I've Missed You...

Hey guys,

As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been MIA these past couple of weeks.

It’s been a tough time mentally, but I’m here to explain.

When I first began writing a few years ago it was like therapy for me. It helped me get through my father’s death and the darkest times of my quitting drinking.

And after a few years of seeing these benefits, logically, I thought it made the most sense for me to do this for a living.

So that’s what I did.

I spent countless hours practicing and $1,000’s on mentors and training…

Which helped me to succeed for the most part.

• I started getting clients.

• I was working for an agency.

• I was posting daily over on LinkedIn and making great connections.

But something felt off…

I was ignoring the very real thoughts about how I didn’t enjoy the work I was doing.

Because I wasn’t fulfilled and I simply didn’t care about the things I was writing… Or LinkedIn at all for that matter.

(Yes, I understand not everyone is fulfilled in their career and doesn’t like the work they do, but when you’re building your own business, I believe it’s more concerning than if you’re working for someone else to pay your bills. You too should enjoy your work on some level.)

I tried pushing through, however.

I mean, I used my resources to pursue this, so I couldn’t just quit. Right?

But the more I tried to force it, the more my mental health felt like it was being forced into a blender.

My depression was creeping back in.

My daily life flooded with anxiety.

I was experiencing the same gut feeling I had several years ago nearing the end of my career in hospitality management when my drinking was at it’s peak.

So, if I was feeling that now, without the alcohol, it’s a pretty clear indication that something needed to change.

I sat and thought about it for weeks…

Humming and hawing…

Asking friends. Asking family.

Looking for some sort of clarification…

But ultimately decided to take a step back.

Hoping that I may be able to find more alignment within my life and my future.

• So I am no longer working with clients.

• I quit the agency a few weeks ago.

• And last week I quit writing on LinkedIn.

But I plan to continue writing this newsletter.

Because I still do enjoy writing, when it’s on my terms…

The lesson I learned, however, is that you don’t need to monetize all of your hobbies.

Sometimes, something like writing, or photography, or art, can just be used to help you get through tough times and express your creativity.

It doesn’t have to be the answer to your entire existence.

So, that’s what I’m going to do for the foreseeable future.

My writing will simply be a way to express my creativity and help me to process the world around me.

And as for my future…?

Well, I’ve decided to do what any rational person would do in this situation…

I’ll be spending 5 weeks hiking across Northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago, an 800 KM pilgrimage experienced by millions of people over 1,000s of years.

I won’t begin until mid-late September, but I’m very excited.

As I go, I’ll do my very best to write weekly for you all, as I walk.

And who knows, maybe I’ll come back to a career in writing, but for now, it may be better to keep it as a hobby.

Or as a smaller piece of a much larger project that may come to fruition.

Because the knowledge I’ve gained this year can be applied to a great deal of things!

But anyway, thanks for all of your understanding.

And I hope you stick around to see what comes up in the coming weeks.
(I’ve heard the Camino can bring forth some incredible revelations!)

Oh, and P.S…

For the past few weeks, while I was trying to make these seemingly life-altering decisions, I’ve been dealing with bed bugs throughout my room.

So, the stress, and anxiety were 100x due to these little fucks.

But hopefully, they’re now gone too.

And the road to Santiago awaits.

Until next time,

Your friend from the wilderness,

Michael “The Pilgrim In The North” Mitchell