This week, my husband and I are doing a workshop for romance writers called "Yes, You Can Quit Your Day Job." A casual friend of ours saw our speaker ribbons at the conference hotel, and she asked what we were speaking about, and we told her.
"Oh, I could never do that," she said dismissively.
I wanted to argue with her. I wanted to point out that she hadn't even heard the workshop, which is intended for people just like her who don't see how they could survive without that regular paycheck. But I could already tell her mind was closed. She sees herself and her family members fulfilling certain roles, and she can't flex her mind enough to even consider a different way of doing things. The fact is, in this country, anybody can quit his or her job. We choose to keep working at jobs we don't like because we simply can't see any other way--even though the way is there.
Once upon a time I didn't believe I could quit my job, either. But then someone opened my mind and I discovered, with some planning and forethought, some belt-tightening and compromise, that I could, indeed, resign from the company that was monopolizing 40-60 hours of my week and draining me of all energy. I was able to do it within six months of making the decision to become a full-time, self-employed writer.
What possibilities are you closing your mind to? Catch yourself next time you say or think, "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly do that" or "that would never work for me." Are you sure?
All my best,
Kara
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Kara, Tell me your workshop will be recorded. This is just the kind of information I want to hear :). Have fun in Dallas and hope to see you next year at the RWA conference in California.
Carla--
Yes, it will be recorded!
And, yes, I will be in California next year!
This sounds like a terrific topic. I bet you'll get a lot of interest and I'll be looking forward to listening to it on CD.
Annie--
The workshop went great! At least from our perspective! Anyway, it's over.
Post a Comment