OK, perhaps the title of this post is a little dramatic. I don’t necessarily mean that things don’t matter, it’s just the change in interests.
I suppose, like everyone, personal interests change and so do professional ones. There have been things in the past seven years of freelancing (and indeed 17 years before that of teaching) that I’ve been hugely excited about and completely dedicated to being involved in and with. There have been things that I’ve tried that haven’t worked, or haven’t worked out the way I wanted or expected them to.
Nowadays I find that many of the things I was really excited about or interested in have quietly dissipated, and I feel no longer interested in them. Natural, I imagine. But also, to say it out loud and evidence it is certainly freeing. It’s almost like an unshackling – not that I was shackled to anything – but the feeling of ‘should’ and of being a sheep and following the crowd. I also think my days of speaking at ELT conferences and events is over, for a variety of reasons.
My main focus is going to remain on providing editorial services, incorporating EDI work if needed – I can’t just ignore that huge part of my professional life. Things may disappear from my online presence – such as the ‘newsletter’ I created on LinkedIn. It doesn’t work for me. And also, I’d rather not tie my blogs and thoughts to that particular platform.
I’m making progress in reaching out to charities, NGOs and not-for-profits (as well as continuing to edit in ELT), and it’s in this vein that I’ve been approaching people I’ve worked with for testimonials. I’ve been sharing a few on social media, but I thought I’d end with another different one – once again, thanks to the person for writing these extremely kind words:
Collaborating with Peter is more than just a professional relationship. He’s not only extremely organised (making your job smooth and simple), he’s also thoughtful and human – things that are highly valued when working in an online team. He works hard to keep everything on schedule and pulls more than his weight so that others don’t have to deal with extra stress or tasks that have crept up. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with him again in any project and highly welcome the chance to do so again!