For the last week I have been doing a lot of soul searching and making some decisions about my life.
Being a freelance writer is tough. Working in the most competitive industry for writers is really hard. There is no guaranteed income or regular wage and sometimes you have to wait weeks or even months to get paid.
Travelling and freelancing at the same time is even tougher.
I am finally feeling the struggle of everything and to be honest, crumbling under everything that I am trying to juggle, and feeling that I want to give up. I have been on the road for the last 14 months, and haven’t seen my friends and family for that time. I am struggling without a support network around me, trying to stay afloat financially and grow the brand at the same time.
So what does this mean?
I can no longer afford to make a go of Girl about the Globe. I am taking a huge step back and concentrating on my freelance work for the moment. I have poured my heart and soul into this blog and I don’t feel I can do it anymore. I have no passion, no more energy and no more resources to put into this brand.
It takes a tremendous amount of work to write content, source guest posts, write guest posts, increase traffic, learn about marketing etc etc. I spent 8 months of my life writing a book that hasn’t even recouped a fraction of the hours or cost put into it.
So what happens now?
This is what I’ve been asking myself. Something has to give. I can no longer put my energy into trying to make things work, or spend my time and money travelling to destinations to write about them for the Girl about the Globe website, whilst living above my means.
The options:
- Give up completely and go back to England, get a 9 to 5 job and fit back into a conventional life.
- Keep pitching for more freelance work and let Girl about the Globe take a backseat.
The solution:
Girl about the Globe has to take a back seat. No more content, no more adding videos, no more GatG for a while. When your passion becomes a chore without any rewards then it’s time to stop and refocus.
What will happen?
With some posts and social media already scheduled, there will still be articles, interviews, tweets and Facebook posts going live.
But for the next few weeks, I won’t be writing anything for GatG. I have been writing a blog post at least once a week for the last 3 years and 3 months and it’s time to stop for a while.
Will I lose readers? Probably.
Will I lose momentum? Yes.
But when the joy has disappeared from something that you once loved, it’s time to take a break. It could be a week, a month or longer. I have no idea but until I get the passion back, I won’t be writing anymore. I am burnt out from doing all of this.
Thank you to everyone who has ever read or commented on the Girl about the Globe blog and I hope it has helped inspire you to travel solo.
Keep travelling and I hope to see you again soon.
Lisa x
I’m sad to hear this Hun, you have worked so hard to set all this up! It seems a shame to have to let it all go! However, I know how much you have struggled to make it work, and the loneliness and isolation you have felt, so I think you are doing the right thing for you! I hope you find what you are looking for, but I know, whatever you do it will be amazing! I’m proud of you and I’m proud to be your bestest!
Love ya loads kiddo! Xxx
Bummer! But yes you have to do what’s best for you.
Lisa, you are making the right choice. Although we talked about GatG during out travels together and I have seen you so excited about different ideas, I have also seen you frustrated a lot! This was just in the last month! A lot of people take that approach to their job. If I get that tired or frustrated in my job, I will go do something else (and I have). Listen to your heart. You will come back an write some, but just less frequently; your website is already FULL of great information; billions of people have not seen what you have already written, so just keep up what you already have and keep sending me updates. I would not care if they were once a month or once a year, I still would be excited about reading about travel!
Love, Joe
Thank you everyone x
The key is that you made a decision and will go forward. We have been blogging about the same amount of time, so I get how hard a decision it is to make. Good luck.
Oh no! I am sorry you have got to this point and I can imagine how hard it is to walk away.
I felt like this in August last year about my travel blog and stopped for awhile. Thankfully, I learned skills why working on other projects and when I went back to it in January, I was able to turn it into a profitable business venture. Hopefully, you will be able to make a similar advance in future should you wish.
It’s nice to see so much honesty. It must have been a really tough decision to make, and one a lot of us toy with a lot. As with anything though, once it becomes a chore and something you don’t look forward to, it’s time to reevaluate why you’re doing it. Good luck with everything. There’s lots of great info on here so you’ll still attract people I’m sure! x
Thanks Chloe x
Thanks for your lovely message Arianna especially the part about not being alone. Recharging is definitely the best idea and I’ll keep you posted with my plans. Who did you meet in Bordeaux? x