I failed, to learn

After I quit my job, I thought I could make it online. It’s easy; be consistent — right? I can write. I’ll get noticed eventually. Someone somewhere will pick up on how brilliant I am (after four articles).

So… that didn’t work out. Here I am trying something new. I feel like I’ve tried everything. Constantly going down rabbit holes to find a website or platform that will launch me into the stratosphere of ‘freedom’. After a year, I’m facing the fact that I am nowhere near making it anywhere any time soon.

But my biggest regret is not having done it sooner. I’ve challenged myself to be uncomfortable. ‘Seek discomfort’ from Yes Theory on YouTube has been a good mantra. I made a website on WordPress. For some reason, I thought it would be more complicated than it actually was. I learned what a header is and that they’re numbered. You know, H1, H2, H3 etc.

I figured out how to contact a real person online for help with my website. They helped me out and even sent a helpful email with the minutes of our conversation. I could hear small children wailing in the background, and I was kinda happy I didn’t have that going on in my life (sorry, not sorry).

Then I filmed myself on video; I made a YouTube channel, made a podcast with… wait, what was it called? Anchor or something. I recorded my own advert to be played during my own podcast. Seemed kind of weird.

Then I tried making a business Instagram account. I flirted with hashtags and got about 40 followers after a few months. It wasn’t my thing.

Pinterest seemed fun. I got up to 12,000 monthly viewers from pins I strategically linked to my website. And that’s when the penny dropped.

I hadn’t made a single dime, penny or cent. I needed a job. Luckily, I’m good at learning things fast and flogging my skills. It took a competition between 900 other pharmacists to get a paid YouTube scriptwriter position. Four scripts for £300. It was better than nothing. I couldn’t believe I’d outshone the other 899. When I found out it was ghostwriting, my heart sank a little.

Clinging to my minuscule win, I swiftly registered on Upwork and Fiverr. I desperately wanted recognition for my work. What would I write on my CV? Safe to say, Fiverr didn’t work out. On Upwork, my USP was my medical background as a pharmacist. Then I got into copywriting, which apparently I have a natural talent for. I mean, are you still reading?

It paid absolute pennies. But it paid. I ran that through my mind a few times — there is money to be made. And this is just the beginning.