’t know what this means for my goal of completing and fully enjoying a 50K Ultra Marathon. For now, I mostly think of the 50K ultra as my life. I’m learning how to more fully enjoy being alive.
The photo above is of an Allamanda cathartica ‘Cherries Jubilee’ vine that I have growing in my front courtyard in South Florida. One of the articles I recently wrote is about their care. If you have any interest in plant care, gardening, or vegetarian and gluten-free food, please check out my articles for House Digest (HERE) and Tasting Table (HERE). Just scroll down below my bio.
If I get back into running, I’ll be sure to let you all know. In the meantime, I’m gonna keep doing what I love and I sincerely hope you are able to do the same.
Sending love 💛 and light 💡 from the laptop in which my nose is almost always happily buried!
How to Enjoy a 50K 