10 Things I Wasn’t Doing 10 Years Ago

In 2007, I was working a stress-filled day job as a purchasing manager, working part time for ACFW, had teenagers at home, and was struggling to find time to write.

As an unpublished author, I wondered more than once if all the hard work was worth it. I was so busy doing what needed to be done, that there wasn’t much time—or energy—to pursue much of the dream.

But as we celebrate Seekerville’s 10th birthday, I started looking back on the last 10 years of my writing life, and found a plethora of amazing things that I wasn’t doing then that I’m doing now. Really, I had a hard time stopping at ten!

1. Writing - Keeping to a writing schedule because it’s my job now. This seems like a no brainer, but life and exhaustion can get in the way of producing good copy. I’m in a season in my life where I was able to quit my high-pressure corporate job a few years ago. I know this isn’t an option for everyone, but I put in my time at the office. I’m still at “the office” every day, it’s just in my own home.

2. Speaking/Signing - Ten years ago, groups had no real reason to invite me to speak. Even today as I’m blogging in Seekerville, I’m packing my SUV with books and heading out to visit the library in a neighboring town. I’ll be signing books at a local festival in a couple of weeks, along with two more appearances before Christmas.

3. Keynoter - I’m listing keynote speaker separately because there’s just something extra special about being asked to keynote at a conference or retreat. In August, I gave my first keynote speech at a Christian ladies retreat in Indianapolis, Indiana. What an honor! I never, ever, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d be able to add “keynote speaker” to my resume.

4. A Taste of Fame - Okay, fame is relative, but it’s a big deal to be standing in line in my small-town grocery store and have someone recognize me and tell me — loud and proud from across two checkout lanes — that they meant it when they posted on social media they want to know what happened next [to secondary characters]. 

5. Sharing the Stage with Francine Rivers - Yep, ten years ago, who would have thought that in 2015, I’d be standing on the same stage with Francine Rivers at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX as we and six other Tyndale authors addressed the 700+ ladies in the audience and signed books afterward. Surreal!

Tyndale Authors, Editors and Marketing
at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX

6. Conference Calls - Since I worked as a purchasing manager, I’m no stranger to phone convos with salesmen and the occasional conference call to hash out some major problem. But even those daily interactions working out $100K steel deals weren’t nearly as fun or as dear to my heart as conference calls with my editors and marketing. The time just flies as both sides work to make my latest project shine as bright as possible.

7. Books, Books, & More Books - Books with MY name on them. Should this be listed as #1, or #10??? Isn’t it the reason for this post, for all the time and effort, writing, speaking, signing, and being tied to my laptop 24/7? Yep, what I wasn’t doing 10 years ago was holding my books in my hands, and seeing my books in bookstores and online.

8. Industry Recognition - The dream was just to become published. Just to get my foot in the door, have a book with my name on it. But then to have those books win awards and land on the CBA and ECPA Bestsellers lists is just above and beyond anything I ever imagined.

9. Savoring Morning Coffee at Home - Okay, this is a bit of a departure from all the writing-related points above, but for someone who loves, loves, LOVES being at home, it’s just about the best of the lot. My dream has been to work from home just about all my adult life, and it seemed as if that dream would never come true. Granted, I still wear many “business” hats since my husband and son are both self-employed, and I’m the bookkeeper for their businesses, plus the work I do as the treasurer of ACFW. All these jobs are what enables me to stay at home.

10. Bring on the jammies and grungy hair - There’s a lot to be said for working at home and being able to wear whatever you want all day. Get up and twist your hair up in a clip, throw on an old t-shirt and a skirt or jeans and call it good. What I’m not doing, is jumping out of bed, scrambling to get dressed, and driving thirty minutes to the day job, rushing to get there on time. (Uh, did I say that I’m not exactly a morning person?)

Okay, I’m out of numbers, so this last one is just a plain out BONUS…Because of the blessing of working from home and my flexible hours, I have the absolute JOY of baby sitting my sweet and sassy grand baby twice a week. It doesn’t get any better than that!

So, there ya go. Ten (plus one!) amazing, wonderful things I wasn’t doing ten years ago.

Now for some Seekerville birthday fun! Leave a comment sharing at least one amazing thing that you weren’t doing (experiencing) ten years ago. It can be writing related, but doesn’t have to be. Today’s birthday prize is a grab bag with ten cute and fun items - along with a signed copy of Pam Hillman's latest The Promise of Breeze Hill.

Let’s chat!