I feel like a bit of a nooge - after promising a friend back in May that I would start to update this bloody thing, I haven't - but have had lots of great ideas for doing so. Here I go again..
I've always been the sort of person who has lots of different business ideas kicking around in her head - as a child I sold radishes from a small plot in my Grandma's garden, cheerfully did other people's chores for money, and sketched out fantastic inventions that I would someday build. Having ideas is easy for me, but choosing which to bring to fruition - and knowing when to let go of it and move on - has been my challenge.
I sort of happened into my primary career in IT ( I've moved from programmer to network admin to project manager), but never felt that IT was the best fit for me. I have a knack for explaining things to people, and can be extraordinarily patient, so I thought that freelance Tech Consulting for the computer-phobic would be a success. While I got great reviews, my heart wasn't in it, so I never really marketed myself to people who could pay me what my services were worth, and ended up doing fix-it jobs for a few people around the neighborhood, who moaned about the cost of my heavily discounted services. I've kept a DBA and a business account open for this endeavour for years, but feel that it's foolish to do so. I've just listed the domain for this business for sale, and will close out the account, that has all of $7 in it, and pull the DBA certificate.
I also started to sell vintage wares on eBay, but soon realized that I had neither the space nor, at the time, the resources to support myself while this got off the ground. I was a Trading Assistant briefly, but there was so much other drama going on in my life that I couldn't focus on it. The field opened up, and I realized that I just couldn't make a go of it at that point. Another no-go that I finally gave up on for good last year. I still do sell things occasionally, but that's it.
Now, I really feel drawn to my fledgling voice-over career, but I've done precious little about it. I have a day job, and while I enjoy the work, the environment is not for me. I also have an idea for a book/multimedia project , want to pursue public speaking as a career, am looking into buying into a laundramat, and other business ventures. I think I'm scattering my energies, and am not certain what to do first.
I should also mention that I have some side income as a mystery shopper, but am finding that most of it is no longer worth the bother, but I can't pull away from it.
I wish I knew what I ought to focus on first - voice overs, public speaking opportunities, or something else. I know that I need to find a better work environment, but things have not progressed as quickly as I'd hoped. I feel like I've been sending out so much "new work" energy, but have not been led to/created the right situation yet.
Focus - what to focus on, and when. That's what I need to figure out.
Happy New Year!
Here's wishing all of you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2009! This is a year of change and clearing the decks to make room for something better and more worthwhile.
I've embraced the spirit of this by merciless purging, freecycling, reorganizing and recycling these past three weeks. The apartment has been re-arranged, and even though I've brought in more furniture (much needed to corral my items), I now have more floor space. Home is so much more pleasant and airy, and I'm looking forward to entertaining at home.
I'll be posting my goals for the year soon, as well as reorganizing some of the categories and layout to reflect my professional and personal lives.
Posted at 01:03 PM in Personal Commentary | Permalink | Comments (0)