I’m so happy that January is over.
It’s always been one of those months where I sit around and wait for something to go bad – and it usually does (funny how that works).
December is full of hope, wishful thinking and forgiveness. January is full of self doubt, maniacal inner dialogue and the constant drone of late night Justin.tv reruns. Continue reading Late Night Ramblings From a Dusty Chair
So September has come and gone pretty quick, and I figured it was about that time for me to step back into my blogging shoes and broadcast my life (and musings) to the interwebs once again. Continue reading Next: Get Google AdWords Certified.
So, here I go again.
Packin’ my bags and on my way down another path, although I have no idea what path that is right now.
I feel like a job hobo or a “jobo”, if you will. Always changing jobs, always with the new ideas, never knowing where they’re going to take me or who I’ll meet along the way. Sounds invigorating right? It is, but I find it exhausting to put time into something and then have to walk away from it.
I am currently actively job searching, because you see, the proverbial “poop” is about to hit the fan. It’s really unfortunate, because I really do love what I’m doing, home staging and design. I love meeting different home owners and the challenge that comes with getting them and potential buyers to fall in love with their homes. But everything changed REALLY fast when I realized just how unappreciated I was by my boss. My dad always taught me that actions speak louder than words . . . and in this scenario, he couldn’t have been more right. Considering how small the company is, it’s really hard to ignore it and keep moving forward. Since the day I was hired, all I’ve heard is empty promises and plans and ideas and none of it has come into fruition.
Couple that with things like a crappy salary, no vacation or benefits, 10 and 12 hour days AND no room for negotiation and I have to start asking myself what is important and what I want from my career. I’m all about paying my dues, but considering how much I have already been paying, this is a bit much.
On a plus side, I’ve gained tons of experience, I will have some pretty good contacts, I’ve pushed the boundaries of what even I thought I was capable of and I met Carrie. Our office admin/manager/assitant/phone answerer/email responder/fire-putter-outer/complaint-taker/gofer and life organizer is quite possibly one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. I have no idea how she manages to keep everything together for us, but on top of that she has another business with her husband and plans fundraisers and events. That girl is always doing something. She really is an inspiration. I’m pretty sure that the universe’s reason for me taking this job in the first place was for our world’s to cross. So I am trying to channel her energy . . . unfortunately I’m a really messy juggler.
And right about now, I feel as though I’ve got a whole bunch of balls in the air and I have no idea which one I’m going to end up catching. (Which would make me a juggling jobo? 🙂 ) I feel so torn as to which direction I should be moving in. On the one hand, theathomecouple philosophy is still engraved in my brain, and I think it would be awesome to be able to be a freelance designer, working from home, helping people like me with little or no money improve their homes and make them comfortable places to live. (My philosophy is that interior design does not have to be expensive.) On the other hand, real life and being a grown up means that I have to be realistic about money and helping to support the life that Eli and I live.
So I’m doing both. Actively job searching to go work for someone else again and trying to get my own thing going. I have made some headway though. I’ve got my design blog going . . . lovefreshdesign.blogspot.com. All my facebook pages and twitter accounts are up and running to try and get my name out there using social media. My methods are pretty primitive, but I’m learning and teaching myself as I go. And to be honest, I end up checking back here to see what Eli’s been posting in the hopes that I can apply some of it to what I’m doing.
Another ball that I’ve got up in the air is Etsy, although I haven’t been as active lately in tossing this one. And this area is a microcosm of my indecision. For those of you who don’t know, Etsy is a marketplace for all things handmade and vintage. For those of you who know me, know this is right up my alley. So I’ve got an account and a shop, but do you think I can pinpoint what it is I want to sell? Of course not. I guess I should just put everything out there and see what happens . . .
I guess this is what being all growns up is about. As Eli thoughtfully posted, I’ve recently turned the big 3-0 (thanks for all the b-day love!) and I’m waiting for my experience and wisdom to kick in. It seems like so far, it’s all been trial and error, ups and downs and constant change. The way I look at, this is as good as a time as any to start doing this. Eli and Bleecker Street Media are successful. Hell, if he can do it, so can I.
