I just LOVE Thursdays!
Balanced Thursday, of course.
Introducing Arlene M. Lagos
I’ve spent my life trying to find work life balance always believing that we had to work hard, doing something we hated at least 40 hours a week, so we could afford to enjoy our weekends. Somewhere in between work and keeping up with house chores, groceries, dinner and making sure my daughter got to kindergarten on time, I realized there wasn’t a whole lot of time left for me. When am I going to write? When am I going to work out? Will I ever see my husband alone again?
Then I realized how many people in the world were smart enough to combine work and hobby into one happy entity. I realized fast that if I was ever going to write I needed to get paid for it, or at least make it my mission to have it become a full time job. I want to get paid doing something I love, not waste away in the soul crushing cubicles of corporate America.
So what did I do? I quit my job. Scary right? I looked at our finances and realized that when we made more money we spent more money. But we could most definitely survive on one income if we just scaled down to only what was really important, so that’s what we were going to do. Because what was really important, after all, was our sanity. This allowed me to spend my days writing in the mornings, working out in the afternoons, cleaning the house, picking up my daughter early from school (instead of her sitting at an after hours program until 6pm at night) and really get the most out of my day.
My desire to become a paid writer is one step closer to being a reality and you know why? Because I closed a door, I closed a door on a life I didn’t want and allowed room for the life I wanted. A life where I can spend more time with my family, more time on my writing and take back my body. My relationship with my husband has improved, my health has improved both physically and mentally and the bond I have with my daughter is priceless.
Now I’m not trying to cram in a paragraph here and there in between sales calls, dinner and laundry. A writer should have the time they need to write, period. If you are serious about being a writer than don’t go in half way. You need to grab life by the horns and ride it all the way into the sunset because we only have one life and we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. You are here for a reason, to create and inspire the world around you.
I realize it might be hard to leave a job, a lot of people think I am crazy for doing it. So if you aren’t ready to take this step then write out a daily schedule that allows you at least 2 uninterrupted hours a day to write. Don’t let ANYTHING disturb you short of a fire or death. If you can do this for one month straight, then you have achieved a good balance. If you can’t, then you need to ask yourself how important writing really is to you…And maybe quit your job. After all, are you a writer or an employee?
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Arlene M. Lagos, a native of Massachusetts has written poetry, stage plays, screen plays and short stories for over 20 years. She has written, acted and directed for the stage and screen in Boston, NYC, Los Angeles and Charleston. Lagos began writing the Beyond Earth Series as a first time member of Nanowrimo.org convinced she could write 50,000 words in one month, which she did and has now made this Book I of her series. Her goal in life is to create and to inspire the world around her. Lagos currently resides in Massachusetts with her husband and their daughter.
Thank you D. Jean!
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