I’ve questioned the wisdom of walking away from WIC many, many times. The fear of the unknown – of how I’m going to pay the bills, of failure, of others judgement and criticism – weighs on my mind quite often.
However, this isn’t the first time I’ve faced a hard situation in my life. While those other times weren’t pleasant, they did teach me that inside every bad thing or difficult time, there is something to be learned and a blessing.
So when those doubts and fears creep up, I tell them to shut up!
I worked for WIC for 13 years – and those years weren’t without crises of their own. It’s a social service program – both federally and state funded. It lacked good benefits, took regular funding decreases, and even teetered on the brink of closure many times. During those years, there were many times I questioned why I stayed.
My answer – now and then – is that I prayed. And I did what I felt God called me to do. He didn’t want me there because the pay was good or because it was a stable job or any of those other things that most people look for. He wanted me there for a higher purpose. Sometimes I think I got a glimpse of that purpose, but most of the time, I have no idea what it was.
When I left last October, it was because I felt called to move on. God had closed that chapter of my life and wanted me to follow Him into another. I felt called to write. To take care of my home and my kids and my husband. To switch gears and change careers at the age of 37.
Thankfully, He’s sustained us through the past 4 1/2 months. No big picture, no blueprints for how He’ll make it happen. But small steps here and there where He provides and reassures me that I’m moving in the right direction.
I haven’t had as much time to write as I’ve wanted, as the needs of my family have been bigger. However, I am still writing. I’m learning. I’m growing. I’m getting my feet wet and trying new things. I’m following this path I’ve been called to until God steers me to a different one.
My efforts haven’t been all that lucrative yet, which is a source of stress for me. I still want to contribute monetarily in addition to the blood, sweat and tears I give every day. However, despite only selling two blog posts out of six that I’ve written, I got this note of encouragement from the company (Blog Mutt) yesterday:
“Molly (BlogMutt)
Feb 15, 1:11 PM MST
Hey Adrienne,
Thanks for everything you do here! We really appreciate the work you’ve done so far at BlogMutt. You’re a really good writer, and a valuable asset to our team!
We just performed a quick review of your content, and this is just a note to say that we’re glad to have you as a writer. There are a lot of new customers who need great posts, and we’d love to see more of your content soon.
Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help you with your writing. Thanks, Adrienne!”
While I have no idea if the clients for my recent “content” will like the posts enough to purchase them, it was still nice to get this note from the administrative team. The encouragement is what keeps me moving ahead, gives me hope and courage to keep pushing forward in spite of the fear and the unknowns.
So to all of you out there who are taking a risk, following your passion or talent, and stepping into the unknown: Go for it! You can do it! Every journey is taken one step at a time!
Word Junkie 