Tries and Fails: Blogging, Job Hopping, Increasing My Income

Originally published/last updated on myearlyretirementjourney.com on Oct 13, 2019. 

So here’s another life update. Let me first say, I know we all love a happy ending. I mean I stopped watching 7 Little Johnstons because their life just got less happy in favor of The Little Couple because everything is pretty and on the upswing for them. I get it. No one likes a Dougie-Downer.

Yet, I still think it’s important to tell my story because in the parts of the blogosphere I encounter you only hear the great outcomes and the hurdles are given minimal airtime.

Since starting my new job at Call Center 2 last week, I finally got a little bit motivated to check my savings balances. It was more hopeful than I thought. I am happy about that.

Well that led to some reflection on all the things FIRE tells you to do that just haven’t worked out for me.

Blogging. There is so much praise for the side hustle. I did as much as I was going to do for this blog, and after a year it has yet to generate any income. The most pageviews I’ve had were 1,000 unique sessions in one month. In that month I tried all the tricks in the book and found it to be quite tiring and very much like work. Quite a hustle indeed.

Job Hopping. I already knew the reason I stayed at my job as long as I did was because I don’t interview well. Changing my mind about it; prepping; using referrals… none of that worked for me. And as I predicted, it left me emotionally weaker. I don’t know why people keep trying to tell other people that things that don’t kill you make you stronger. Lies. That’s never been true for me. Things meant to fortify me make me stronger, not things meant to kill me. Ugh, le humans.

The thing is I spend a lot of time with myself, and I know myself pretty well. So when people give generic advice or say things like you never know until you try, I scoff. How do you live in a world, when the One Size fits all but you. Sometimes you just have to follow your own path. And stay the course no matter the sweet nothings whispered from the sidelines.

Increasing my Income. This goes along with job hopping. That part is right; job hopping can lead to increased income. It was very difficult to get a raise in my last job. Maybe I should have stayed because leaving just left me battered and bruised emotionally and at a job that pays slightly less. Although it was going to take longer than I wanted, they would’ve eventually had to promote me.   I’m almost comforted by this lateral move. Like, I knew it! So, there’s less to wonder about. Then there was the side hustle last year. Blech.

Yes, my path right now is definitely in my comfort zone and not at all FIRE-optimized. But I learned quite a few years ago that despite my inclinations to something more, the easiest and most reliable path is the one I am already on. And it’s good enough …enough of the time.