Bittersweet

Today was a bittersweet day.  I’m excited to become pretty much a full time entrepreneur, but I’m sad to be giving up my regular part time job.

I am a librarian, or actually now I can say I was a librarian.  I only worked 8-10 hours a week.  I planned and ran children’s programs, shelved books, planned a move, cataloged books, moved books and in general did all the little things that helped to keep a small library running smoothly.  I loved what I did!  It didn't pay much, but it was a steady small paycheck.

So why did I leave?

My life just got busier.

I have 4 children, a small but growing business, a second business that is slowly growing. I’m a substitute teacher, road race organizer, and lead a Girl Scout troop.  I volunteer in my community and I don’t get a lot of sleep at night.  Originally I set up a part-time schedule that would allow me to have enough time to balance family and work.  It worked for a while, but lately it hasn't.

This was a really tough decision.  My primary business, Coastal CPR & First Aid, is kind of a feast or famine business.  I'm either really busy or I'm not.  That small paycheck carried me through when my community course registrations were down and no one was calling for on-site courses.  My secondary business, Some This & That, is slowly picking up.  Lately there are more things to do every day than there are hours in a day to do them.  Something had to give.... and that was my part-time library job.


So while I’m sad to leave a job I enjoyed, I’m excited to have more time for my family and to be able to focus on my businesses more.  I feel like I'm coming full-circle to where I was 4 or 5 years ago with 2 kids in school, 2 preschoolers and a small part-time business.  Except now I have 4 in school, I co-own a studio which gives me a permanent home for my courses and my business has moved from fledgling to thriving.  I'm nervous, scared, sad and excited all rolled into one!  

So today was a bittersweet day. I'm sad to close one door, but super excited to be opening another.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Customer service

A few weeks ago I was told in an email that I didn't know the difference between customer service provided by a service provider and customer service provided by a store clerk.  It wasn't suggested in a nice manner so it's something I've been mulling off and on for a few weeks.  I knew I would blog about it, but wanted to make sure I wasn't reacting to the tone of the email. I guess for me there really isn't a difference. As a service provider (my courses) I do my best to meet the needs of my clients.  I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to receive positive reviews on the evaluation forms I use at the end of my classes.  I also greatly appreciate anyone who provides a good service for me.  It doesn't matter to me if you are a clerk in a store, the person bagging my groceries, the customer service associate on the phone or someone I've hired to perform a job or task.  I'm quick to thank them for a good job.  If I get one of those stor...
Read more

Quotes

Every morning I post a quote on Facebook.  Occasionally I'll post a second, but usually just the one. A while back someone asked me why I do it.  That was all they would see from me for an entire day sometimes.  They told me they're on Facebook to see what we're all up to and the quote didn't tell them much about me. A few others have liked, loved, and/or commented on the quotes.  Apparently they enjoy them. I read a quote every morning and I share it.  They are random, not on any specific topic or theme.  As I read and post them I spend a few minutes thinking about them and how they impact me or what is going on with or around me.  It's like a thoughtful meditation that helps me to mentally set up the day ahead of me. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Read more

Summer work

Image
The past 3 years I've worked at summer camps.  I'd volunteered for 3-4 years before that at Cub Scout Day Camp for a week - it's only 1 week.  But the past 3 years I was paid staff at Camp Seawood. I enjoy working at camp.  I'm outside all day without a cell phone.  It's almost Nirvana - almost because I'm surrounded by kids.  But for the most part they're all awesome. This summer I decided to not work at camp.  I did end up volunteering at Cub Scout day camp the  last week in  June.  This is Micaela's last summer before going to NHIA.  I wanted to have time to do fun things with my kids. But I usually teach fewer classes in the summer because fewer people sign up.  It's hot, people are on vacation, it's normally a slower time of the year.  I still need bring in some income to pay for the summer adventures. I was fortunate to be able to book enough private on-site classes that covered the income I would have made at sum...
Read more