The Corporate Life. I Went Back to Work for the Man. I Lasted a Year.

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve disappeared to, why Blott Business has been so quiet, or whether I’ve packed up my laptop and run away to a tropical island, I thought it was about time I gave you an update.

Although, the tropical island option is still very appealing.

Be careful what you wish for…

Last year, after years of helping my husband build his business and several years working for myself, I decided to return to full-time employment. My freelance work had slowed, the bills weren’t going to pay themselves, and I was feeling a little restless.

There was also something else niggling away at me. I’d spent years raising children, running businesses, freelancing, writing books and doing all sorts of interesting things, but there was always a little voice in the back of my head wondering what might have happened if I’d stayed in corporate.

I’d also worked from home since Covid so the idea of getting dressed up, going into an office, being part of a team, having an important job title and perhaps even feeling like someone important became rather appealing.

Working for yourself can be a lonely business sometimes, particularly when your main colleagues are two dogs who contribute absolutely nothing to the household income.

Exhibit A and B

So, when the opportunity came along to join a private in-home aged care provider as a Client Services Team Leader, I took it and I went back to the corporate life.

I was responsible for a team of eight coordinators, overseeing service delivery, managing workloads, solving problems and all the other things that come with running a busy team.

But the hours were soul destroying. I’d get home with nothing left in the tank. My writing didn’t just slow down, it stopped.

I’m glad I did it. I developed new skills and reminded myself that I was perfectly capable of managing a team in a corporate environment. I learned a lot about an unfamiliar sector to me which is doing hard, important work so older Australians can stay in their own homes. And I worked alongside some genuinely good people.

But I also learnt something else.

That fabulous corporate lifestyle I’d been quietly romanticising for years? Not quite so fabulous after all.

I’ve scratched that corporate itch

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of people who love their corporate careers, and good for them.

But for me, the reality was very different from the picture I’d built up in my head.

Then there was the micromanagement. After years of making my own decisions and managing my own time, I found it incredibly frustrating having someone constantly looking over my shoulder. I’ve realised that I work best when I’m trusted to get on with the job. Give me a challenge, let me figure it out and I’ll get it done. Apparently, I quite like being the boss of myself!

My creative life pretty much disappeared.

I didn’t write a word of fiction, not for a whole year. For someone who’s been making up stories since she could hold a pencil, that’s a long time.

My novels sat untouched, my business ideas gathered dust, and my writing ambitions were pushed to the bottom of a very long to-do list.

I was earning a regular salary, which was lovely, but I was beginning to wonder what I was giving up in return.

Then, in May this year, my mum passed away.

Losing someone you love has a way of changing how you look at things. Suddenly, all those plans you keep putting off until next year become more important.

Life is short. We all know that, but sometimes it takes something significant to remind us.

A few months later, I resigned.

I’d lasted a year.

And while I’m grateful for the experience, I can honestly say I’ve put the idea of my fabulous corporate career to bed.

The funny thing about coming full circle

Recently, I was looking back at the last blog I wrote for Blott Business before returning to corporate life.

I’d completely forgotten what I’d written at the end.

Under the heading What’s next? I said:

‘I’m slowly adding products to sell alongside my books. Ecommerce is a whole new learning curve which I’ve been dabbling in and putting off for a while. But who knows, I’m ever evolving. I may decide to work for someone else next year and learn something new. Every end is a new beginning.’

Well, would you look at that! Not long after writing that blog, I put my writing in a drawer and took a full-time job.

Apparently, I knew exactly what was coming before I’d even made the decision. But I always do…

And now, here I am, back where I started. Except I’m not quite the same person I was when I wrote those words.

I’ve scratched that corporate itch, learnt a few lessons, and gained a much better understanding of what I want my life to look like.

Funny how things work out.

So, what am I doing now?

For starters, I’m writing again!

And not just a few paragraphs here and there.

I’ve just smashed out a 21,000-word novella called The Ghost of Eden Library, and it’ll be out soon. Some of my Selena Jane followers might remember a short story I wrote a while back about Mary, a librarian in the small town of Eden who lives alone with her cat Tom, and the mysterious (and rather handsome) library patron who turns out to be not quite what he seems. That story never really left me. It’s grown up now into a proper novella, with more ghost and a lot more heart.

Writing it felt like coming home. After a year of rosters, meetings and phone calls, sitting back down with Mary and her library was exactly what I needed. I’ll share the cover and release date as soon as I can, so keep an eye on my socials and selenajane.com.

After an entire year of writing absolutely nothing, I can tell you it feels wonderful to have my imagination back.

I’m also continuing to work with a handful of clients through Blott Business, while developing new ideas for digital products, books and other online ventures for both Blott Business and Selena Jane.

I’ve been learning more about ecommerce, setting up new ways to sell my work and exploring opportunities that don’t involve exchanging every available hour of my life for money.

I’m working towards having multiple streams of income, something I’ve been interested in for years, but never quite had the time to develop properly.

I’m also not ruling out getting a part-time job. As much as I love working independently, I do enjoy being around people, having a laugh with colleagues and getting out of the house. There’s only so much conversation you can have with two dogs, after all. Perhaps a couple of days a week would give me the best of both worlds.

And when people ask me what I do these days?

I generally shrug.

Not because I’m embarrassed or don’t know what I’m doing, but because I’ve reached an age where I don’t feel the need to explain myself to everyone.

Unless you’re buying something from me, of course. Then I’m very happy to talk business 🙂

What matters to me

I think one of the biggest things I’ve learnt over the past year is that success looks different depending on where you are in life.

There was a time when having an impressive job title, managing people and earning a good salary felt important to me.

And perhaps I needed to experience that again to realise those things aren’t what make me happy.

These days, I’m far more interested in having the freedom to write, work on my own projects, spend time with the people I love and actually enjoy my days.

Of course, I still want to earn a decent income. I’m not planning on living off fresh air and positive thoughts.

But I’d like to do it on my own terms.

I’m not pretending I’ve got everything figured out. Building different income streams takes time, and there will undoubtedly be a few wrong turns along the way.

But that’s okay. I’ve changed direction plenty of times before.

What’s coming in 2027

I’ve got ideas and plans. Once the novella is out, there’s more fiction in the pipeline, plus a picture book I’ve been quietly sitting on. Blott Business is still here, although it may look a little different as I continue developing the digital product side of things. I’m also picking up where I left off with the products I was dabbling in before I went back to corporate life.

My books are back on the agenda, my creativity has returned, and I’m looking forward to seeing where all these ideas take me.

Most importantly, I’m no longer chasing a version of success that I thought I was supposed to want.

I’m figuring out what works for me.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that we’re allowed to change our minds, try something different and start again, no matter how old we are.

After all, I’m ever evolving.

If you’ve had your own full circle moment this year, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment or send me a message via Facebook or Instagram.

Bring on 2027.

Selena