So you’ve probably heard the saying “pride comes before a fall”. Well last week for me it was “pride comes before an acute case of food poisoning” or something else equally nasty. With everything going on in the world, it could have been worse; so I’m not complaining. I haven’t felt this ill or rough in a while though so it’s somewhat derailed the week! The pride I’m speaking of wasn’t hubris or ‘bad’ pride. I was genuinely proud of myself for being organised, forward planning and doing things to make the upcoming week a bit easier. For example, little things like getting all of my Instagram posts for the week plotted out and written. I’m taking part in a post a day challenge and I know the daily prompts; so I spent a few hours of the evening on Monday getting everything together. Work was shocking on Tuesday, so Tuesday night was a binge watching, sofa chilling evening. But I had grand plans for Wednesday to start thinking about blog post topics and plot out the goals for the year in terms of life in general crafting and gaming. Needless to say, that did not happen!

I thought I’d use this very unplanned post to lay out what’s been going on over the last few months and what the next few months might hold. I’ve been spending some time for a while now contemplating work and life (and a work life balance if there is such a thing!). I’ve been in the same kind of role coming up on 17 years now and while I know what I do matters and makes a difference, it’s no longer my passion; if I’m honest, it probably never was. I’ve not been soul-searching as such but the world has changed so much since I started my career I’ve been trying to explore what else is out there. I’m a qualified trainer and advocate of lifelong learning and I picked up a few courses in the last Udemy sale. I know things on there can be hit and miss but I’ve picked up what I feel are a few gems.

Image of wood carved letters with the center letters spelling 'Learn'. There is a lit lightbulb above the word learn.
 “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Maggie Stara runs Living to Roam and created her online marketing business so she could work from anywhere around the world while she travelled. Maggie expanded her marketing business and now delivers online courses in marketing to help people find their ‘why’ and begin careers in freelance digital marketing. I picked up Maggie’s course Powerful Social Media Marketing for Beginners in the sale and I thoroughly enjoy the content and delivery. I initially picked up the course for a few reasons. Firstly, with my fibromyalgia and CFS, anything I do, if I do change careers, has to be somewhat on my own terms and something I can do from home. Secondly, the course content, regardless of any career path, would help me learn some new tools, skills and ways of thinking about social media and how to frame and compose my Crafty Rogue Gamer posts a bit better and look less ‘amateur’. I didn’t necessarily buy the course to ‘get into’ social media marketing, but having now completed the course, I feel it’s something worth considering.

I did take a few things from the course that weren’t actually part of the aims and objectives. The first thing was pretty small but it was something that had been playing on me a bit. Maggie said something to the effect of long ago she’d “decided not to be everything to everyone” and it was said in the context of not feeling bad about not engaging on all platforms, in this case, Twitter. Now I’ve hit a wall with Twitter, I love Instagram and post and engage on there regularly (@craftyroguegamer). I’ve got a Facebook page that is pretty unloved with no followers but I would consider Facebook my primary personal platform. However, I just can’t get on with Twitter it’s just not me – and I’ve tried both personally and with Crafty Rogue Gamer content. I now don’t feel as bad about this now a marketing professional has said, you know what, it’s ok!

The second thing I took from the course was a new term ‘digital nomad’ and how it might appeal and apply to me. Now, if you put those words in front of me and I didn’t know what it meant, I could have had a good guess as to the meaning. However, I didn’t really know that this kind of lifestyle existed (although I obviously knew of freelancing and working for oneself) and in a fashion, it really does appeal. For those not in the know, a digital nomad is someone who uses technology to work or perform a job/role and earn a living; but the location they work in is not fixed. Their use of technology and solely digital working allows them flexibility and the ability to travel or be a ‘nomad’. Now honestly, I have too many responsibilities to go roaming the world and working digitally, no matter how incredibly appealing that sounds. I wouldn’t ever be able to leave my mum given her health, or the pets as they enrich my life and I couldn’t face leaving them behind. We do also have a part-time munchkin and a mortgage to consider too! However, I would love to embrace the freedom that comes with the term. Freelancing or working for myself definitely appeals, picking my own hours, working around my illness if it flares up and not having to go to a place of work for fixed hours day in, day out. Being able to pick and choose when we go on holiday and for how long to is a massive draw. I’m disciplined enough to work from home, I do it all the time now but also used to pre-pandemic so that doesn’t phase me.

Image of the words 'and now?' in a light box.
So the big question… and now what?

So am I going to become the next big thing in digital marketing, probably not. Is it a potential ‘side-hustle’, or something I want to look into more – possibly. Has my beginner’s introduction; opened my eyes to the ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle and made me want to put more of an effort into changing life up a bit – absolutely!

I guess now the question is how and I’m honestly not sure at the minute. If I follow the do what you love philosophy that’s gaming, crafting and animals. I’m not naïve enough to think I can make millions, but it’s not about that. Can I find something I love to do (something new or that already exists in my life), be happy and make enough money to be comfortable? Who knows, but it will be an interesting journey to find out!

P.S. I’ve not been paid in any way to review or endorse this course, my views are my own and unbiased. I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about social media marketing, but doesn’t have a background in the field to check out the course link and see if it might be of benefit to you. Maggie is knowledgeable about the field and delivers her content articulately and passionately.