Image credit: OxypDesign (affiliate link)

Happy new year friends and neighbors!

As if by magic, the wonderful Ladies of Hive have asked a question with their contest this week that I actually have an answer for. A rather compelling one, at that (at least, compelling to me).

What was the big lesson I learned in 2023? The blockbuster lesson that dropped on me like a bag of ACME anvils was this: relying solely on my freelancing hours won't catapult me into the financial stratosphere. Shocking, right? I know, I know, hold your applause.

Simply put, I sat down and calculated out how many hours I'm physically capable of working, and even at maximum output, 52 weeks per year, I can't make much more than a slightly-better-than-comfortable living. And let's be honest, max output is a one-way ticket to Burnoutville. I've been there, and I nearly set up camp again during the boyfriend's two-month hospital stint last summer. I do NOT recommend it.

Of course, I learned dozens of other lessons along the way as well; I wouldn't be much of a personal development junkie if I hadn't. 😂 But that was the biggie.

So my answer is to spend my spare time unleashing my creative prowess upon the world of digital products; specifically, digital planners. Why digital planners, you ask? Because I like them, I use them, and let's be real — I dearly love making pretty things. Especially rainbowy things! They can also be sold over and over again while I sleep - a key reason why digital products trump the physical ones I've sold in the past.

I've also been longing to translate some of the design skills I learned during my years spent stamping and scrapbooking into the digital realm. I have a few basics under my belt, but I've always been left in awe of folks like @thekittygirl and @snook. So the grand plan is to scratch that itch while simultaneously making myself more valuable to my clients. Win-win! I hope...

But wait, there's more! I also plan on sharing some of the nuggets of personal development wisdom I've been gathering. Y'know, just to keep from boring everyone with a steady stream of my design adventures gone wrong.

My goal? One post per month. Ambitious, considering my average of one every two months in 2023. But hey, if I manage it, I'll be breaking records faster than a bull in a...well, a bull in a record store. 😆

There is, of course, a very good reason why I write so little. Remember that Burnoutville place I mentioned? Well, I burnt myself out on blogging many years ago. But that's a different therapy session. Hang around and I'll probably unwrap the whole enchilada eventually. At least, as long as I don't run across a good contest topic that distracts me into writing a completely different post... Squirrel!