When it flows and flows even better...

in #life5 years ago

Some people who read my posts on a regular basis will know that for some time now I have been looking for a J.O.B...
A 'real' job... Or so my sister would call it. You see, I've been freelance writing and translating for some time now, and my family never thought of it as a real job. The fact that I was paying taxes like everyone else didn't seem to matter.
When I had my business in Holland (hypnotherapy for pregnant women and birthing pools) and then moved to Ireland and tried to start the same thing here, things were a bit harder. Again, my sister told me: to 'just' get a real job.
What she meant is a job that pays the same every month, with maybe a pay-rise after some years...if you're lucky.
My problem is that I don't work well when people are looking over my shoulder and I respond very badly to interference from others when I know that I've done the job right. I guess I've always been the type to be self-employed, be my own boss.

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I've always landed on my feet, even though it wasn't always easy, but because of this way of working and living, I have been able to stay at home and homeschool the kids, instead of sending them off to learn with strangers.
But the last few years, especially after the crisis hit Ireland, it's been extra tough. Always having to run after people to pay me was getting on my nerves and working for agencies that wanted to keep the majority of the money for work others did for them, was not working for me anymore. So a few months ago, I decided to start looking for a job...anything really.
Even just temporarily. But without any luck. Some applications made it to the next round, but then were either dismissed, or it wasn't a good fit from my end. And then inspiration happens...

When it flows...

That should be my motto. Sometimes. Sometimes I have great ideas, but then get stuck on the whole operation and how to even start it. Also, money is an issue if you want to get things done. That damn money.
Well, it's funny how things turn the complete other way and suddenly that lack of money becomes a new source of money.
Confused? OK, here we go.
Like everyone else, I sometimes run into some financial issues. The car I was driving is a great car, but it's old and old usually means high maintenance. She's never let me down (it's German-made, what can I say?) but passing tests is another thing.
I've thrown quite some money at its repair. Money that I didn't always have lying around.
Since I am a foreigner in Ireland I have never built up any good (or bad) credit rating here, so banks wouldn't even touch me (not that I want to deal with any of them). But there is this money lending company here that will lend someone (basically anyone) up to 600 Euro against very high interest. On every 100 Euro, you pay them 30 Euro interest. Yes, this seems like a lot overall, but trust me, they're a life-saver if you are in the same kind of situation as I am.
Aside from that, you build up a credit rating and they are always willing to work with a person if they can't pay the agreed amount, without adding more money to the total. It works for me. They're not loan sharks that will blast your knee caps for not paying hehe. Thanks to two loans from them, I actually managed to get a low-interest loan with the credit union last year, making life just that little bit easier sometimes.

I had an ongoing loan with this company, paying them 30 Euro a week. The woman comes to my house to collect every week. A few weeks back she went on a holiday for 3 weeks and a colleague was supposed to fill in for her.
He never did. So three weeks went by where I had the money ready to go, but no one to give it to.
When she returned, I asked her about it and she told me that there had been some issues at the office and some miscommunication. It was as if a hammer hit me in the head, and I asked: "Are they looking for staff?"
Well, the hammer had hit right, because indeed they were.
Long story short: she got the ball rolling for me and a few days later I received a call from her manager.
Yesterday morning I met with him, we got on well, and I got the job!
And the best thing about it? It's a 'real' job, but I will be self-employed! How's that for ya?

The area I'll be working in is one I know very well and the guy before me just retired, after 17 years there. That should tell you something. I'll be working 2.5 to 3.5 days a week, I can make my own time schedule anywhere from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and since I'm self-employed, I can also take a holiday whenever I please. The people that I know and work with them all seem to be happy, so that's a good indication. And last but not least: I'll be making about 3 times as what I have now, without having to put in the same hours. I can even say that my newer car that I bought recently, comes in quite handy now too. See how this flow works for me?

I see crypto in my future

First of all, I will obviously tell all my colleagues about crypto as soon as I feel comfortable to do so.
And of course, I will be buying WAY more Steem and other crypto as soon as I can.
But the best part? Steemfest here I come!!!

Thank you for reading!

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Now that is wonderful news! Congratulations on your new role and may things continue to flow in your favor!

Posted using Partiko Android

Thank you @mumma-monza! Yes, well, it's a given that when you have some money, it's a lot easier to make more than when you start with nothing. The funny thing is that, at first, when I started to look for jobs a couple of months ago I merely thought of something temporary so I would be able to make it to Steemfest, travel and then go from there. But since this has come up, I will have to shorten my time in SE Asia from 3 months to 1 month, but it will be with the idea that I will stick with this for a while and then more travel will definitely be in the future. I've been self-employed since before I came to Ireland, but nothing to show for really. With this, I would even be able to buy land or a house after two years, and that will open up other opportunities. My ultimate goal is to travel the world with the kids, it still is. With the right home (the market is still quite good, meaning it's easy to buy cheap) in the right place, I would be able to make it into a holiday rental and travel while it's rented out. I had NEVER thought I would ever buy any kind of property, but now it's something that's definitely within reach!

And I'll be making money from the moment my training starts (one to two weeks from now) so it should definitely pay for the plane tickets... I am SO excited! I never really had much to look forward to here in Ireland, but now I definitely have reasons to look forward into the future, even here.

Fluctuation:

I think I know what that is like. As a freelance English Teacher in Vietnam, my monthly income fluctuated during my five years there. So, basically, you are like a starving artist in some ways. In some ways, actors may experience some of this. Perhaps, models have to deal with it too.

