Christine GM. - Create It Yourself
Editor, Writer, and Business Owner
DID: 2008
You'll have to leave here to do that.
This is the advice I was given over and over when I declared an interest in editing and publishing as a possible career, after I'd completed my MA in the UK and had returned home to Prince Edward Island, Canada.
It was early 2000s, and I kept hearing that I'd have to move to Toronto or Vancouver. That's where the jobs are!
So, that's what I did. I landed in Toronto around 2006 and managed to nab a job at an educational publisher. I was all set to climb that publishing ladder...or so I thought.
Cue 2008 and a recession. Add in a rotating-door of hiring practices that the industry is known for, and I found myself out of a job by December when our entire division was cut.
“I could sense the writing on the wall for four months. Four months of wondering if today would be the day I would lose my job. I started to hate the thing I loved, and I was stressed all the time. ”
Speaking of time, I had none.
I'd race to drop my daughter at daycare bang on 7am when they opened so I could get on the 401 and arrive at the office on time, and I wouldn't return home until around 6.
I was lucky if I had a solid two hours to enjoy with my family before I'd pass out, exhausted. Weekends were spent running errands, which took all our time.
With an infant to care for, a mortgage to pay, and an increasing sense of disconnect with the "big-city life" (who am I kidding—we couldn't afford to live near the actual city and settled in a suburb, but that's beside the point), our family decided to move back to the Island. I accepted a job at the local university in a research centre as their communications person, we bought a (larger) house, added one more family member, and settled into Island life again.
I started freelancing on the side, and a few years after accepting that communications job, I decided to go all in on the freelance life.
And here I am thirteen years later with zero regrets. I've managed to create the very thing I was told could not exist here on my sand bar: a thriving writing and editing business. By becoming a Digital Independent, I didn't need to work for anyone...I could do the thing I wanted to do—myself.
“I now enjoy working with clients from all over the world on a variety of projects. I specialize in memoir editing and coaching, which means I get to meet pretty interesting people from all walks of life. All from my home office.”
By choosing to live in a smaller place, I've also gifted myself time. Everything I need is within a 20min radius, there's a beach 10 min from my house, and traffic jams don't exist here. An errand doesn't take the entire day, and we can decide at 2pm we want to go to the beach and be there by 230.
I absolutely love what I do, but I love how I do it even more. I'm able to work the hours I want, while also being available for my family, when they need me. Our three dogs (who, frankly, are needier than my children) also appreciate that I'm home. I can go for a swim at 10am on a Thursday, I can meet a friend for a coffee, and I can take my birthday off.
“Most importantly, I’m in control of my own job security and finances. If I need some extra income to cover an unexpected expense, I can take on extra work. I’ve diversified my client list to allow for ebbs and flows, and I’ve reduced the impact of losing any one client by over-relying on one source. ”
While I tend to keep working hours that align with my children's school schedule, I don't actually have to. If I don't sleep well, I can snooze a bit longer. My "commute" now involves walking down the stairs. I can wear whatever I want, take breaks when they suit, and schedule my work around my own peak focus times, rather than on someone else's concept of when I should be in front of my computer.
Best of all? Two minutes after I end my work day, I'm relaxing with my family. I actually feel like I have a quality life outside of "the office."
Leaving the corporate world was the best decision I ever made. I never want to know what it's like again to wonder if today is the day I will be out of work. I never want to rely on one source for all my financial needs. Maybe it's the Capricorn in me, but I thrive on being in control of my own future.
I encourage anyone who wishes to prioritize life and not work to do just that and consider becoming a Digital Independent. Somehow, society created and embraced this message that in order to be valued, we had to give our lives to our work, and I refuse to buy into that. I know I'm good at what I do, and I know I'm there for my clients...but my priority will always be my family and my own health. You're not a bad person for wanting to work "work" around your life, rather than the other way around.
And if you can't see an obvious way to make that happen? Do as I did and create it yourself.
Christine offers writing and editing services at RosemountEditing.com