If you could have any job (and instantly have the training and qualifications to do it), which job would you want?
This is today’s NaBloPoMo question from Vonnie over at Nowt Special.
I have NEVER known the answer to this question and to this day I still don’t, despite getting a first class degree in Civil Engineering, which I did because I’m good at maths. I think it is because I want to be my own boss and therefore can’t see myself in a conventional job.
That doesn’t mean I don’t want to work though, if I close my eyes and imagine myself being happy and fulfilled, I am definitely really good at something, busy with it and respected for doing it. I just don’t know what it is!
I’m in the fortunate position of not needing to bring in an income. But this doesn’t always do me well. I miss that interaction of working with other people, feeling appreciated, generally having something to do that taxes my brain. But I can’t think of a single job I want to do.
So I blog – my main aim for my blog is to make it good. Something I built up from the ground and I can say is successful. So I think blogging is my it, only to be really successful I need to spend a lot more time on it! Evenings…when all I want to do is be in bed by 9! Who am I trying to kid, I was in bed by 9 last night.
The thing I like about blogging is, firstly, being able to write. I didn’t know I liked writing until I started a blog. Now I love coming up with ideas and within a few hours I can have something fairly presentable on my site. Some of it’s good, some of it’s not so good! But it’s fun all the same.
The second thing I really like about blogging is the tinkering you need to do behind the scenes. The things you need to do to slowly increase your traffic; SEO, social media, key words, building up a community, writing cornerstone content, anchor texts, etc.
I like tinkering around with all that stuff and reading about it but I am terrible at monitoring and I’m not especially good at doing the outreach, the promotion of my posts with real people to take my blog to the next level.
Which has reminded me that back in January, with all the vigour a New Year brings, I wrote down what I wanted to achieve with my blog. What success would look like. That’s what all the motivational books say to do otherwise when will you know you’ve achieved your goals?! So for the purpose of this post, I have dug it out.
I thought big and it’s embarrassing, but you can read it if you promise not to laugh. Deal?
There’s arrows everywhere but basically what I did was start with what I would really like to achieve (and bare in mind that this is probably a 50 year plan rather than a 1 year one!) and worked backwards. What do I need to do? And how do I move forward from now?
You might notice I have the goal of earning £3-5,000 per month…like I said, I was thinking big! But to be honest money isn’t my drive, it’s just one of the easiest, most tangible ways of monitoring your achievements, I guess. You’ll also notice I said I want to be on TV. Aside from almost being on the Alan Titchmarsh show this year, I don’t know if this is really true. I see how much stick people in the public eye get and I get hot under the collar when I think someone’s looked at me funny!
Anyway, I digress! Now I’ve reminded myself of my January 2013 goals, to answer the top question, I think I need to reword it slightly…if you could be anything what would it be?
When I look at what my future success looks like it’s not a job as such, it’s something I want to achieve and someone I want to be. I would be a respected writer with a successful blog and potentially my own products. Of what? Who knows. I guess it will come to me between now and 2063!
You should read Rachael Lucas’s blog (http://rachaellucas.com/blog/), she’s a great friend of mine and wrote a book during NaNoWriMo (like NaBloPoMo, but instead of blogging you write a 50,000 word novel) which she self published and which hit #1 on the Amazon download charts. She’s just ended up with a book deal. What you’re wanting to do is entirely achievable – you can do it! x
Vonnie, I read this via email and never replied…so sorry and thank you so much for you kind message – i shall look up your friend’s book, it sounds TOTALLY up my street!
Thanks for your kind words of encouragement xxx
Hi Hannah,
I’m 29 weeks pregnant and have just stumbled across your blog during my final day of freedom before I return to the corporate grind on Monday. I have spent the day a) sleeping in late (as I have done everyday since the Christmas Holidays began) b) showering c. midday c) eating and pontificating on what to eat next d) imagining myself as domestic goddess having done laundry and cooking my hard-working husband dinner upon his return this evening e) berating myself for the fact that beyond imagining, I have failed to do either laundry or make a start on dinner what in fact I have done is f) lie on the bed talking to bump and reading what happens next in pregnancy, followed by g) lying on sofa thinking I might need another nap. I am genuinely enjoying this ability to do nothing. But I also feel guilty.
