GUEST BLOG: Isn’t It Worth It to Try?

“What nevers have you been holding onto, that might suddenly be a possibility?
What’s the dream you’ve been tucking away that keeps drawing you back,
thinking what a life it would be!”

My dream, since I was a little girl, has been to get paid to read books. 

The problem was, in college, I thought the publishing industry was so exclusive that I could never break in. I told my friend, “There’s, like, two people in the world who get to edit books.”

But what a life they must have! 

My friend lovingly challenged that never. “If it’s your dream job,” she asked, “isn’t it worth it to try?”

So I did. I applied to publishing internships and got one in London. My first day on the job, they sat me down in a stuffy little office with the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and sent me a manuscript to copy edit. I found my calling hidden somewhere in between the commas and colons.

Ten years down the road, I’m a senior acquisitions editor for a reputable publisher. No longer fixing reference lists, I love getting to say yes to brilliant new ideas, and seeing those ideas blossom into books that impact thousands of people all over the globe. 

The problem is, publishers are bound by marketing budgets and timing issues and a thousand considerations that authors—and often editors—have no control over. There are so many books that deserve a yes but receive a no. And I’ve found a new never creeping in over the years… I could never start my own business, giving me the freedom to help even more authors pursue their dreams of publishing… But what a life that would be! 

Until my husband lovingly challenged that never. “If it’s your dream job, isn’t it worth it to try?”

Finding New Purpose During “The Great Resignation”

So here I am, on the brink of my next adventure. 

And I’m not the only one. Being stranded at home for 15 months has caused most of the American workforce to re-evaluate their relationship to their jobs. For many, including me, it’s been a much-needed break from travel and the stress of office life. We’ve found rest and solace in our gardens and sourdough and other new hobbies. For many others, it’s been a time of new stressors in their jobs as they’ve had to work in high-contact industries with a greater risk of transmission. And then, of course, millions have been laid off or furloughed, catalyzing a new generation of workers to pivot and leaving unexpected vacuums across industries. With all this change, it’s no wonder everyone is taking advantage of this collective pause to rethink their career. They’re calling it “the great resignation.” 

The pandemic has especially impacted women in the workforce. Time reports that “4.2 million women dropped out of the labor force from February 2020 to April 2020—and nearly 2 million still haven’t returned.” All of this disruption has culminated in an inflection point and nearly endless possibilities.

Many are asking themselves, not just “What do I need?” but, “What do I want?”

If you haven’t already asked yourself this question, I invite you into the inflection point with us. What nevers have you been holding onto, that might suddenly be a possibility? What’s the dream you’ve been tucking away that keeps drawing you back, thinking what a life it would be! 

If it’s your dream job, isn’t it worth it to try?