If you’ve been around for a long time, you know that I like to pop up on here every once in a while and give you a life update.
This one is a big one but hopefully, my next one will be even bigger!
Yes, I quit my job
During the first lockdown, I told you that I loved my job as a Social Media Manager & Copywriter but I wasn’t enjoying the environment I was in anymore. I am a libra, I always weigh the pros and cons and I often have a hard time deciding which way to go, so it was not easy to leave my job in the middle of a global pandemic.
Despite Covid-19, I had already planned to step up my career game this year, so it was going to happen eventually.
On June 5, I said goodbye to my colleagues and headed out for a lovely glass of red wine. I was feeling good. I had my favourite season ahead of me and a lot of time to relax my mind and nourish my brain with courses and webinars on digital marketing.
Unfortunately, for several reasons, my family didn’t rent our beach house nor our usual flat in Trentino, and moreover, I wanted to be EXTREMELY careful because of coronavirus, so I ended up spending the whole summer at home.
I mean, it’s 2020. It’s fine. Everything is not a big deal as long as we all have our health.
The two most important things I did during the summertime were:
- Start listening to The Mindset Mentor Podcast by Rob Dial. There have been many low and darks days and this podcast has been the only tool able to help me make the shift from negative to positive thinking.
- Working on a portfolio. I still don’t know if it is common to have a portfolio when you are a Social Media Manager (I thought it was mainly for graphic designers?) but I wanted to gather a collection of records that reflected my accomplishments, skills and experiences. Recruiters love to see numbers!
I’ve gone for a lot of walks
In September I was feeling ready. As I mentioned above, my plan for 2020 has always been to move out of my family home and get a new job in a new city.
Well, surprisingly – for someone who’s constantly scared and anxious – I’ve started looking at job opportunities abroad.
I am still job hunting, so I don’t really fancy talking about this aspect of my life publicly, but I can say that I’ve gone for a lot of walks with my dog, whilst listening either to The Mindset Mentor Podcast or to We Bought A House by Claudia Sulewski and Finneas, which feels like chatting to two very smart friends.
Back in September, I was preparing myself for a potential big move abroad. I sold a few pieces of furniture, I studied a lot of stuff about taxes for expats, I digitalised all my childhood pictures and even written down an inventory of all my possessions to figure out how many suitcases I would eventually need to buy.
I also read “Goodbye, things – On minimalist living” by Fumio Sasaki and then tried to virtually\mentally fit everything I own in 3-4 suitcases (and no boxes!).
I couldn’t beat birthday blues
On October 22, I turned 27. I cried for three days straight. I even removed my date of birth from Facebook because I didn’t want to receive any birthday wishes. My plan was officially gone up in smoke. I kept overthinking and asking myself “Why am I not abroad yet? Does this mean I am a failure? Am I stuck here forever?”.
After that horrible week, I’ve been taking days off from job hunting and dedicating more time to my blog and my social media. Maybe you haven’t noticed but I’ve been writing and shooting more content and I’ve been much more active!
I’ve fallen even more in love with TikTok, especially because it shows normal people from around the world and makes you feel that sense of possibility. Everything is truly possible.
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” – Paolo Coelho
I got verified on Pinterest for a cool reason
In the middle of all this chaos, I’ve received an exciting e-mail from Pinterest.
I’ve been selected as one of the 25 Italian Content Creators to have early exclusive access to a new Pinterest’s feature: the Story Pins!
I’ll be creating content from next week until January when it will be available for everyone. Meanwhile, you can follow me on Pinterest to watch my Story Pins.
And now I’m full-on Christmas spirit
Christmas season has always been the only reason why I enjoy these colder months. Here in Bologna, at the moment we are in “partial lockdown” – bars and non-essential shops are closed and there’s a night curfew – and I am constantly at home. Why not make the most out of this at-home time?
I’m currently watching a Christmas movie every evening, cuddling with my dog and probably eating a lot more food than I should (I am always craving pasta).
I’m working hard to reach my goals but for now, it is what it is.
There are people struggling much more than me, people dying and people doing crazy shifts in hospitals. I feel grateful for my life, even if it’s far from where I planned it to be.
