I have been working on a watermelon farm, ten to twelve hours a day, 5 days a week. I am lucky however, the reason we had last weekend off was due to a big event in Ayr (the annual races) and this weekend off because the watermelons aren’t quite there yet. I start again tomorrow. I wanted to write today because I have a big chunk of free time. I have no excuse not to. I know I don’t have to, but if I want to become a full time blogger or writer, I need to write when I can. I need to now my diary is free and I am not ready to collapse in exhaustion.
I am getting regular notifications on my post The Waves of Motivation and the Reason I Can Blog Daily from readers, and this post in particular is one I need to reflect on the most. I have recently received the 246th like on this post and the 86th comment between myself and the great community I have here. The reason I have so much feedback on this post compared to others is obvious to me. For one, it is a post that you and I can read and take something from. It is self help for me, but my readers can also find value in it. But more than that, it is about how frequently I was blogging and engaging with the community here. It would not have anywhere close to this number if I had no one to read it. It is all about being motivated enough to write and get posts out there regularly. Something I haven’t done recently.
I have been working hard each day, but this is an excuse I have given myself to justify not blogging as frequently. People work much longer hours than me and make it work. In fact, a few hundred words daily isn’t even particularly difficult. Picking watermelons is much harder.
Blogging is currently a hobby for me. The sad thing about this is that more often than not, hobbies cannot be prioritised due to work. Work that we prefer to not be doing but pay the bills. Because we cannot be fired from our hobbies, we don’t often put in as much effort. How crazy is that? The things we want to do for a living, we often don’t give our all.
I think this is tragic. For me, I constantly remind myself that once I’m no longer travelling Australia, I’ll have to make a choice. Do I go back to a job I don’t particularly want because I haven’t spent enough time working on the things I love doing, or do I work hard now and hopefully open new doors in the near future? It should be a no brainier.
And I wouldn’t even class this as work. As the saying goes, if you have a job you enjoy, you will never work a day in your life. And blogging isn’t work to me, even if I spend as much time here as I do in a job that pays. Maybe my hobby will free me from work in the future, and I hope yours will too.
This post is relatable. My dream is to become a fulltime traveler and I have yet to accomplish that. I am a fulltime student in my Junior year so maybe once I have accomplished my degree I will be able to further my dreams of traveling. Do what you love and the rest will follow!
Good luck with it, you sound young enough to have plenty of time to accomplish this, although anything is possible at any age.
I totally agree, do what you love and don’t let anything get in the way! Keep working on your dreams 🙂
Likewise!
Wow, your situation seems so close to mine. I’d love to travel the world and write, but I’m not sure I’d do that full time. I still have time to think about what’s going to happen in the future though, since I’ve only finished high school and I want to continue my studies. I’ll let time decide my definite my course of action, and in the meanwhile I can exploit all opportunities that pass me by!
There are opportunities to work online as a writer. Work at home hero’s on facebook, if you’re interested.
So far I’ve been trying to find writing competitions to join to see if my writing is any good, but when I’ll be looking for a job I’ll keep your advice in mind too. Thank you!
My only advice here is use the great amount of time wisely! Make sure that you don’t wait for opportunities to find you, go out and search for them 🙂 one of my regrets is sitting around, I did a lot of that in my late teens.
Sometimes your hobby can become your profession and hopefully you still have joy in doing what you love.
This is true, I hope this is the case for both of us! I do enjoy what I’m doing, I just need to find things to write about whilst doing pretty repetitive farmwork 🙂
I’m finding myself in the same boat as well. I wish you the best of luck in pursuing blogging and prioritizing it!
Thanks, and best of luck to you too! Thanks for reading 🙂
I’m wondering what the next leg of your journey will be. You must be nearing the end of your 3 month farm work stint.
I should be, but because we are constantly working on different farms (due to seasons ending and fruit not ready to be picked) I’m only half way through. But I’m getting there! I’ll start developing a plan for the next leg of my adventure soon.
Obviously there is a difference between a hobby and a job but a blog can be also a beginning or a part for a kind of job…In general travel often help you to wide your “horizons”🤔
Yeah, blogging can be a part time job, or second income, or a way to get into writing. Travel definitely opens the mind and can open doors, I hope this to be true for me whilst I grow my blog and also experience Australia.
I hope you are having a good Monday!
Did you manage to get a new phone?
No, mine is still working and working pretty well!
So far…
Good. Nice to not spend the cash until necessary. None of them are cheap.
🤔
I love my job, but 22 kids still make it work each day! I’m not sure I could do bloggging as a full time job, I think it might lose its joy that way.
Haha, 22 kids is certainly a handful!! I guess blogging may lose it’s joy, although I know I would much prefer to do it than probably any job I have done or may do. I just want to do something that is my creation and get it out there to the world 🙂
Well that would be cool!
This is an absolutely relatable post for me. Very beautifully written as we.
Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed the read and that it was relatable!
Meant to “well”, not we. To early in the morning here. 😀
Hope you can find a passion to pursue as a job even if it’s only part time. Coaching high school track is that for me. There’s no way to make it a full time job, but even part time it fills me in a way my regular job does not. I’m just fortunate my regular job has flexible enough hours to allow me to coach.
If you are doing something you want to do, that’s great. I’m glad you find it fulfilling!
Hi, we are in Singapore 15/16 feb for 24 hours and wondered if any atttractions will be closed on the 15th and if will be okay to get a taxi to the airport on the 16th? Also we are back on the 10/11 March and wondered if the stores and attractions open as normal on sundays? Please excuse my ignorance on these matters Thanks Paul
Hey Paul, sorry but I would have no idea! I’ve been to Singapore one and with it being fairly close to the airport, I imagine transport is fairly easy to find at anytime. Also, unless the 15th is a holiday of some sort, hopefully the attractions will be open!
Hear hear! to that! Thank you for bring us watermelons.
Haha, no problem!
I imagine that as awesome as it may feel, the day we really are free to do our own things, we’re first going to wake up with a start thinking, “Is this it? Am I really free to do this for life? … where’s the catch (narrow eyes)”.
Also, I think your blog really lights up my day, so I’ve nominated you for a Sunshine Blogger Award! Check it out, https://wp.me/p7MXFt-Ui
It must be a surreal feeling to achieve that kind of life, but if the hard work and dedication is there I’m sure it will seem more deserved than a surprise to anyone that makes it that far. Winning the lottery would really make me feel like ‘am I really this rich and free to do what I want overnight?!’ Haha.
Also, thank you so much Matt for the nomination. I appreciate it!
I admire your life goals! There’s also a saying that if there’s a will, there will be also a way.
Even though you are working on a farm you get to have time blogging. Hope you keep it up. 🙂
I like that saying, it gives hope 🙂 I’m trying to blog when I can, but I really need to be more frequent and squeeze it in when possible. I’ll keep it up and I hope you keep reading! 🙂
Hey Sam! Nice post. The way you differentiated between a hobby and a job is really admirable. 🙂
btw I’ve tried to write about how to convert your hobby into your job and I would love to hear your thoughts on it. here’s the link: https://authorcomical.wordpress.com/2018/07/08/how-to-be-popular-and-make-money-with-your-hobby/
keep up the good work 🙂
Thanks for the kind words 🙂 also thank you for sharing your post on a similar topic!
It was really my genuine pleasure, Sam. ✌
love farmwork
It has been fascinating and an amazing experience, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I am looking forward to finishing it. It’s tiring!