Happy New Year, folks! Let’s hit the ground running. Or, at the very least, with a gentle jog.
How was my festive break, you ask? Well…
It started going left 4 days before Christmas. Kiddo started with a gnarly night-time cough. Shenanigans were on the horizon. By Christmas Eve she was looking peaky. Christmas Day, we all needed a nap. Something wasn’t right. For any of us.
We realised it might not be just a little toddler cough.
Then our boiler broke.
From then on, it was pretty much a wrap on Christmas. I don’t really remember Boxing Day through the haze of fevers, naps, and mucus. I do remember pouring scalding hot water down myself, while desperately snorting steam…
I’d had a plan. Engage holiday mode from 23rd December and spend Christmas in the loving embrace of my family, poring over books and well-intentioned training courses, before strutting into 2023 like the confident, prepared writer I am. Ready to kick arse and flaunt my professional gains.
The reality? It’s January 2nd, and this is the most normal I’ve felt all week. Not needing a nap is a small win, but I’ll take it.
Ask any freelancer and they’ll tell you about the constant work/life balance struggle. When you’re a freelancing parent? It can feel like flying by the seat of your pants. While your pants are on fire. Starting a freelancing business as a stay-at-home parent is, and has been, a ride.
It’s very easy to compare yourself to others. To wonder why things aren’t “happening” as quickly for you. Forgetting social media is designed for showcasing wins and feeding into the FOMO machine.
People tend to stay mute on challenges until they’re out the other side.
We’re getting better at talking about the harder stuff, but we all absolutely put on airs. Sweeping the hard stuff under the carpet and engaging super-assured mode when addressing your audience. Can’t be seen as a whiner, after all.
I reckon there’s a realness to people who can put themselves out there completely, highs and lows.
But. I respect both sides of the coin. Those who do the social media engagement thing, every day without fail. And those who peace-out and step away when their mental health starts to tank. (I’m the latter.)
So here’s me handing myself my get well soon flowers. A quick delirious reflection of how I left 2022, and my hopes for 2023.
My 2022 wins, and my first year of freelancing, in a snap-shot:
- Getting married(!)
- My first multi-client months
- Working with international clients (didn’t expect this until years down the line!)
- Figuring Copy Mixtress’ Tone of Voice. Not as easy as it sounds.
- Learning to knit (been putting this off for 20 years)
- Building a solid portfolio behind-the-scenes.
I’m glossing over some other wins along the way – personal and professional. I won’t make big promises to myself this year. I can’t. The world feels chaotic enough.
I want to be kinder to myself. To keep building on what I have. To be a little better, a little more content, than I was the year before. Re-discovering myself out in the world, through the parent lens, is going to be novel. Having time to invest in my own hobbies and interests again will be a good start, though. I’m looking forward to it.
For now? It’s time to take more cold meds, snuggle down, and enjoy my last evening before “Back to Normality” kicks in.
May your 2023 be righteous and wholesome –
Geiselle x
The Copy Mixtress 