Just Breathe – Yes, You Can Do This

Have you ever searched online for a job that you can work around your kids’ schedules – one that you can do from home and balance everything on your plate in perfect harmony?

In 1998 I was running through the halls of a level one trauma center trying my hardest to keep people alive that were having one of the worst days of their life. I was a respiratory therapist and my job was to keep people breathing, or make them breath, when they came into the emergency room. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve been with as our team worked relentlessly for what seemed like hours only to see the person take their last breath.

When I was running from one trauma to the next I never in a million years thought I would be a writer. In fact, I loved what I did. What I didn’t love though, came after I had my family. I didn’t want to work long shifts in the hospital away from my kids. I didn’t want to come home an emotional mess from the experiences I had at the hospital. I searched relentlessly for ways to do the job I loved in a way that wouldn’t wreck my family life.

That search resulted in me being offered a chance to write for a local newspaper. I had never done anything like that before, but writing had always come easy for me when I had to write papers in college. So, I took the opportunity because I could work from home. Those magical three words – work from home – was enough incentive to give it a try.

I figured out very quickly that not only could I do the job I’d been hired to do, but I really liked it. Little by little my job duties resulted in me not only writing for the newspaper, but helping with the design, editing, and even a radio news broadcast. Who would have ever guessed that a respiratory therapist could do such things? Certainly not me!

Then one day my pastor suggested that I take my writing talent and try to expand my abilities in to freelance writing. What could it hurt, right? So, I jumped on to several job boards, put in proposals and bids for jobs and patiently waited. Crickets……maybe I wasn’t cut out for this freelance stuff after all. I didn’t have even one nibble.

A few months after I had almost given up, five to be exact, one of those proposals contacted me. I don’t know if I was his first option and he was just getting around to hiring someone, or if I was his last-ditch effort. Whatever the reason, he kick started my freelance career.

Today I work entirely from home and have for several years. I write, edit, offer project management, and a variety of other tasks that my clients may request. My kids are all teenagers now and I have a perfect office space in our house that is a dream to work in. I set my own schedule, love my clients, and love the work I do. I am truly blessed, and I know that.

So, why do you care? Why have you been reading this entire blog? Maybe because you’re that mom looking for the perfect way to balance your family and work. Maybe you’re the freelancer who is hearing crickets and giving up hope. You likely read this far seeking inspiration. I know I read plenty of articles and blogs when I was in the beginning of my search. My advice – don’t give up! Be patient and stay determined. And most importantly - just breathe – yes, you can do this.