~Life is like a game of chess: you can be extremely patient, choose your play wisely and then carefully move your piece only to find out that your opponent had you in check mate the entire time. At least I’m pretty sure that’s how you play chess. 😉
So moving forward in life: what’s the next move then?

Life can also be a roller coaster ride going up and down and spinning in loops so you feel sick. But then you hit that drop that makes you wail like a little kid laughing the entire time. How can you really know? There are no certainties in life and whether you want to use the chess metaphor or the roller coaster ride metaphor, you are the only person that can make the choices you make.

If you have followed along on this journey of mine you may have noticed my life being a bit of both. I waited for this new fitness studio to open up thinking I had a definite job only to be considered “The Weakest Link” on the 2nd day of training. I’ve also had a great deal of my ups and downs. I felt like a failure and I was lost. Then I decided I would go for a childhood dream of mine to be a Journalist… and I was published for the first time yesterday. If you told me a few months ago that was going to happen I would’ve laughed in your face. It just goes to show that anything can happen whether it be good or bad or ugly… or amazingly awesome!!

The next move: To strive forward.

It doesn’t matter what has happened up until this point. What matters is moving onto another phase of life. Because if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards. That movement can be dangerous and you could wind up bumping into something if you’re not careful.

Have you ever had that lack of motivation when things don’t seem to be going your way for a while? Have you felt like giving up because everything you do fails or doesn’t turn out the way you want?

Well don’t worry that’s completely normal 🙂 I have come to see this now.

I am going to be honest with you now. I have been unemployed since July and sometimes I don’t even want to get out of bed. I continually ask myself:

Can I really make a living as a writer? Am I cut out to be a Journalist? Who knows? I will never know unless I give it a try.

It’s tough when you haven’t had “a real job” for an extended period. You start to feel stressed out and depressed that you’re still not working and you feel like you’re being judged. And trust me, I’ve tried to make it right. I’ve handed out some resumes, cold called companies, had a few interviews, attended multiple workshops and I even started working with a career counselor which has been incredibly helpful. I realized a long time ago that I don’t want to be a Dental Assistant and I don’t want to be a Personal Trainer and I don’t really want to work for someone else. I want to work for myself, but it’s no easy task.

That article I wrote took about 2-3 weeks to get a final draft, and that’s including the time it took to edit. Now I just need to do that about 10 times to get some publications under my belt. I also don’t have any formal training when it comes to business and my skills are few and far between because I don’t have a lot of transferable skills now from my previous training. Luckily I have the opportunity to apply for government funding while I’m on EI.

So today I am submitting an application for University funding. I’ve applied for a business program at UVic and hopefully Employment Insurance will pay for it. Fingers crossed!!

It may not be the exact program I want as I would love to do a writing degree, but unfortunately they don’t fund those kinds of programs. At this point in my life I need something and business seems like the best way to go to grab some credentials and learn some transferable skills. Once I’m approved it’s going to be a mad dash to the finish line. I’ll admit I’m a bit nervous going back to school at the age of 30, but I’m also very excited as well. I’ll be able to get myself back onto a routine and being in a school setting will motivate me to put in those extra hours for writing and other things I want to be doing.

I’m going to write my book, actively pitch some publications and get my name out there, get a business certificate and push myself to my limit. I think it’s about time… don’t you? It’s my duty to strive forward and take control of my life. What else am I going to do? Just sit around and wait for that silver platter… NOPE that’s not an option.

So if you’re ever feeling stuck or bored with life, just remember this:

It’s NEVER too late to change something. Hell I’ve changed my career a few times now!

Life is what you make of it.

What’s your next move??

Happy Friday!! 😀

~T