How Losing My Job Helped Me To Do What I Really Wanted

“We are on lockdown by the government which means that as of tomorrow, we will be shut and your employment will be terminated until we are allowed to reopen.”

That was my wake-up message on a Monday a few weeks ago.

…

Most of the bars in Australia are closed.

That’s why I was forced to prematurely abandon my bartending career.

Due to Corona (virus). Ironic.

And since I am on a temporary VISA, my options were pretty limited.

If you’re not a permanent resident in Australia, you don’t get any government support.

The official statement of the Australian government to temporary VISA holders during COVID-19 pandemic was that we “are strongly advised to go home”.

Great.

I wasn’t willing to give up on my Sydney dream that easily.

…

Luckily, I had a little side-hustle I was working on.

As much as I love making up a twist on a classic Daquiri, it is not enough to stimulate my creativity.

My passion is writing.

And in true “Susan’s fashion”, after I’ve lost my job, I didn’t take a day to rest or feel sorry for myself.

Contemplating things that aren’t in your control prevents you from doing things that are still in your control.

Even before I knew the bar would close, I was creating a plan B in my head.

It took me a solid week and a half of sending proposals and pitches to land my first “gig”.

I was optimising my Upwork profile, doing my own research and trying to improve my strategy for around 6 hours every day.

Without seeing any results for almost two weeks.

I was updating my budget and recalculating my funds to find out my personal “deadline” and to figure out whether it’s time to panic already or I have a few more weeks left.

Would I muster that kind of dedication if I still had a solid income?

Probably not.

…

Last week, I wrote my first proper paid freelancing article.

It took me 2 hours and I got paid slightly less than I would get paid for 1 on a Saturday night making old fashioned’s.

Less than I would get in tips on a weekday night.

But I was so happy.

It’s a low for the ego but a high for the soul.

Now I have a long-term deal with a coffee blog publishing multiple articles a week.

I was planning to do freelance work for a while now.

But working 50 hours a week, it’s hard to dedicate another 20 to building something else from scratch.

And I know I would never quit my job to work on this.

I would never give up that safety.

Now it’s not there anymore.

And it was a “pistol to the head” situation for me.

Because I was being put on a spot and only had a few weeks to figure something out, it had to be done.

There was no other option.

I believe I perform better under pressure.

That’s why I don’t like comfortable situations.

They don’t push you hard enough.

…

What do I mean by “pistol to the head” psychology?

When doing something we’re not really sure whether we can do, we are full of doubts and excuses.

If someone tells you to compose a rock ’n’ roll song by tomorrow.

Or submit a financial audit of the whole firm.

Or run a marathon without training.

You probably wouldn’t even try.

But if someone tells you that if you don’t do it, they’re going to kill you, you would find a way.

Suddenly you can be much more resourceful.

And we find out that we are capable of much more than we thought we were.

The trouble is, our ordinary lives are usually void of those situations.

We prefer to stay comfortable and safe.

Which is sensible, of course, but is it pushing us anywhere?

…

I’m freelancing online.

But I’ve only started.

Am I making good money?

Nah. It’s a negligible amount of dollars.

But it’s better than zero dollars.

I have enough to maybe barely survive.

(If I lay low and start buying cheap wine.)

But I’m not limited by anything else.

I am free to work on it as much as I want.

Working on it from my cheap room with no natural light.

Which I rented because “it doesn’t matter, I’m never at home anyway”.

Well, the joke’s on me. I can only stay at home right now.

It can be a comedy or a tragedy. It just depends on how you choose to frame the story.

I am lucky because the narrator in my head is not keen on tragedies.

…

The whole world is complaining about being bored.

I don’t think the problem is being bored.

The more fitting term is not being entertained.

But I keep wondering to what extend is all that entertainment just a source of distractions.

I keep thinking about a passage from dystopian Brave New World where one of the government officials is explaining that superficial entertainment is at the core of controlling and manipulating their society.

Because it distracts you and prevents you from thinking about more important issues.

In Brave New Wolrd, everything that would help you think critically and stir your creativity was banned. Classic literature, making art or music.

In contrast, casual sex, promiscuity and pornography were encouraged.

Because they proved to be the most successful in keeping people entertained.

Sounds familiar?

In our society, critical thinking is not banned.

But maybe it doesn’t need to be.

And maybe if it was, we would be tempted to do it more.

…

While the whole world is despairing about the fact that they are not being entertained.

I’m more motivated than ever, running towards new challenges and unexpected situations.

Maybe with a pistol pointing at my head. But if it wasn’t there I think I would just walk.

Life is what you make of it.

And the most important moments in your life are never glamorous.

They’re usually pretty ugly.

How do you know what you’re made out of if you never put yourself under pressure?