A decade of working online. Wow, seriously, where did the time go?
Back in 2010, I was a struggling nursing graduate who had no idea what she’s gonna do with her life.
Thanks to my love for writing, creating something and probably my “thinking ahead” mindset, I jumped on online freelancing back when it wasn’t at its peak. I was probably using Dial-Up internet then.
Now 100+ projects later, I am grateful to still be doing online work at the comfort of our home (or anywhere I am as long as I have internet connection).
I kept on thinking what to write about in this post in order to honor my 10 years working online.
I haven’t written much on this blog, I am exhausted, I am tired and generally uninspired to do anything because of personal circumstances and I miss traveling so much.
I am not always spontaneous but I definitely had my spontaneous days. Whenever I feel out of sync, I would book a flight and travel to a new city. Today, with all the travel restrictions, the farthest I could go is at a cafe in the city.
So I thought I could write about Different Ways To Find Inspiration When You Need It Most.
Here’s number one. And probably the most important one.
Be grateful
Now this one may sound simple but really, there are so many things we take for granted in life. Our life, our health, our time, what we have, our kids, our partners, our parents, our work, the list goes on.
It’s so easy to say you’re grateful for something yet are you truly grateful for that one? I love this quote from Oprah, “If you look at what you have in life, you will always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you will never have enough.”
I struggle with this some days especially with my work so I try to consciously shift my mindset and remind myself that I am blessed with a job that let’s me live the lifestyle I want and spend time with my family.
So grab a paper or your journal, maybe open the notes app on your phone, and list 10 things you are grateful each day for a whole month. I did this practice in 2015 and it truly changed my life.
Take a break to help yourself refocus
My younger self would protest to this as I was a workaholic at some point because I was so driven with my goals and I was impatient. I like to make things happen and make them happen fast. I was an advocate for #TeamNoDaysOff. I would work 70+ hours each week and would never turn down a project. Six months later, I achieved one goal and I took some time to refocus.
Why am I doing so much? Is it worth it? Why am I doing what I’m doing?
I still get sidetracked now but whenever that happens, I just pause, take a break and refocus on my goals. I just revisited my goals last week and it inspired me to work harder.
Life happens, problems and obstacles come and go, but sometimes they stay for a while, so what do you do? Do what you have to do, think of a solution, pray about it and take a break. You’ll figure it out.
Read or Watch Something
This has been my go-to pick-me-upper recently. I’ve been re-reading #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso and watching Netflix series The Bold Type which is a story of three women working in a print and digital magazine.
I feel inspired to work whenever I watch The Bold Type because I could relate to them. All three characters are relatable and they find solutions to their problems.
I wonder what it feels like working for a big magazine in New York? Must be exciting and so cool!
This is also makes me think about my dream job. My dream job would be to become a travel slash foodie writer. I would explore different cities and countries, write about it and get paid to do it. Have cold drinks at a corner of a local cafe or have cold drinks by the beach while writing a good story. Ah, a girl can dream.
But I also love working on social media and in the creative department.
How about you? What is your dream job? And if you’re stuck in a job that doesn’t make you happy, what’s holding you back?
Realize that there are some times in life when you won’t feel very inspired
This is a tough one but has been happening to me a lot since I lost my mama.
I have deadlines to catch and because I work in the creative department, I just can’t produce great work when I’m not inspired and motivated.
I have my take-it-easy days now where I don’t force myself to work or come up with ideas. But I also don’t let it go for too long or else I’d have a hard time going out of the rut I’m in.
It’s like giving yourself time to be lazy and then after that, begin again and do everything you can to inspire yourself.
What inspires you? What motivates you? What makes you happy? Knowing these things could help you feel inspired again.
A cup of matcha inspires me. Watching The Bold Type inspires me. Reading #Girlboss inspires me. Spending time with my family, especially my nieces and nephews, inspire me. A crispy tuna panini inspires me (for sure!). The smell of freshly brewed coffee lifts me me up. Playing my favorite songs inspires.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did writing it.
And happy 10th anniversary to me! Cheers!