When I am at work, I am there at 8am and rarely leave before 7pm. I spend my days talking to people, managing the emotions of a highly strung and stressed out group of individuals, trying to resolve conflicts, preparing and running workshops where everyone feels their input has been heard, accounted for and acted on, capturing feedback, motivating a team in times of change, writing performance reviews, delivering performance reviews and having “difficult conversations.” I am also running the day to day activities of 2 teams at the moment and recruiting both a back fill for my old job and my maternity replacement. Just thinking about it all makes me tearful because it is all so emotionally draining. And not a lot of it is actually related to what I am qualified in or good at. I guess that is what happens the longer you spend trying to climb the greasy pole. And I need to keep climbing as I am the breadwinner in our family at the moment. I graduated 15 years ago (terrifying but true) and have followed the conventional path to “career success” I suppose.
Don’t get me wrong, I do in fact love my job (most of the time) and I am proud of where I am and what I have achieved, but I think I have allowed it to define who I am. My pregnancy has gotten me to thinking about this in significantly more detail than I have ever accorded it before. At time of writing, I have asked for 52 weeks maternity leave (which didn’t go down well) simply so that I can recover emotionally and spend time with my baby. When I go back I will likely only get to see him at the weekends when I will be back in a cycle of work. sleep. work. sleep. Except without as much of the sleep if everything I read is true.
I don’t have any hobbies which I suppose is why I feel guilty. My time off is coming to an end and I haven’t achieved much/anything at all. I feel like I should be knitting baby booties and sewing curtains, raising money for charities, participating in baby yoga, starting a pregnancy blog (albeit somewhat late in the day), doing a massage course and some floristry is vain attempt to find alternative sources of income and being an all round “jolly good person” but a) I have no talent or skills in any of the aforementioned departments, and b) I just can’t be arsed.
I guess I wanted to write as your post got me to thinking about what I would do if I could do anything. I don’t know what the answer is my mind isn’t creative enough and our bank balance isn’t healthy enough for me to think about doing anything other than hanging onto the greasy pole by my fingernails for the next 20 years. However; if I could do anything? I’d seek out amazing opportunities to combine being a very good mum, with doing something I love and without feeling that the sacrifices on my personal life aren’t such that anything becomes prohibitive. Much like you have detailed here in this post. Well done you! I wish you all the success in the world. I look forward to reading your future posts and following your progress in crafting for yourself an unconventional path to personal and family fulfilment and success whilst along the way, providing inspiration to a legion of women out there wondering…”What if”…….
Thank you and keep writing 🙂
P.s. I am going on maternity leave at 35 weeks, at which point I will definitely make a concerted effort to think differently and change my path. After a year off I shall be an accomplished masseuse, florist, concert pianist and mummy! I can’t wait 🙂
Sarah! What an honour to have such an amazing comment left on my blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to write to, it’s made my weekend (especially that last little lush paragraph 🙂 )!
Now then, firstly, I forbid you for feeling guilty about doing nothing. You’re not doing nothing when you’re lounging around, you’re cooking a baby and, therefore, everything else would require you to multitask, which, according to my new book on managing your day, is a bad thing!
Reading about your day job sounds incredible, and if you love it I don’t see the harm in letting it define you. You’re good at it, you’ve worked hard, and you should be proud of yourself! I’m imagining you as Mirander in Sex and the City – career driven and then a baby comes along! If you are anything like me, you will try and mould yourself into an imaginary mum shaped person and make yourself miserable. Please don’t start knitting booties!!!! You have nothing to feel guilty for. You are a great role model, you will be a great mum whether you’re at home slaving over a hot stove or at work slaving over a hot computer. But you must do what makes you happy first and foremost. I believe anyway.
I thought I would do all those baby groups and be in the park and drinking coffees and eating cake everyday with hundreds of friends. But actually, it stressed me out and while I do fun things with Reuben and a few select friends, it isn’t all I do. I get a great enjoyment from my blog. I feel guilty saying it!! But they are two different things – when I’m with Reuben I don’t touch my computer but I do crave naptime so I can write! Then I’m happy and I’m a better mum, with more patience and more energy and ideas for playing.
You’ll know when baby comes (probably around 4 to 6 months) what it is you want to do. It’s naff if you feel you have to keep doing something for money, one of my best friends is in the same situation, but at the same time, don’t feel guilty if you can’t wait to get back! But please do me one favour and stop seeing your maternity leave as “time off”. I have a feeling you’re trying to justify this “holiday” to other people and yourself – it’s really not, you have a big job to do and it’ll be freaking hard work and freaking amazing!
Keep writing to me, I want to know how you get on, and if you ever feel like you need an outlet, I’d happily publish your thoughts on motherhood/career/the transition/whatever else you fancy!
Thanks again Sarah xxx