2016 was a year of transition for me, most clearly marked by two major defining events. One was my decision to quit my full-time job and start my career as a freelance communication consultant this past spring. The other was the unexpected death of my beloved dog, Snowflake. Both were dramatic changes to my life, although in very different ways.
I had been considering a freelance career for quite some time, but was held back by practical concerns. While there are many positives, and I have yet (and hope not ever) to regret my choice, there is a lot of mental angst in foregoing the stability of a regular paycheck, benefits, and schedule for the unknown. Especially for a single homeowner who doesn’t have another income or insurance policy to fall back on.
I don’t think it’s a choice I could have made when I was younger. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve not only gained the work experience that is necessary to make a freelance consulting career possible, but I’ve also grown more comfortable with ambiguity and my own self. Consulting requires not only the confidence to sell your services, but also the skills to back it up and the self-awareness not to panic when it takes time and relationship-building to bring a new client on board. It’s certainly been a learning curve, but I’m satisfied with how the first months of my new career have played out and look forward to what I’ll experience in 2017.
The other change was much less positive. In August, my #1 buddy, Snowflake, who had a history of manageable breathing issues, contracted pneumonia. Despite their best efforts, the veterinarian staff was unable to save him. He was my best friend, my constant companion, and my life was in many ways centered around him and his schedule. Losing him created a fracture in my life, when I had only recently established a new routine based on my new career. I am forever grateful that making the choice to go freelance resulted in me primarily working from home and gave me so much additional time with him before his unexpected death.
And while the trauma of losing him was (and still is) difficult to work through, I’ve chosen to take the opportunity to do things that I would never have considered doing while he was here. So, this February I’ll be headed to a language-immersion school in Guatemala for a month to boost my Spanish language skills. And while that certainly won’t unbreak my heart (yes, that is a Toni Braxton reference), it’s the best way I know of to make something positive out of a personal tragedy. Note: I’ll still be available for clients in February via the wonders of WiFi.
As one of my friends told me when I informed her that I was going freelance, “I don’t worry about you. You’re smart, you’re resourceful, and if I had to pick one word to describe you, I’d say resilient.” So while 2016 was full of transitions (some positive, some negative), I plan to live up to that description, not only this year, but in 2017.
And to end this on a happier note, here’s some quick stats about my year:
New Clients:
- Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative
- Society for Science & the Public
- Wesley Housing Development Corporation
Countries Visited:
- Iceland
- Jamaica
- Norway
- Sweden
States Visited:
- 7; of which it was my first time to New Mexico
Snapshot of Communication Activities:
- Press releases
- Newsletters (e-news and print)
- Social media content and management
- Website content
- Mass emails
- Surveys
- Blog posts
- Speeches/Remarks
- Event promotion
- Editing
