Hurricanes and Being Flexible
Ooh, it’s weird writing on a Monday! My coffee is even getting cold sitting by my stack of books by my cozy chair because this morning was supposed to be just pajamas and relaxing. But I just had to get to these computer keys. I’m having those deep reflections today that come with being a business owner with a flexible tutoring schedule, so I thought I’d share… I was supposed to be in Florida today.
I grew up in Florida, live in North Carolina now, and haven’t been “home” in a few years. Had plans to go back last summer, but you all know what happened. With a lot of planning, I decided to take this week off and next to have some flexibility in finally making that trip to Florida. The plan was to arrive today and stay for 8 days, staying in a few different locations, visit family and friends, nothing too big. But I was really excited!
And the closer we got, YUP, she (hurricane) is coming right over where I’d be in the general Tampa area/Gulf Coast. And through the route I’m driving. So I decided to postpone by a few days because I have flexibility. I had taken two weeks off from tutoring simply to give myself some flexibility in travel, but didn’t think a hurricane would come quite this early in the season. 😉
As I continued to adjust my dates and plans, maybe even extended my departure even further, I’m feeling thankful that I gave myself those two weeks. But then it hit me. Even if I hadn’t taken those 2 weeks off, I could still make this work. My businesses are online!
Because here’s the thing…
During the 2019-2020 school year, I had been looking ahead and could feel some stirrings deep inside that some changes were coming. And I didn’t know what they were yet, but I wanted more flexibility in my life so that if I decided to move, try something new, *whatever* opportunities might come, that I would be able to do so. So I decided then that the following year (2020-2021) my goal would be to build up different areas of my businesses and revenue streams to be location independent.
I tend to set big goals out about a year or so in advance. I take a LOT of time to ponder and dream. When the lockdowns came and education went online, I realized that even though that was NOT a part of the plan, that “location independent” piece happened sooner than planned. Even though we couldn’t go ANYWHERE… I could see a little bit of the big picture.
While it looked nothing like I thought it would, I could see how moving to online tutoring actually supported those life goals I had. I still held on, though. Paid rent on the office for 6 months before I finally found a new business owner would love that space as much as I did. It’s so HARD to let go of the familiar, you know?
But today… TODAY is when I’m realizing, HEY– those desires I had to be location independent? Even though I’m still where I was a year ago? It’s happening. This is the first time I am actually experiencing that flexibility I was desiring. It’s not even about “vacations”– it’s knowing that even if I had to postpone my trip even more, that my business could go with me. I could bring my gear and tutor from anywhere. And that’s what I was dreaming of back in 2019.
I don’t have to cancel my trip, and I can plan more trips in the future. Because here we are, a year and a half later, and those intentions I had set out have become a reality, even though the path looked NOTHING like what I anticipated.
So what does this mean for YOU? This doesn’t mean I’m telling you to be an online tutor! I’m simply encouraging you to LISTEN to those desires you have right now. Even if they don’t make sense. Even if you’re not sure “how to get there”. And look at your business as a vehicle for getting you those things you want most, a way to get there.
When you build a tutoring business, it allows you to create opportunities you may not have other wise. Because when you learn the skills to be in control of how you earn money, when you earn money, and can adjust those ways to earn income (even in addition to teaching in the classroom), those are skills that OPEN DOORS. And it may not hit you until a year later.
But those business skills you’ve been working on? They could be the very thing that brings you closer to opportunities you didn’t even know were possible. Little slices of a happy life that were made possible– By the small steps you are taking today. And that’s pretty amazing, don’t you think?
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Then Elsa started showing herself.
