Being self-employed can be like being on a rollercoaster, as I have said before. You either have so much work that you can barely breathe or so little that every ping of the mailbox is reason for excitement. In my ten years as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor, I have experienced a recession, major technical issues, practical issues, confidence issues and now a political crisis. The latter is undoubtedly affecting my business, as my client base comprises many international academics and research students, and the future is uncertain for some of them at the moment, although in reality feast or famine is also part of the freelance game.
I'm not writing about this to start a debate. That is actually the very last thing I want to do. The reason I mention this is that I have had to dig deep, once again, and I have finally reached a really good place, where I am embracing having the time to re-design my flyer, to do some training in an area I am inexperienced in, and to enjoy a slower pace of life where I can give more time to my charity (we are busy preparing for various events at the moment). There is more to life than earning money all the time, and I can walk in nature for free any time, just as I can create things for the charity (I'm learning to sew and doing lots of baking) or bury my nose in a book. In short, I'm counting my blessings, enjoying the simplicity of my life, embracing uncertainty and grasping opportunities to nurture both my business and myself.