What a difference a year makes….
On this day last year it was my last day as an employee in the advertising industry. I still can’t believe that a whole year has passed and it has been really busy. So much has happened, and I’ve learnt that if you set out to do something you may just succeed at doing that.
I’m not usually one to talk about my achievements on the blog, as I use it as a place to provide advice and top tips, but I wanted to share this post with you to show you what a difference a year can make. Plus it is really beneficial to talk about your achievements – even though you may feel a bit silly doing so.
As I mentioned this year has been really busy. I left my current role working as a Senior Project Manager in advertising exactly a year ago today to do two things. One to complete the Digital Mums course and retrain as a Social Media Manager, and the other to focus on this blog.
In terms of success I have passed and experienced the Digital Mums course, and now I’m busy hustling and only yesterday I won my first client. It’s a perfect client for me as the business fits with my parenting and mum-related niche.
The blog has also been really busy, and continues to bring in more and more income every month. So I would say that both avenues have been successful, they have been hard-work, but one thing I have learnt over the past 12 months is that success doesn’t come without hard work.
In addition to that we sold our flat and bought a house in the same area. This is something I never thought would happen or could happen as we had planned to move out of London. However with a bit of jiggery pokery with the finances we made it work. Now we are in the process of renovations including painting each room, removing the pebbledash and restoring the Victorian brickwork to the front, and about to hopefully embark on a single storey kitchen extension.
To top it all off we are just about to have another baby. A boy. His due date is a little uncertain at the moment as he’s breech. My planned c-section date may be brought forward to 39 weeks instead of the current plan between 40 and 41 weeks if nothing happens.
Then alongside all of this there is the humdrum of daily life, the house hold chores, attending toddler groups, and visiting friends and family.
So you could definitely say at the moment it’s all go and the plates are certainly spinning, and we are only going to get busier. I do wonder how I will fit it all in, but I will cross that bridge when it happens. I’m sure that with many long nights ahead of me with a new baby, I can use this time to my advantage, instead of binge watching Netflix.
I guess the point of this post is to share with you all that if you have a dream, take it. Try not to worry too much about what the future may hold, as you will hopefully work that out at the time or you can always go back.
I took a massive leap into the unknown last year and took a massive pay cut. Over the last year I have worked my socks off and right now I am starting to see the rewards. Like everything in life it takes time. My advice to anyone who is thinking of doing something similar is to be brave, be bold, talk to those around you and make sure that they support you in your decision, or at least agree with part of it.
I am still getting to grips with referring to myself as a Social Media Manager and a Parenting Blogger, with often the latter being looked on strangely. However over the last year I’ve learnt to ignore those who take judgement on it, and I am feeling so much more confident in my ability. It’s great to be my own boss, to set my own deadlines, and to work on what I want to work on.
My last words are…..just do it!
Claire x
One Comment
Emma Reed
Well done on the course! I left work after maternity and had no clue how it would work and then suddenly there was blogging, funny how it all works out.