Apparently, I have a way to go before I can present myself as a Master Worrier, as I did in my previous post. My sister commented: "You didn't mention the economy, the war, global climate change, invalid mom, child who lives [hundreds] of miles away, etc. And what is retirement, anyway? I hear folks talking about it, but I don't see it in my future."
Okay, okay -- we're all going to be fine. We'll be working forever, though, so we'd best be doing something we like. I like writing -- it's good work if you can get it, and as the song says, "You can get it if you try."
As a freelancer since 1998, I've seen that things do have a way of working out in unexpected ways. The catch is: You look around and see nothing moving. But the fact is: There are at least a million things moving around beneath the surface, gestating, sprouting, getting ready to make an appearance.
I fall into the pity pot whenever I think of myself as responsible for everything -- and myself as the Little Red Hen of the World. (This comes naturally to many women, especially experienced Moms.) When I come to my senses, however, it's clear that I'm only responsible for so much -- my duties are finite. What a relief!
Once I get to that place, a 5 steps come to mind:
- 1. Take care of yourself: get enough rest, do something fun, preferably outside.
- 2. Take 5 or 10 minutes in the morning to slow down the mind-chatter and create inner silence and receptivity.
- 3. Talk to friends and colleagues daily -- you need the spark of conversation to keep your own creative flame lit.
- 4. Do the best you can on every job for every client: No matter what happens, you'll be able to respect yourself and know you did everything you could.
- 5. Listen to other people -- you'll learn a lot about what's really going on.
That's my story, what's yours?
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