“It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together.”

Over the past few years, the way I see things has changed dramatically. My career has stopped, reversed and gone in a totally different direction, and I’ve never looked back! When you’re too comfortable in your day to day life, it seems that you don’t want to better yourself, try harder or sort out an issue, which is why some people get to age 30 and have achieved nothing with their lives. I realised that just over a year ago, and even though the journey hasn’t been an easy one by a long shot, I’m finally going to work every day with a smile on my face, knowing I’m exactly where I want to be.

So, how have I managed it in such a short space of time?

My job enables me to do the one thing I’ve loved to do most of my life, or at least from the point I was able to use my imagination a little bit better and of course, hold a pen. Writing has always been that one thing I’ve constantly enjoyed, even when experiencing that frustrating ‘writer’s block’ and unapologetically correcting the grammar of my peers.

I used to read and write a lot as a kid, sometimes writing out my favourite stories to practice my handwriting (which I also took pride in too.) I was a perfectionist, and wanted to better myself using that ink contained bit of plastic. I remember my Dad asking what I was doing one day, when I was writing out a story I liked about a mouse in a field. I told him I was writing the story in my ‘best’ handwriting, to which he replied, “Why don’t you write your own story?”

From then on, I did just that, but only occasionally. I wrote stories 3 pages long about school, friends, magic and any other topics kids thought were cool back then. They were, of course, terrible stories, but my imagination grew. The amount I used to write grew. But then, I grew. I went to secondary school. None of that was cool anymore. I stopped writing for a good few years.

Even though I still secretly loved essay writing for my GCSE’s, years went by without any other stories being written, or without really feeling that creative or imaginative. My path took me to primary school work, and surprisingly, this brought the teeniest spark of creativity back in my fifth year of being a TA. (Thank you, Rebecca Lang.) I taught the most perfect group of children how to write. I helped spark their imaginations, use adjectives and metaphors to liven up their work. Their little faces inspired me too. The creative side of my brain slowly began to show it’s face and I welcomed it back with open arms.

So, things continued. I started to run a blog for Imagination Gaming which, I found out shortly after, I thrived at! I enjoyed nothing more than coming home from work, grabbing a board game and writing about game-play for the world to see. I did a hell of a lot of work in my spare time, but hey – when you love to do something that much, that’s what happens! I also became more pro active, the more I thought about the possibilities. I handed in my notice from TA work after getting a job offer from IQ Gaming. Can having a job doing what you love every day really be a thing? Is it normal for some people to get up on a Monday morning, eager to continue to work? Maybe so, but even this job didn’t squeeze out my creativity like I wanted.

Over my year and half of being in 2 different jobs, I did 3 things. Three VERY important things that I really want to share with you. These three things brought me to where I am today, and at the time, I really had no idea.

I started writing my own novel and poetry.

I attended a writing workshop with a best-selling author.

I sent out emails to companies asking for work experience.

And you know the one thing that I realised I needed to have achieved all these things?

Confidence.

The one thing I never thought I had. But if it hadn’t grown from all my experiences, how on Earth did I sit in a room full of 12 strangers, including 2 authors, and read out a section of my own story? How did I know that I was good enough at what I do to think of myself as a valuable asset to a company? I didn’t know all that, but I still did it. That, is confidence my friends. As for the emails, I heard back from one particular company who decided they actually wanted to see what I could do.

I did my work experience. I wrote articles and helped to run social media pages. Now, just over a year from that point, I’m employed by that very company. The company who changed the way I see things every day, the one that makes me enjoy getting up on a Monday morning. The one that inspires me to grow my knowledge and be the best that I can be. Life is very good.

I guess the key thing to take from my story is to not give up. Everyone loves to do something. Everyone has a hobby. Doing something that you love for a living shouldn’t be that difficult if you remain pro-active. I didn’t spend 4 years at University to get a degree. Instead, I showed passion, determination and I kept at it. I also had the right people around me to encourage me, even when I said things like “I can’t do this” or ‘This is too difficult.” Listening to the people who believe in me is a big factor in my success. Be confident, know that you’re good enough and the rest will fit into place.

If you have a success story that you’re proud of (and have blogged about it!) drop me a link – I’d love to hear your story 🙂