It's time to stop and smell the oranges
Plus: Can we envision a conference experience that's NOT stressful?
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Upcoming Events
Are you sick and tired of the feast and famine financial cycle of freelance writing? And are you fed up with advice that tells you to *just* get several high paying anchor clients each month? Yeah, you and me both.
That’s why I’m offering a free workshop on freelance finances on May 16. We’re gonna talk about things like managing cash flow, saving for vacation and conferences, and even how to pay yourself a quarterly bonus, no matter what kind of income you make. I’m not an accountant. I’m not rich. But I am really good at systems and that’s what I’m gonna share!
Food For Thought
My friend Pamela is retiring this year, a bit earlier than expected. She works as a financial literacy coach and is one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I know. I suspect she’ll be one of those “retired” people who are mighty busy with passion projects and assorted shenanigans. However, when she told me about her upcoming plans, stopping to smell the oranges was at the top of her list.
That’s right, oranges. Not roses. Oranges. I loved that. Roses somehow imply something fragile, rare, and precious. But delectable fresh oranges are much more accessible, and her words made me wonder when I last stopped at the market to indulge in some juicy tangelos.
Pamela’s words weren’t a lesson in delayed gratification. We talked in a Parisian-style cafe, and nothing about our chat suggested that life is best put off until retirement when you are free to sniff your heart’s content. But her wise words did encourage me to reflect on how often I pause to enjoy the moment in my work.
The week after our conversation, I was chatting with another friend about a different topic, an upcoming conference we have in common. A significant component of this writers’ conference is a series of 24-speed dating-style appointments with potential industry partners. Even at the best of times, it’s intense and losing your voice around appointment 10 is not uncommon. Here’s what my friend said:
I don’t know why, but I have so much anxiety over this upcoming conference. Pitching, attire, the fact that I’m behind on articles I need to write from convos at last year’s conference... I was actually tempted to cancel everything.
You’ll notice she didn’t say she was worried about what to say to potential partners or the demands of running around the conference hall. The vibes of the whole thing were just off. Zero oranges. Zero roses. Frustration, obligation, and anxiety are powerful forces.
There has to be a better way to conduct conferences (not just this one in particular but across all industries). That’s a conversation for another day! But I was hugely impressed that my friend was doing the one thing most people don’t. She was thinking about what she wanted from the experience and how to get the most out of it. This is so rare!
So often, I hear travel writers (in particular) say things like, “If I don’t get a meeting with Visit Florida or Patagonia clothing, I’m gonna die.” Except – hang on a second. With the amount of money you’re spending to attend the conference and buy conference-appropriate clothes, you could easily fund your own trip to Florida and your own shopping experience at Patagonia. What’s going on here? Why aren’t we all seeing the big picture? Why aren’t we focused on what we want from the entire conference? Why is a single meeting getting all the power and focus here? Where are all the oranges?
If you can relate to this frustrating experience and want a life filled with nothing but oranges (metaphorically speaking… though I 100% support your citrus shopping endeavours!), please check out my conference and symposium prep package. I can’t wait to work with you to reframe the conference experience so you’ll always be the winner.
Great Weekend Reads
Check out this cool interactive art cafe in New York City. Fun!
This week, back in 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn was arrested and sent to the Tower of London. I’m currently reading Hunting The Falcon , a scholarly look at her marriage with King Henry VIII, by John Guy and Julia Fox. One thing I can’t stop thinking about is that the reason we all know Boleyn’s story so well is that it’s a parable which demonstrates that women who harbour ambition will always be cut down to size.
Keep This To Yourself by Tom Ryan is a small town murder mystery that I couldn’t put down. This Young Adult fiction is more complex and sophisticated than most made-for-adults mysteries.
Till next week,
Vanessa
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