But then again . . . we have bills to pay.
Ugh, who knows. Maybe by tomorrow I’ll have a job at the Starbuck’s down the street . . . at least there’s free coffee involved, this jobo loves coffee!
Blogging is my first true love online. Whether it’s the creative outlet to write anything I want or the excitement of getting that first comment on a new blog post – I still have huge plans for myself as an expert blogger and social media guy.
With that in mind, I’ve spent nights tossing in bed over the last month trying to muster up the (courage) to give TheAtHomeCouple.com a new face and plan.
I’ve always taken pride in the fact that this blog doesn’t make us money (excl. random affiliate sales and adsense trickles). We keep our money sites separate from our personal blog and this has always worked for us.
But to be perfectly honest… I want more… TAHC could be so much more!
So I finally made the decision to start a FRESH design – take a SNEAK PEAK below:
I know it’s not much – but it’s going to be EPIC!
Veronica and I have also been carefully crafting a master plan to take TheAtHomeCouple.com to higher levels i.e. increased branding, free resources and MORE video posts, tutorials etc… More awesome stuff to make you think, teach you something and/or inspire you some way in your life on and off the web.
Inspiration has always been my drug of choice.
Cheers,
Elijah
Hi All!
Here I am . . . resurfacing again!
I’ve been working my (now littler) butt off. I know it’s not over yet, but this year has been especially grueling. I’ve immersed myself in a career and I’m afraid that I’ve lost sight of my goals. In fact, I’m in a place right now where they are changing on a daily basis. I am pulled between what I want and what I have been taught to want. Teetering between creating my rules and following already set ones. Don’t get me wrong, I really like my job and I feel extremely fortunate to be working directly in my field, pretty much on the front lines. And it’s not like the rules I have to follow now are as restrictive as others I’ve encountered. It’s because of this that I struggle with what to do next. I feel like decisions are going to be thrown at me in the near future and they are going to be life changing. You know, the ones that fork the road and require the “what if” reminiscing later on in life.
And then, in a weird twist of life, I came across a manifesto and movement today on one of my favourite blogs, princesslasertron.com.
Chris Guillebeau is the author of The Art of Non Conformity. A book for “for unconventional people who want to do remarkable things.” He is living his dream and has made a commitment to visit every country in the world and so far, has been very successful. In addition to making your passion your work, he emphasizes helping people and giving back. So simple. Pretty impressive.
After reading his manifesto, A Brief Guide to World Domination, I feel better. Even though going against the grain of the mainstream and doing things a little differently is harder and takes longer to reveal success, it is necessary for change. If you think about it, our entire world consists of products and services that were created by people who had the cahones to do things differently and succeed. I think this book is just what I need to re-strategize where I want to take my life, what I want to be doing and how I want to be doing it.
I’ll let you know how it goes. ü
Cheers,
Veronica
When you think about doing what you love, and the possibility of that being a salary-providing career, most people feel all warm and tingly inside. And rightfully so – making money doing what you love is the ultimate information-age freedom dream. The problem most people face is the lack of confidence in the fact that there are other people out there who would find thier information, product or service valuable.
Doing what you love ulimate example #1: Lego Motherfuckin’ Matrix
I was over visiting Adii Rockstar, one of the founders of WooThemes, and he recently posted up a video that solidifies the exact meaning of being creative and monetizing your passions. I don’t even know the whole story on the creators of this awesome display of awesomeness, but there’s one thing I do know – it’s frigging awesome.
Fellow blog readers… meet Lego Matrix.
Lego Matrix… meet our blog readers.
You absolutely must watch this video as well, just to see how accurate these guys were.
Visit LegoMatrix.com for more videos and stuff…
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.
Tonight I have a date with Rob Zombie and Jack Daniels…
Cheers,
Elijah
