Around the one-year anniversary of putting in my 2-weeks’ notice, I posted a blog about the things I’ve accomplished in the last year. While I’ll be continuing to allow my visions for 2025 to coalesce throughout my Mythopoeic Midwinter course and the goal-setting process I use each New Year, I want to share some of my thoughts today, on the one-year anniversary of the first day of this new life.
A year ago, I made videos of myself packing up my office. Of the candle blowing itself out on my desk. I had only the vaguest of plans. I only knew that I wasn’t going to be able to discover my next step until I left the safety of full-time work behind.
I couldn’t have done this without…
I know a lot of people see this leap of faith and think “I can’t do that…” and list off very reasonable reasons why what I did would be impossible for them. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been that person in that position for years. I had friends advise me to quit my work in SEO a decade before I actually did so.
So I want to acknowledge some of the things that made this move possible for me.
- I really worked on healing my relationship with money. I used a workbook, Heal Your Relationship with Money by Kara Stevens to unpack my internalized beliefs about money, about work, and about debt and savings. Money decisions are emotional decisions, and this workbook helped me heal many of the emotional causes of my money issues.
- Honestly, living alone helps. Having families, partners, and other people who rely upon us, our income, and ask for our time can be a major roadblock in making a move like this. Because I live alone, I can cut costs that may be a little uncomfortable. Having families means that they also have to be on board with eating proverbial ramen packets for dinner, and “making do” when financial constraints kick in.
- Faith helps, too. Just like my move to New Mexico, this leap of faith has been encouraged and supported by my beliefs in the way the universe works, and how it supports me.
I knew I was going to quit working almost an entire year before I made the plunge, and I cut corners and set myself up for success as I planned on that move. I had paid off debts, and saved up money throughout that year. I’d also learned how to make my personal luxury items like candles here at home, instead of buying them.
How I stayed Sane at the Beginning
I initially conceptualized that break from full-time work as a “sabbatical.” I had enough money to get me through 3-5 months, and I honestly expected to discover what my new “career” path might be, and to begin applying to jobs in some new direction.
By the 6-month mark, I had income coming in from a roommate, and from teaching classes at Morbid Anatomy. It wasn’t quite yet covering a full month’s worth of expenses, but it was getting there. Between the courses and Patreon launch, I had plenty of work to keep me busy on a daily basis. But what about those early months, before those things started to grow?
I am autistic, and having a clear routine with specific goals and deadlines is how I flourish. So, even without a “job” I needed to give myself something to work on. Naturally, the first two months were focused on completing and defending my dissertation. I had all the nuts and bolts of the doctorate to manage. But that wasn’t a full workday.
- I set aside time for exploration. I took field trips to local museums and libraries, and I spent time trying on hats – exploring new potential fields.
- I set about writing the burnout book and the non-fiction book proposal
- I started looking for ways to connect with others – classes, conferences, storytelling events.
In several cases, I set about “failing fast” with a minimum viable product of burnout training course, learning from that for the management course. I set about focusing on learning. Learning what I needed to know.
Then, Things Picked Up Speed
By the latter half of this year, the things that started off as “keeping busy” and exploring possibilities have begun to take shape.
- I signed the book contract for Advanced Unicorn Theory
- I started teaching classes at Morbid Anatomy, which offset a number of my expenses.
- I had a roommate to help make financial ends meet for a 6-month span.
- I shored up my savings in various ways throughout the year.
- I started my Patreon channel and launched a few burnout classes on Thinkific
I have perhaps too many projects, many of which are building momentum for the coming year. I have enough money in savings that I can continue on my current course.
So what’s next?
Looking at the number of discoveries I made over the course of the past year, there’s a part of me that wants to draw a trendline and point out the obvious next steps.
- I have a goal to teach one class per month (sometimes two!) at Morbid Anatomy throughout 2025. (I have courses on the books through March, so far! Plus a free talk!)
- I have a goal to begin a coaching business in earnest, and one client who is ready to get started. This won’t be something I’m growing and marketing aggressively until the New Year, but it’s definitely coming up.
- I’ve got Advanced Unicorn Theory to get across the finish line in the Spring of 2025, and hopefully I’ll sign more publishing contracts for my other work (in various stages).
- I want to finish out the Thinkific burnout prevention courses (and probably will hire a marketer to help me sell those)
- I’ll continue to look for ways to connect with other people – I’ve got a few conferences I’d like to attend, a couple of trips planned.
My list is very long beyond this – several books to finish writing, stories to submit, and ongoing maintenance of the Patreon and marketing machines. I strongly believe that I can and will cobble together enough sources of income to be able to sustain this work long-term.
In a perfect world, by this time next year, I have an adjunct teaching role at a university, a literary agent, and a few more traditional publishing contracts for my books.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll figure out what I want to do full-time? (If I ever want to do anything full-time)
I’m still committed to learning and exploration. So far, I’ve learned that I really love teaching. I have recently discovered that I enjoy editing. Coaching stretches my manager muscles, and I find that really rewarding. I want to stay curious about the possibilities.
Do I want to host and plan workshops and retreats?
Do I want to perform in a one-woman show?
The possibilities are endless, and now that I’m here, I’m excited to explore them.