I have a story to tell you. It’s about life being turned upside down.
For all the posts written about the creative process, owing the writing life, and telling myself “You Are A Writer,” I hadn’t really made the leap. In fact, I was feeling even more comfortable about the work I was doing at camp. Yes, I felt called to a type of work where I could help people do what they love, and choose what matters. But I felt my face-to-face work with young men and college guys was perhaps a better choice.
I was content, and ready to settle in for the next 20 years.
In early March, one of my bosses retired. The emotions were swift and heavy. Sad he was stepping back, excited that I may be given more responsibility. Morgan and I talked about the possibilities of staying in Black Mountain long-term, and what that would look like for us.
Two weeks later, I was told my contract would not be renewed after this summer. It was time to move on.
Wow. Didn’t see that coming.
Steven Pressfield alludes to this in The War of Art. The Resistance was growing stronger, and my practice was weakening. Turns out my muse had different plans.
Have you ever had a job change happen out of the blue? It’s tough. But there’s opportunity.
Morgan, my wife, had been applying to nursing programs around the South. So far, she hadn’t been accepted to any, and wait-listed at one; Belmont University in Nashville.
For two weeks after my news, we were in a tailspin. Where’s next? What’s next? There was excitement, we could go anywhere and do anything. But vast opportunity brings anxiety along with it. When you can go anywhere, where do you go?
Have you ever thought about choosing a city because you love it, or think you will? Or do you go to where the best work opportunity lies? These are all questions we asked over and over again.
Mostly, we talked about work. It was time for me to ship and be a writer. No more excuses, no safety net.
One year ago, I took a big step. I declared to the world that I wanted to write and make an impact. Now it was time to actually make the jump.
A traditional job, the kind with two weeks vacation, a desk, 50+ hours a week, and health insurance?
Or the work and time that I have chosen, love, and care about?
Two weeks later, Morgan was accepted in to Belmont’s Nursing program, and the decision was made.
We are moving to Nashville, the Music City.
New places and people are always exciting. I’m very happy that Morgan can follow her dream of becoming a nurse. Do I have the courage to follow mine?
I have the opportunity to give writing and online business a real shot. We have some money saved up, I would work part-time to pay bills, and our living arrangements are affordable. Doing all of this meant cutting back even more than we had, and going on a strict budget.
Am I willing to do this for a season, to create my own future?
Could I let go of the expectations of income, status, and possessions?
For all my writing, I didn’t know. And I was pissed at myself.
I would love to hear about what kind of situations you have been in regarding work and big life changes.
If you’re in this situation, it’s always helpful to speak with people who have gone before you. I spoke with a few people who wed incredibly helpful to me. Matt Frazier (NoMeatAthlete.com) gave some very helpful advice on building a tribe and being patient with your growth.
Matt & Betsy Jabs (DiyNatural.com and I’m Fine, Thanks) told Morgan and I about getting started as full-time bloggers, insurance, beginning to monetize, and great tips for AdWords.
I didn’t speak with Pat Flynn (SmartPassiveIncome.com) directly, but his story of being let go was very powerful and resonated with me. I also felt I was doing everything society told me was right, and it still didn’t work out as I hoped. I’m not upset about it, but I am breaking away from following the road map we’ve been given by default.
John Saddington (Tentblogger.com) was very patient with me through many emails, encouraged me (demanded is a good word as well) to follow the path of growth, and not be afraid to let a project die.
“You follow the momentum… always.” – John Saddington
I still don’t know exactly what everything is going to look like. What I do know is I won’t be looking to jump in the next desk job right away, trading hours for pay. But this type of writing and digital life, reaching people and helping you choose what matters, what we all do to prioritize our lives, I’m giving it a real shot.
be bold. unafraid. you have very little to lose.
Thanks John, I really appreciated your encouragement and advice last month!
As John said, be bold. We rarely achieve our dreams in our comfort zones. Good luck=)
Thanks Jennifer! Good advice to have 🙂
Congratulations, Matt! I’m all too familiar with the hybrid scary/awesome emotion. 🙂 I think the hardest part is when you’re between projects, or when you have stuff out there and you’re waiting to hear back. That’s when those questions come up…am I really supposed to be doing this? Is this really the life for me? I still bounce between being exhilarated by the freedom and possibility and being afraid of the unknown and what’s next. Looking forward to following along on your journey.
Thanks for the encouragement Jennifer, I’ll be on the lookout for those moments! Appreciate you speaking up.
I work with people in career transition every week as part of my coaching work – this story is very encouraging. I wish my clients were all as willing to give themselves a shot as you are. When it is all said and done, which would you regret more – trying and failing or not trying? My day job pays the bills – and is my priority – but I have found more fulfillment in the work I do helping others on the side that it is no longer something I have any choice but to do. Best of luck to you!
Matt, here’s my two cents. There are tons of blogs and books encouraging writers to pursue their dreams, pick themselves and all that. And that’s a good thing. But be aware of letting wishful thinking affect your judgement. As Paul Graham put it:
Figuring out what you like to work on doesn’t mean you get to work on it. That’s a separate question. And if you’re ambitious you have to keep them separate: you have to make a conscious effort to keep your ideas about what you want from being contaminated by what seems possible.
As a sportswriter who has experimented with a metered paywall blog, I had been hoping that things would work themselves out if I just put enough skill and passion into my writing. But that only works if there is a market to sustain your project. If there isn’t, all you have is a hobby and not a job.
Please don’t let me bring you down. I’m just sharing a hard-learned lesson from my own experience. Make of it what you will. Best of luck with your decision!