Brass Blogs: Web Design & Development

Wow – 9 months (?!?) into my sabbatical, and I’ve finally made some hard decisions. I have to say, although I felt a little guilty about taking a sabbatical, I feel like it was a really good decision. As hard-headed as I am, though, it took a while to get some basics sorted. But I will put out there the things I’ve learned about myself (some of which I’ve mentioned before), because – as usual – I hope the rough road I’ve taken helps someone else to avoid it.

I’ll start out by saying my one big mistake – and something I’ve known throughout the past 8 years – is that I jumped into this business headfirst, with no real forethought to what I was doing. I’m “like water” in the way that I don’t make mountains out of molehills, and I’m pretty good at flowing around things that get in my way. But I’m also like water in the way that I meander, and obstacles will push me a little further and further from the direction I want to go in until I’m going somewhere else. Being too flexible is not a good thing. You can lose your way.

I got yelled at a lot by my family (yes, even my extended family, if you can believe that. Ever been yelled at on Facebook?), because they didn’t see my sabbatical as “real.” Even a couple of you colleagues have mentioned my lax definition of the word “sabbatical” (I can recall someone on Twitter saying a couple of weeks ago that I was “the worst sabbatical-taker EVER”). Yes, I did work. But my working was reserved for only 2 or 3 clients who I just could not leave hanging. However, it turns out that cutting back to these three single clients really gave me some great perspective.

But the big catalyst in my decision-making process was my younger sister. She exclaimed utter surprise and shock when I disclosed to her that my family could not live off the salary I make at this job. (That might be a shock to some of you, as well.) I made more money when I was 18 years old and worked full time as a door-whore at the Olive Garden for minimum wage (let me age myself for you) which, at the time, was $3.15 an hour. I admire and respect my sister more than she will ever know, because she does pay a mortgage and groceries and has two kids in high school, all by running her own business herself, with no help from anyone. She amazes me every day. (I want to be like her when I grow up.)

Yes, people, I do my job out of love. I know I’ve exclaimed this fact to you all several times, but perhaps knowing that little fact above will let you in on exactly how much I mean by it. I am very lucky in the fact that my job is not what we rely on, and that I’m able to do what I do because I’m supported by my family nine ways to Sunday. (And yes, I know that many people think that this puts me in the group of “privileged housewives who want to feel like they’re doing something” – but placing me in that box, like the many others I’ve been placed in – would make you wrong.)

That all being said, this “time off” has given me insight in my flaws, as well as my good points, and has given me the point to which I can set my path clearly. I now have goals. For the record, take my advice on this: if you want to start your own business – ANY business – be sure you’ve followed what everyone else has told you before you came here: have goals. Take it from me, I know.

My goals are this:

1) because my passion for doing what I do is leaps and bounds above my passion for the almighty dollar, I will continue on the path of love. (OMG, I sound like a hippie. Oh well.) I will continue to expand my horizons, try new things, add to my skillset, and talk about what I’ve done. My first goal is to learn. I’m a sponge. Fill me with code and design.

2) To what end, you ask? What is the purpose of said sponginess? To share. I am…scattered when it comes to posting on my site. It is my second goal to post about something I have learned on this site at least once a week.

3) I will be limiting my project intake. This one is very hard for me to do. I’m a “yes man,” not in the fact that I agree with everything someone says, but in the fact that I find it very difficult to say “no” when someone needs something – even if I am overbooked and completely stressed out about the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day when there should be 40. So when I return to take projects on once more, I will commit to only one major project at a time, and 4 small ones, tops – and these projects WILL include my own. I will no longer push myself aside. A schedule will have to be started to keep track of this. (Oh God. Organization.)

So, truly, my huge goal is my brain, and my readers. I get full enjoyment out of learning new things, and helping people. With these goals in mind, I will be sublimely happy because they will be my ultimate goals. And there’s nothing wrong with making a little bit of cash on the side. But I like the idea that no matter what I put on this site, it will always be in the spirit of furthering the lives of the people around me, and not based on how I can make my next dollar. I’m a firm believer that you get what you need when you need it… and as cheesy as it sounds, all I need is love

I know what I have to work on to make these goals a reality. I also know it will not be easy, and I will have to take step to baby-step my way into making some of these things a habit. Which is one thing that this sabbatical has already started to do for me – because even though I’m still working (and doing things I shouldn’t, and not doing some things I should), I’ve had the opportunity to use it as an excuse to give myself a spine – and I don’t think I can give it up anymore.