Especially Writers

Writers probably struggle a lot more than some of the other occupations, historically perhaps, which reminds me of the life of the fictional Anne of Green Gables who was trying to become a writer and yet she was a woman and they didn't like that and maybe they should have.

Get a Normal Job

I get that as well. Get a job, they say. So, some of us get it to various degrees. With the help of the Internet, we may feel less isolated. And a lot of people prefer a normal job. It can be tougher being your own boss or being some kind of private contractor or freelancer or whatever people may want to call it.

Your New Job

It sounds like good news. Flexible. It does not sound very stressful like what you might see inside hospitals where many nurses have been overworked it seems. So, keep up the good work. Crypto is a good backup system for money. The only thing better is gold, etc.

Fluctuation, yes, I'd say the people working in the arts will be most affected by this. I have a friend here who recently started her own business (well, two years ago) and she was lucky that it took off right away. Her husband was a struggling theatre actor at the time and she backed him all the way. It's great that he had that, because not many would have accepted it I think. About a year ago, he started to work on his own production piece and also as an actor in it and it was a great success which landed more jobs for him. They were lucky! So many would have failed, but I guess if you have the drive and the right people supporting you (family is everything, if they don't support, you're on your own as I have found out the hard way), you will succeed eventually.

Yes, you're so right, it's a hard life being a writer. Most writers are their worst critics. I've been writing a book for more than 18 years and can't bring myself to really love it or finish it. It's a curse sometimes, but on the other hand I wouldn't have it any other way. When I started in journalism, my life was completely planned out. I was going to travel, see the world (well did some of that) and write about world issues. When I quit the business because I discovered that if I ever were to become successful as a journalist I would have to jump through corporate hoops and write what they wanted me to, I swore to myself that I'd never sell out that way. And I didn't. But that also meant that suddenly, my life wasn't that well planned anymore and I had to find my own way by taking jobs that I didn't always want to do, but had to to survive. It's life, isn't it? I don't have any regrets, and looking back at it, I grew so much because of it.

I've had 'normal jobs' before, but it just wasn't me or what I had envisioned to do for a longer period of time. My life has never been normal. What is normal anyway?

Yeah, the new job is definitely something I am excited about. It is flexible and might come with its own kind of stress (trying to make it everywhere on time, especially in winter may prove difficult). But I've been quite isolated the last few years, and it will be great to be out and about and meet new people (colleagues) as well as meeting customers. My experience with the loan agents I've dealt with was always good, they didn't just collect and run but have a little chat too, which feels more personal in my opinion.
And I guess the agents sometimes get to hear a lot about what's going on in people's lives, which may put our own troubles a little more in perspective.

But 5 years in Vietnam? Wow, that must have been an experience too! I'd love to hear more about your experiences there. Vietnam was on my list for our upcoming trip, but now I might have to postpone visiting there, since there won't be enough time. But definitely in the (near) future and that's something I haven't been able to say in a while: definitely.

Blogging:

I blog about my life in Vietnam 2012-2017 on Steemit. Right now, I'm reviewing June 2016. So, I have been publishing rough draft outlines for each month I was in Vietnam. Also, a week ago, I wrote 11 articles on 1980 as I was born in 1985. So, one post per year and then a summary post. But these posts are probably, some might argue, not finished and therefore should not be on the Internet. Because they're rough drafts. I started making videos when I was almost eleven years old in 1996 in Oregon, above California. So, one of my unfinished projects includes trying to archive and organize and fix up our home videos that we made that goes back to 1996 like I said. All of this is a long story and it can be tough. I'm a perfectionist and I hate publishing unfinished work. But as I got older, I started trying to force myself to publish stuff because that helps me get stuff done. As a kid, I would draw and I never wanted to finish. My mom would sometimes say hey, it is good enough. I try to parent myself now and try to make sure I don't procrastinate forever on everything. Even this comment is a little hard to write. I have a desire to study what I am writing right here to you and perhaps never click on the post button. But I try my best to develop better habits. Like, it's all about having wisdom in life, finding balance, etc.

Normal Jobs

Yeah, I had normal jobs too.

Passion

I have not written books, but perhaps someday. I have a lot of stuff out there. So, I have the templates, the rough drafts. So, for you, you could try your best to keep it as simple as possible. Perhaps, you might even consider publishing unfinished books, eBooks, etc, online, offline. But one step at a time. Ultimately, you have to focus on the specific objectives that a project might have. And then you should contemplate the path you might take to getting there. So, with a book, you start with an outline, the main points that you are trying to get across. Well, I guess it depends on what kind of book it is.

Rough Drafts

A lot of what you might see of me online is simply that, rough drafts. So, that might be a pretty big flaw to have. My philosophy includes the desire to get stuff out there and to possibly pass on good ideas to other people. But financially speaking that might be bad advice because people can then come over and steal my ideas, etc, assuming there is anything out there worth adopting.

Selling Out

In conclusion, I'm glad you are not selling out. That is probably one of the hardest things to not do.

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Congrats! Sounds like a match for both parties

Thank you @anouk.nox! Yes, I am very happy about it! I never thought I'd be this happy about a j.o.b. LOL.
But this is so much different than just your average job. Inspiration to ask at the right time is what brought me here, so once I know when my training starts, I'll celebrate!