2009 Is the Year of Joy
January 12, 2009 by Cherie
Filed under Misc. Ramblings
It’s a few days into the new year, and I have the need to declare 2009 SOMETHING. Things have been in constant turmoil for me for several months now. So after much consideration I decided to declare 2009 the year of JOY. As in, “I’m not going to do it unless it brings me JOY.”
JOY! Darnit all….
Don’t get me wrong, I have a good life. But there are a few things I do personally and professionally just to make other people happy or to make money. There’s nothing wrong with the money part – I mean, we all have bills to pay – but at the same time when you work in a creative field and you’re slogging away at things it doesn’t make for great creative output.
The previous year (2008) was a banner year for me in many ways. I took on several new clients and had more work than I could shake a stick at. But I didn’t have the pay to match all those clients AND I had more promises of pay than actual dollars in my account.
Now, I know what people say, that you should do the work and the pay may (or may not) follow. The trouble is, that’s not reality. I think you should do the work you love, but when you’re working for someone else’s dream and THEY tell you to do the work for free because that’s what entrepreneurs do…. you need to examine it. It MAY be in your best interest to work your butt off for someone else because they are something truly special and just being a part of their dream makes your life better. Or, they could be taking advantage. You have to decide.
In 2009 I decided to examine some of my regular gigs. Keep in mind, I have far more blogs and clients than I usually mention here. One of those clients was someone that was not the coolest cat to deal with anymore. I didn’t like the work. They didn’t pay on time. The pay wasn’t always right. I made the hard decision to leave them.
I’m struggling with doing this for a couple more clients. I love writing online but not every place is a great outlet. I work with many great, established places, and a few that need a lesson in how to treat employees. As I go forward into 2009, I’m searching for JOY. I want to be happy and healthy, and if the gig doesn’t give it to me, then it isn’t worth it. (Should be interesting to see how this strategy plays out for me at the same time next year. 
