Wow. One year. One full trip around the sun. One year ago this week I left an 18+ year career in automotive sales and management to begin a new adventure.

Someone asked me if I was happy with my decision. My answer? Exceedingly.

Has it been smooth sailing with no bumps in the road? Nope. Not even close. Some days it has been like driving on cobblestones. Other days it’s been like driving straight into a sink hole. For the most part, it has been a great adventure of turns, stops, yields, and pit stops.

Let’s take a look at what I thought the year would look like when it began.
(Here’s a link to the blog post I wrote when the year began if you want to read the details.)

The plan was to focus on three areas:
Voice over acting
Writing
Speaking

Let’s review each area.

Voice Over Acting
I entered the year excited about the opportunities in front of me in the world of voice over. I worked hard practicing, taking lessons, and learning about the equipment. I even created a small “quiet room” in my basement. It’s amazing how quiet you can make a space by simply hanging a couple of old bed comforters.

Over the course of the first 9 months of the year I sent auditions for hundreds of parts. Unfortunately I did not get picked for any. Does this mean I wasted my time? Absolutely not. I’ll talk more about this in a bit. For now, the voice over part of the plan is set aside.

Writing
Woohoo! Writing! I’m in love with writing. I was at the start of the year, and I’m even more so now. This has been another area of great growth and learning. The book still isn’t finished, and I’m okay with it. It’ll happen. Bit by bit it is coming together.

I’ve been working on blog posts and freelance writing opportunities. I continue to be amazed at the number of freelance jobs available. I took some great courses this year to help me learn more about the freelance market and how to make the best pitch possible when trying to win a job.

Speaking
This is the area I haven’t put much time into this year. I did speak at the Launch Out Conference in Atlanta in April, but I haven’t been on a stage since. This year I plan to be more intentional about seeking paid speaking opportunities.

All told, it has been a good year. I have taken a couple of sales jobs to bring in some extra income. I’m still able to work from home. The first company I worked for is based in Seattle. The one I currently work for is based in Denver. Similar to the number of freelance writing opportunities available, I’ve found there are quite a few online sales and marketing jobs that can be done from home.

This week someone else asked me what I’ve learned this year. While it has been a year of continual learning in each of the areas, one particular lesson stands out.

Not surprisingly, the most important lesson I learned involved my faith. God opened my eyes later in the year. I didn’t place all my trust in Him. I hedged my bet. I’ll share more about this in my next post.