Rolling with the Punches – How to Cope When Plans Get Derailed

I’m not giving up, but I’ve come to the realization that I might have to accept that there will be detours in my professional planning.

My biggest dreams are to be a bestselling author and a world-renowned music journalist. Of course, I’m well aware that the first thing is probably about as likely as becoming a pop star and the second thing takes years to accomplish.

Since those ideas obviously fell through (shocker, I know right?), I’ve been looking for remote work through all the typical job finding sites, preferably for something like copywriting or marketing. And due to probably a bunch of different variables, that just hasn’t happened for me yet either.

And I’m not giving up, but I’ve come to the realization that I might have to accept that there will be detours in my professional planning. No matter what happens in the future, I gotta be okay with where I am now (very zen-like of me, isn’t it?).

So here’s where I’m at, and what I’ve been doing lately to make the waiting productive and not a waste of time:

#1: I’ve embraced freelancing as a legitimate option.

At least for now, working for myself has been really really great, and I’ll be able to pad my resume for later. Hopefully the world stops imploding soon enough, and at that point, I’ll land a full-time gig. Or hey, if the freelancing thing goes well enough, maybe I won’t even have to at all! As my uncle put it once, I could work for someone irritating and make less money, or work for myself and make more money. The choice is pretty obvious!

As far as what kind of freelancing I’ve been doing, it varies. Sometimes it’s an article for Motif Magazine, Inkitt Writer’s Blog, or an edited manuscript for a client. No matter what it is, I’m totally busy enough with whatever I find and it’s actually really fun! I’ll attach some links to my work below if you’re curious about it.

Motif Magazine: https://motifri.com/author/angelinasinger/

Inkitt Writer’s Blog: https://degfhkjgfjhf.inkitt.com/author/angelinasinger/

I’ve also still been working on my latest book, Forgiving What I Couldn’t Change (Book 2 of The Rewind Duology), but I’m not expecting that to be a full-time venture anytime soon necessarily. So I’m diverting my attention to these gigs full time (for now).

#2: Trust God.

‘nough said, right? My faith in Jesus plays a massive role here, because it helps me remember that even when I’m convinced my life is spinning out of control (or worse yet, not going anywhere at all), He’s got it covered. It’s a pretty good feeling, once you retrain yourself to think through struggles that way. So just hang in there best you can until things start to change 🙂

#3: Be nice to yourself.

Lilly’s not worried – you shouldn’t be either!

Don’t blame yourself for not having a job yet (especially these days). There are so many totally valid variables that are making the job search harder than it’s ever been. Maybe the company you want to work for isn’t hiring right now. Or the one that is being extra picky in their hiring process because as it is, they have a shoestring budget. But the overwhelming consensus us that it’s not you. Everything is just tough right now, and that’s okay.

In the meantime, fill your time with productive action steps that could lead to getting out of your rut sooner versus later. As for me, I took a leap of faith and joined the Editorial Freelancers Association – a paid database that connects freelancers with people who need their services. It was a bit more expensive to join than I typically would have been okay paying for, but I think it was a smart investment. Point is, do things that are productive, even if it feels like a tangent.

In my limited experience, sometimes side quests end up leading you right back to the main path anyway 😉

#freelancing #writers #writerlife #selfcare #blogging #articles #music #authors #reading #fiction #breathe #staycalm #thistooshallpass #pray #trustGod #faithinJesus #focus #grace #kindness #businesses #investments #mindset #taketherisk #leapoffaith #gethired #opentowork #workforyourself #copywriting #editing #clients #rollingwiththepunches

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Author: Angelina Singer

Magna Cum Laude graduate who studied English, Music, and of course, Creative writing. For me, writing is an escape as well as a coping mechanism.

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