Back to Business

After trying (yet again) to re-enter the work force after more than 2 1/2 years of unemployment, I came to realize that it just is not meant to be.

I have spent the past years exploring web content writing and although it has not replaced the paycheck I lost, it has helped me hold onto the teeny bit of sanity I had remaining.

The last few weeks have been difficult ones in my personal life. Somehow I have moved away from the "habit" of writing daily and instead thrown myself into my creative passions.

This isn't a bad thing; all writers know that sometimes we get into funks where we just cannot write. I am thankful to have my artistic endeavors to fall back on.

Now is the time for me to get serious, get busy and get back to business.

Starting off with my blogs is a great place to begin. Once again I need to remember how to balance my life with my work and once I do, I will be back in business again.

Life Gets in the Way

It used to be where I was able to sit down and just spill 400 to 600 words out and it all made sense to me.

Somewhere along the way, life messed me up.

Maybe I started worrying too much about how much money I was earning or keywords or something else but writing soon became a chore.

Writing always has been something of a creative outlet for me. Ever since I can remember, I wrote.

From my first diary as a young girl to poetry as a teen, writing was my way of getting out what was inside.

When I lost my last job in the real world, I rediscovered writing. It saved me.

I found subjects to write about easily once I allowed that voice to come out again. It felt good.

Somewhere along the way writing started to be about the money I could make.

Whenever you take something that you love to do and depend upon it for an income, you can lose the joy and passion for it.

This is what happened to me. I started to listen to so-called "writers" I met online who were bragging about how much money they made on this site or that. Some even confessed that they were not in it for the love of writing just for the love of money.

I know all too well the importance of money, perhaps never having enough of it is why, but when I have to focus on writing for how much money I can make, the joy disappears.

It becomes a chore. Like it happens with many chores, you let them slide. You give yourself a day off and one day becomes two. Before you know it, it has been a week.

For me, life got in the way.

I started to stress about my finances, my health concerns and family issues. I forgot what writing had done for me.

Writing is my escape. When I get fired up about something, I can write from my heart.

This is what I need. I cannot be worried about keywords, google rankings, and such.

I need to use my writing voice, not for how much money it will bring it but for what it does for my soul.

Whatever your passion is, do it fully. If you earn money from doing it-great, consider it an added plus.

It is going to take me some time to jump back in but all I need to do is remember why I do it. The words will come easily after that.

Flash Forward

Here we are at Monday again. Last week went by in a flash.

As I mentally plan out my week I know that anything I think I might want to accomplish is probably going to change. Life is just that way.

As summer nears its end I can hardly believe how quickly it has gone by.

It seems like yesterday that my indoor cat made a jail break and came home preggers. This weekend I witnessed her give birth which, as silly as it sounds, gave me hope.

The miracle of new life really makes you stop and be grateful.

I hope to get back to writing this week and finish some of the crafts I began.

My Etsy store is starting to take off and for that I am thrilled and relieved. Long-term unemployment without any real job prospects is a frightening reality.

Time to take control of my destiny and make "it" happen for me!

So, if you are so inclined, check out my Etsy shop- Treasures by Mimi or read one of my Examiner or Associated Content/Yahoo articles and help me become self-employed and self-reliant again. Thanks to all.

Writing for Money or Love

Being a part of the web content writing community for over 2 years now, the journey has been interesting to say the least.

I have met some very interesting people; people I would never have met had I not joined this online community. The friendships I have made have helped to keep me going as I travel down this path in my life.

Since February of this year there have been many changes online as fellow writers know. Ehow which was once a guaranteed source of monthly income is no more. Google has changed many things which have affected different writing sites and therefore the income we depend upon.

What keeps me going on this rollercoaster ride of trying to earn money through my writing are two things. One is that I don't give up that easily and because I need to write I keep on doing it.

The other reason I haven't thrown in the towel is because of my dear friend Dena. Although Dena passed on several months ago, right before all these changes took place, she continues to inspire me to push ahead.

Dena was a kind and loving soul and probably the best friend I have had in a long time. We challenged each other to write and she always encouraged me to push myself as a writer. She helped me to believe in myself when I had doubts and it wasn't until after she was gone that I realized how she encouraged so many others.

She truly was a unique soul and a gift to many.

We had more than a writing friendship; we talked about our lives. She had dreams and goals and had she lived, I know she would have found bigger success as a writer. She had a unique voice that was welcoming to all. She never bragged or made you feel like she was talking down to you. Maybe it was her Southern charm.

All I know is when I have a bad day writing and I feel like just giving up, I hear Dena's voice urging me to not give up. Even today, months after she left us here, I still can hear her voice.

I want to succeed because Dena did not get the chance. I am doing this for both of us; we always urged each other on to better ourselves as writers. The quality of our work was important.

We knew of others who basically copied & pasted and saw their income rise. They aren't writers.

Dena and I were passionate about what we wrote about. Dena about her gardening, cooking and alternative health. For me, mental health issues, parenting and relationships are just a few topics that mean a lot to me. Of course, get me angry about an injustice in the world and I will shout about it from the rooftops.

Dena would be like that too. Politics was something she felt strongly about; oh and football. She loved her Titans and would take a break when her team was playing.

We both needed to earn money through our writing but we mostly wrote for the love of it.

When I have days where I get discouraged because I cannot pay my bills even though I write as often as I can, I remember that writers who get rich off their writing are few.

Then I hear Dena's voice encouraging me to keep on writing. "You're doing just fine" I hear her say in the Southern twang of hers. I smile to myself and I relax a bit.

I am just going to be me and do what I love. Money isn't everything.

I miss blogging. Out of sheer frustration here I am again, trying to get my voice heard.

Don't know if anyone has missed me; just because I have followers doesn't mean that they are wondering what happened to the Daily Bitch or any of the other blogs I regularly maintained.

Blogger is nuts...I am typing away not knowing if this will actually post until I am done having my say. Could just be a waste of time.

The subject today is believing in yourself when all seems hopeless. I am not one to focus on the past, I prefer to live in the now. I must remember the past when I feel the way that I do today.

I have re-invented who I am more than Madonna. If you ask me, I have certainly been more creative than Madonna. She only switched up her look for her music career and made some bad movies. Big deal.

I am the Jill of all trades unafraid of a challenge.

Being long-term unemployed, financially poor but spiritually, emotionally and in all other ways RICH, I need to remember that I can make it happen.

I will. I may stumble and even appear to fall but I will continue forward and I will not give up. Although I don't always know which door I will go through, I will find the right one for me for right now.

Okay...I cheated. Posted this - looked at it and was thrilled to see words! Problem is my title is coming up in some foreign language- huh??? whatever. Hang in there while I figure this out or not.