Redefining a Dream: What Full-Time Blogging Taught Me About Work

I never had a dream job. Growing up kids talked about being doctors and lawyers while I was busy writing short stories and playing in the woods. Though I started working at age 12, I always thought about work in terms of having a job instead of building a career. That is until started blogging in 2010.

I quietly told my closest friends my dream of becoming a full-time blogger. I imagined posting every day, taking beautiful photos and going to events. For two years, I obsessed about this dream. When I quit my job six months ago, I was ecstatic to take the leap into blogging full-time.

I wish I could sit here and tell you it’s been everything I imagined it would be. That my dream matched reality. That all the rosy articles were right. But that would be a lie.

Part of my dream life is true. I often stay up until two or three in the morning blogging. I have a professional light box setup for photos and I attend more events where I have an easier time networking. Best of all, there’s no boss telling me what to do when. I’m sure at this point you’re thinking, “Well, what gives? This sounds great!”

I thought the way I would feel about life and work would change. That working my “dream job” would make me happier or more fulfilled. I thought it was the answer to everything I was unhappy with in my work life. Instead I found myself lonely at my desk. I missed seeing people and leaving the house. As simple as it sounds, I missed getting dressed up and putting on makeup every day. I missed random conversations with new people and walking around the city.

The hardest part of this journey was realizing that my dream had to change because my dream job didn’t meet what I needed from a job. I’ve realized what I need from a job, and even more, what I don’t need. Was full-time blogging my dream job after all? Not by far, but it helped me figure out along the way what was: Working for myself by freelancing and doing something different every day. And that makes me incredibly happy.

The post Redefining a Dream: What Full-Time Blogging Taught Me About Work appeared first on Those Graces.