I just stood there, no plan.
Eyes closed.
Body still.
Every bead hits my head with its own agenda then rolls down creating the only motion in the room.
My motionlessness does not reflect the storm raging inside my head.
“I screwed up.”
“What was I thinking?”
“I was too careless.”
“Did we move too fast?”
“What now?”
“What am I going to do for money? How am I going to pay bills? What am I supposed to do now?”
I stand there in the shower rehearsing the conversations and decisions that led me to this point. I know without a shadow of doubt, that my first decision to get me here was right and delivered by God, but what about every decision after that?
“Just breathe,” I told myself, “you decided to follow the tugging on your heart to leave your cushy job and follow your passion. Just breathe.”
I did just that. Over the next few moments I weathered the storm in my mind and came to the resolution that my first decision was the one that mattered.
Every decision after that was a branch from that decision and as long as I continued to seek his will and not mine, we will be fine.
I finished my shower and began to dry off to start my day, but the one remnant from the storm I could not shake was, “What’s next?”
Did I even have a plan?
In February of 2019, my family and I had the pleasure of being snowed in for an extended period of time.
During this adventure, we discovered that I am much more useful at home, then in a corporate job in which the career ladder just got a little more difficult to climb.
After much deliberation, praying, and planning, we came to the conclusion that I should leave my job, cut our family budget in half, and support my wife in her Pure Romance business by running things at home.
In the mean time, I would start writing more and work on my three passion projects: A two-act play, a self-help book for men, and a young adult fiction novel series.
March 2: Announced to my boss I would like to give a 1 – month notice.
April 2: Last day at work
May: All is going well. Jess’ business is flourishing and the fruits of our April labor are paying off. In the mean time I am writing almost everyday and figuring out how to run the household.
June: Jess doubled her sales from last year, but it was 50% less than May. Then the email came in. A bill. A bill we could not afford to pay. The good news is since we have been in good standing with this account, they had no problem giving us an extension.
The problem: I didn’t know how we were going to make that extension work.
Shower time…
Just Breath
To add to the stress, summer had just hit and this season is the lowest point for Jess’ business. People like to travel and camp so booking parties and making sales become incredible difficult.
Pure Romance Corporate says the statistics show that 60% of booked parties cancel!
With the change in season also meant the kids were home and the challenge of summer entertaining on an already constrained budget was really weighing on me.
As I said before, the stress-shower helped me allow the storm to pass, but I was at a major decision point.
Action had to be taken, but what action?
I had the urging to call my brother. Nathan runs a few start-ups in Austin, Texas (yes, all of my siblings have the entrepreneur bug too).
Details aside, he was in need of some copy writing and social media advise.
I quickly jumped on that train and he was able to pay me for work real quick to pay the immediate bills.
Solution; right?
Well, that was my plan. I will market myself as a copywriter and make all kinds of money using the training I got in the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy. One problem; I had no client base.
So scratch that plan, well, sort of.
We are now in October and not a day has gone by that my family missed a meal. I have become quite a negotiator at getting our bills reduced or rescheduled and I have found amazing ways to shop on a discount.
Not to brag, but the average cost of a meal in our house is now down to $2 per person!
I am still working with my brother and we are getting ready to launch a new campaign in one of his companies, Click Engine, to provide solutions for businesses that struggle in the digital space.
No, the money is not fast coming and no it is not up and running yet, but I have learned something incredibly important that I must keep on the forefront of my mind each day.
Money is a tool.
We do not control most things in our lives.
If I want to stay an obsessive planner, no problem, but instead of planning everything in my life I can’t control, I need to plan how I am going to use the tools I have to navigate the things life throws at me.
Are we out of the woods?
No.
Are we destined for ruin?
No.
Do I have a daily challenge to control my own mind and put it to the works of God?
Yes.
I will lean on that. If my weak mind has to control something, then I will control my own actions.
Have you ever wanted to be a copywriter or looking for a side-hustle? Check out Nicki’s page. She got me started down this amazing journey.
Satisfaction in the bedroom is one of the most important components of a happy life. If you’re feeling stuck or looking for the next adventure. Check out Jessica B. and her lotions, potions and things that go buzz in the night!
Curious what I do on my free time when I am not writing?
Check out my business’ home page: CCSE
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