This is the first essay in the #26essays2017 challenge that I’ve set for myself this year. I’ll be writing one personal essay a week: 26 in total. And I’m doing this because I’m the first to admit I’ve become a lazy writer: allowing guest posts and series and cross-posting to make up the bulk of content on The Diane Lee Project across 2016. The brave, fearless writing that readers admired and respected me for has all but disappeared. This year—2017—will be different. I’m reclaiming my voice—my write like a motherfucker voice—and I’m starting with this essay about pride in aforementioned voice even though many would consider
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This post was originally posted on WFA.Life. The Freedom Road series documents my transition to a more freelance, less corporate working life. It’s been a while since my last post. Two months, in fact. (Sorry, Andy.) But I haven’t resting on my laurels, licking my wounds, thinking woe is me. I’ve been taking action, and making decisions, and damn it feels good. Two months ago, I applied to volunteer at KOTO in Hanoi, Vietnam. Within a week, I had my response. They wanted me. To say it was one of the happiest pieces of news I’d received in a long time
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This post was originally posted on WFA.Life. The Freedom Road series documents my transition to a more freelance, less corporate working life. Message received loud and clear In the last month, I’ve taken stock again. How many more times do I need to do this until it sinks in? I’ve got the message loud and clear now. Finally. This life, this working current life, is not for me. It’s stagnant, stultifying and deeply unsatisfactory. The message I received—loud and clear—is that I’m not stuck. I have options. And I need to take them, before I die a slow, agonising death
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This post was originally posted on WFA.Life. The Freedom Road series documents my transition to a more freelance, less corporate working life. When I first agreed to write for WFA.Life, I was very excited. I was chuffed to be asked by Andy to document my journey and share it with y’all. After all, what better way to be accountable than to be public in my declarations of moving forward? If I said it here, in this space, in this forum, I had to do it, right? I admit that I’m a little bit stuck. In my last post, I berated
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This post was originally posted on WFA.Life. The Freedom Road series documents my transition to a more freelance, less corporate working life. The freedom to choose… I’ve got a confession to make. I’m 52 years old and I’m sick of working. Actually, that’s not quite right. I’m 52 years old and I’m sick of working for other people in a job. I’m sick of the 9-5 grind, the having to be at my workplace because someone has decided that “being there” constitutes productivity. I’m over being told what to work on and what to do by “leaders” whose only real claim to
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