Good morning 👋
How’s your week started off?
When I first started Sweeney’s Blogs back in 2019, I made a promise to myself and to all of you who read the content I share here on the page: to be as open and honest as I can with my writing.
With that in mind, let’s go back to the basics and have an honest chat today.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
I’ve been out of work since the end of March, just over two months now – which is a rather strange place to be in, I’ll admit.
I’m the sort of person who loves being in work, loves having something to do, a shared vision that I can work towards. After a short while without working, it can easily make you start questioning your value, your purpose, and how you fit into wider society.
Don’t get me wrong, the last couple of weeks have hardly been quiet: I’ve gone to Ireland for a week with my family, headed down to Devon for a weekend with friends, driven over to Reading twice (once for some public speaking, the other for an interview), and have been to a load of networking events, and a whole lot more.
When I was first made aware that I was going to be jobless upon returning home from my US holiday, my first instinct was to think about how I could save as much money as I could until I got a job.
This was a nice thought and all, but it wasn’t really realistic…
A point that I’ve made a lot on the page, which has been reinforced over the last couple of years, is that we don’t know what’s coming next. I’m currently living at home. I may never be in a position like this again, where I’m safe spending a bit of my savings to live my life to the fullest now, while also being able to put a bit aside for the future.
Also, the job search process can be highly demoralising. While I know I’m going to get something solid soon, having things in the diary that you can look forward to really does make a huge difference.
When it comes to the next couple of weeks, I’ve slightly slowed down on the number of trips that I’m going on, but I’m not going to stop making memories, seeing friends, and spending time being me. I’m going to London for West End Live in two weeks, which I’m sure is going to make for a fab weekend away, before preparing to return to Edinburgh for a long weekend for the fringe at the end of August.
Sometimes, you don’t have to have all of the answers to roughly figure out what you’re going to do next – you may just have to work with what you know and figure everything else out along the way. It’s as simple as that, really (well, simple might not be the optimum word there, but hey ho 😂)
In life, there can be this huge pressure to live a certain way, tick this box, or do XYZ on the regular. I reckon we need to remember one easy fact – we’re all people who are trying to make the most of life.
Give yourself a bit more credit. Nobody else has experienced life the way that you have; that’s a fact.
We all face our own challenges as we grow. It’s not a bad thing to say that you currently haven’t got everything sorted or that you’re a work in progress – it’s what makes you a real person.
Anyways, that’s a little update from me – I love being able to do blogs like this from time to time, it takes me back to why I started writing in the first place. What’s the latest with you? What’s one thing that’s made you feel joy recently?
As always, I’d love to hear what you think, and if you have any questions 😊
Thanks a lot for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day!
James
Sweeney's Blogs 