Earlier this week, I received an email from an editor at LinkedIn seeking “informed perspectives about the ever-changing world of work.”
My first thought was that I had received the message in error. I mean, I have a perspective on the “future of work” all right, but it is mostly just informed by my own experiences, which are far from typical.
I sat with that thought for a few minutes before deciding that, actually, my loosely informed perspective is probably just as valid as that of any workforce optimization expert or management consultant. Because they might spend every day theorizing about the #FutureofWork, but I am out here living it.
Over the past six years, my career went through a series of shifts, each one bigger than the last. Let’s review:
In 2015, I went from working in a traditional office to working remotely.
In 2016, I kept working remotely while living nomadically.
That same year I pivoted from my 15+ year career in public relations to a role in content development and thought leadership.
In 2018, after relocating to Europe with my employer, I decided to pursue freelance writing as a side hustle. At first it was just to earn some extra money, but eventually, I came to see it as an eventual escape route from the corporate world.
In 2019, I was unexpectedly laid off from my employer and was forced into the freelance market full time.
In 2020, I officially started my own company, Little Word Co. I registered my business in Finland, got my residence and work permits on the grounds of entrepreneurship and assembled a network of other amazing content creators and writers to work with on projects big and small.
And this year, much to my surprise, one of my biggest clients asked me to tap that network so that we can take on bigger jobs and make Little Word Co. their “content factory.”
In other words, one big shift led to another.
When I made the decision back in 2016 to take time off to travel and my employer gave me the option to do my job from “anywhere”, I couldn’t have imagined a bigger change.
Until I moved to Germany.
Until I got laid off.
Until I started my own company.
Until that little company of mine started bringing in opportunities usually reserved for big-time, real deal content agencies headquartered in Manhattan—the kind of companies that if I had applied to back in 2015 as a mid-level PR manager, they wouldn’t have given my resume a second glance.
I went through all that, one shift at a time. And while I still don’t know if my perspective is particularly well-informed, I think it can be helpful to others who are trying to decide between resigning from their job and the quiet resignation of living a life they don’t really enjoy.
Sometimes, when people in my extended network are considering a big shift, particularly one that relates to full-time travel or self-employment, they land in my inbox, looking for a feel-good story about how I came to be happier, healthier, more fulfilled and, frankly, better paid after making what most people would consider to be a series of career killing decisions.
They say they’re looking for advice, but what they really want is permission to make a big decision of their own. I’m in no way qualified to give that, but what I tell them is that if they have these three qualities, then they will probably be fine:
Foresight.
Making #TheBigShift without having a really well-formed plan is like jumping into #TheGiantAbyss.
Before I resigned from my corporate job, I did my due diligence. I spoke to my financial planner, I visited my doctor, I talked to my mentor. I wrote down a plan and made a budget and when I had convinced myself that the cost of not taking the time to travel for a year or two was higher than the burden of staying where I was, I pulled the plug. (And then I ended up keeping the job anyway, so it was all sort of moot.)
I just assumed that process was common sense – the bare minimum one would do before making a big change. But while traveling, I met so many people who had not done that homework and paid the price later, albeit in some very exotic settings. They miscalculated budgets, failed to get the proper visas, couldn’t find the day jobs they expected along the way. I wouldn’t say any of them were in a deep state of despair or regret, but they were certainly not living as they had hoped.
So whether you are thinking about taking time to travel, trying to start your own company or looking into a new career path, you need to do a whole lot of research, combined with some serious introspection about your habits, preferences and goals. I can tell you what I did to prepare for my trip. I can tell you what my year-long travel budget was. But that’s not going to matter to you because you’re not me. You don’t want to get the same things out of your trip that I wanted to get out of mine. There’s no substitute for a personalized plan. Make one.
Adaptability.
Over the past six or seven years, my career took a series of twists and turns. Some changes, like the decision to live nomadically, were decisions I made actively; others, like the opportunity to relocate to Europe, just came up in passing. Some, like getting to keep my day job while traveling, were almost too good to be true. Others, like getting laid off in a foreign country, felt like a sucker punch.
Anyone who wants to make a big shift needs to keep on shifting. Don’t get too comfortable. Take opportunities as they come, create back doors, spread yourself a little thin so that your entire future doesn’t hinge on one company, one job, one contract, one person with a pen.
Back in 2018, one of my former coworkers approached me with a freelance job. Even though I had been dabbling in that line of work for some time, I was tempted to turn this job down. I was living in Venice at the time and I just wanted to enjoy my last month there – not get saddled with extra work. I took the assignment anyway figuring it would be a good foot in the door with a big company should I ever want to go full-time freelance.
Thank goodness I did. Because my teammates and I got laid off seemingly out of nowhere by our full-time employer within months. And that company I took the freelance job with? Now my biggest client.
Grit.
A lot of people like to think you need to be smart to be successful. It helps—I guess. Especially in the beginning when it’s easy to dazzle people with new ideas and fast talking. But hard work will get you farther in the long run.
I think of grit as the next level up from hard work. It’s something like ambition, motivation, relentlessness and even a little shamelessness all rolled into one. Come to think of it, grit might not be the best quality to have in life, unless you’re down for a big shift. Then you need it. In fact, grit is going to be your saving grace during #TheBigShift because it’s the only thing that’s going to keep you from feeling daunted by all the work you know you need to do—and stop you from giving up when even more comes up unexpectedly.
I never needed grit more than when I started a business in Finland. I don’t think it’s a particularly easy process to begin with, let alone when you don’t speak Finnish or have a business degree or know the first thing about local regulations.
I don’t know how to explain how I registered my company other than just saying I did. I made a plan as best I could. I followed the steps I thought I needed to take. And then I just sat down with Google Translate and checked one box after the other. Was my plan perfect? No. Was it efficient? Not really. Did seven police officers once show up at my door because I was missing a permit? Yes. Did I figure that out too? Also yes.
In conclusion: Grit.
So that is my perspective on #TheBigShift. If you are thinking of making one, I sincerely hope you are brave enough to make the decision, resilient enough to manage all the challenges and generous enough to pay it forward later.
Thanks to your blog, Nova, I have been able to change my life and perspective also. Yes, it involves research and budgeting (especially regarding the cost of health care), but I also was able to start doing my job remotely at first (from home), then become an independent contractor doing the same job (now able to take on other work as needed) and ultimately to move from California to the country in Texas while keeping the same contracts. Now I live a life I could only dream about. Thank you for being an inspiration and background mentor. There is another background mentor blogger “Tanya Hester” who helped me with the insurance questions. So the research was extensive. The changes are still happening. You have been a blessing.
this is so sweet – thank you! and I am loving watching all the happy pictures you’re posting. and i am so glad to hear that other people also have the experience of keeping their existing job (in some form or fashion) so that they can change other circumstances of their life. it’s so freeing when your work is no longer tied to an office in california when we all know you can fulfill the contract from texas just the same. i’m sure you’re an inspiration and blessing to others as well. wishing continued health & happiness to you and yours.