Article by Wendy McCance

It’s been awhile since I wrote a blog post.  I’m sorry about that.  These last two weeks I have had the flu and I am still finding it hard to knock it out of my system.  I wasn’t sure what to write about today, but I did want to get back into the groove of putting out a blog post.

These last two weeks have been eye-opening for me, I have to admit.  I have been doing a lot of thinking about working from home and being an entrepreneur.  While I have been sick, it has been a blessing.  I have been able to get  2 press releases, 3 pages of website content, daily management of a few social media sites for clients taken care of.  I have also had a few calls with clients who are getting ready to have me work on some assignments in the next few weeks.  It felt great to be so productive even during a time I was feeling so crappy.  Working from home and tailoring my schedule to my personal needs made all the difference.

I remember when I would panic about missing work.  I used to worry about missed days and how it would affect my relationships with the other employees and boss.  I stressed about lost wages and I always went back to work before I was really well enough to be back.  Being ill at work does nothing good for your performance, people’s opinion of what you are able to get done or does it give you any brownie points for muddling through until you are back to your old self.

Yep, being able to get my work done while wearing some old comfy sweats and drinking tea suited me just fine.  Being able to take a nap in the middle of the day and working after 9 pm at night when I needed to was pretty terrific as well.

I wish I had realized my dream of writing and being my own boss many years ago.  I spent so many years in unhappy positions doing jobs that were alright but not very inspiring.  I have to say that honestly, I was never thrilled about doing things the way someone else wanted me to do them when I didn’t agree with their way of doing things to begin with. I was often frustrated  by office politics and bad decisions.  Many times the person in charge wasn’t someone I respected enough to put 100% into their methods of madness.

I really was meant to work for myself right from the beginning.  I am not afraid of risks, I work my butt off when I see a need to do so and I am highly motivated by money and the need to succeed.

My oldest daughter is going through the same thing right now.  She isn’t the type to follow someone’s lead.  She is extremely creative and needs to feel free to explore her interests.  She would not do well in a boxed in setting with repetitive chores and little to no voice of her own.  She is also not the type to go through the traditional model of going to college, naming her career of choice and making that her life’s work.  I don’t think college is for everyone.  It’s not a one size fits all way of beginning your future.  I think that taking some classes are beneficial for everyone, there is always something that can be learned, it’s just figuring out what classes make sense to explore.

I wish there was a class kids could take in high school that would help them learn more about themselves and would teach them to recognize what drives them to succeed.  Not so much a career planning class, but more of a class that explores individual interests, personal motivation, goals a person would like to accomplish and how they view their future.  I figure if they could get more of a personal reading, then they could put a plan in place that would  make more sense and hopefully supply them with the information necessary to have success and personal satisfaction with the way they carry out their life.

Anyway, back to my daughter.  I am working through the steps I mentioned above with her.  I am supportive of her decision to take some time to explore what makes her happiest.  I want her to feel confident with the choices she makes.  I have made sure she realizes that there are many ways to get to your goals without following the masses. I mean honestly, how many articles have you read where college kids have graduated with major amounts of debt and no prospects for jobs in their chosen field?  Many of these kids go back to school to try to get another degree and attempt to do better the second time around.  It’s scary that they are just repeating a cycle that will put them further in debt with no guarantee of finding a decent job the second time around. So following the masses is not a surefire way to a successful adult life.

My daughter is interested in having a career in dance.  She is taking classes in dance and she is also taking classes such as sociology and anthropology.  She fascinated by the way dance is embraced in different cultures .  She views dance as an art form and a way to connect to other people while telling a story.  It’s an interesting way to look at what she is passionate about.

What thrills me about what my daughter is doing is all of the stuff she does aside from the classes.  She has a blog on Tumblr where she connects to other dancers.  She is also connecting to the dance community through LinkedIn and Twitter.  She has an idea of how she will get in front of the right people and makes moves that will get her more recognition.  She is currently thinking about doing some YouTube videos on dance to get her name out there as well.

My daughter isn’t just sitting around  being lazy about her future.  She is working as hard as kids taking a full load at school.  She is just working differently.  She has the entrepreneurial chops to go after her dream and think creatively about how to capture attention and connect with the right people.

So my first post after being under the weather is a little all over the place I admit.  I guess what I am trying to get across is that it’s good to think outside the box.  Listening to your heart and doing what feels right is a sure way of finding out what matters to you most.  Doing what matters most is a sure way to achieving the success you are after in the most natural and happiest way possible.

I leave you with my favorite poem.  It really sums up the choices we make.

BY ROBERT FROST

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 9 local papers online, including the Oakland Press. The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

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