When I worked at regular job for a regular company, there were certain things you could count on…Flowers on Secretary’s Day when I was an Administrative Assistant…A lunch out with cards when it was Bosses Day as a Manager…Holiday Parties and Co-Worker camaraderie……and, of course, your yearly meeting to discuss your goals and aspirations and if you met them. This meeting always felt so forced because it was usually at a job that I did not love….and therefore the dreaded question of: “Where do you see yourself in five Years” was always met with hesitation (and a monolog in my head that screamed “NOT HERE”).
Being self-employed is altogether different… there are NO Holiday Parties (though I created one for myself and there is a pretty funny YouTube video of it in existence). No one is sending me flowers or gift cards or bringing me out to a meal to celebrate…. IT’S JUST ME!!!! No one is checking in on me on a yearly basis to see if I have met my goals and ask where I want to be in 5 years. Last year I hit a career goal that I never thought I would ever hit…2 of them actually. What did I do? Well, it is not the sort of thing you post about (for many reasons), so I told 3 people….my Husband, my brother and my Accountability Partner. I bought myself a sweater from Italy with little stars on it that made me smile… and got my husband an espresso machine he had wanted for a long time to THANK HIM. The truth is, my job as a self-employed Voice Actor would NOT be possible without him having a real job with insurance, not to mention that he is my main support in general AND in this crazy rollercoaster of a career.
This year, I just surpassed a new career goal, and it seems eerily quiet around here… no-one to tell (except the aforementioned people in my inner circle). It feels very strange and uneventful. Don’t get me wrong… I am so grateful to finally be working in a job where, if you asked me where I want to be in five years… I would gladly shout from the rooftops… EXACTLY WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW!!!! Doing what I love and feel called to do… and I hope that never ends. The lack of pomp and circumstance is weird, but I am ok with it…and despite no Flowers or Gifts or Meals or “atta girls’” Reaching milestone goals (even if no one knows) is a GIFT all in itself.
