Today was supposed to mark the start of my long-awaited trip to Turkey to go on a horse-riding adventure. I had been looking forward to this trip for months, envisioning myself galloping across Cappadocian landscapes, completely unplugged. But life had other plans.
Photo by Pablo Romay on Unsplash
My first flight was cancelled, and my journey has now been rebooked for two days later. If all goes on Saturday, I’ll still make it to the horses. But as I stood around at the airport this morning, receiving the cancellation notice and dealing with endless customer support chats, I remembered my stoic message of the day (03 July) from The Daily Stoic:
“Turn have to into get to.
Today, don’t try to impose your will on the world. Instead, see yourself as fortunate to receive and respond to the will in the world.”
With those words in mind, I headed back home determined to seize the day.
I dove into unexpected client work that came in – work I enjoyed immersing myself in. Then I took a nostalgic break to rediscover a pixelated childhood favourite on the Nintendo 64. Later, I tuned into a recorded online session with business coach and adviser Anna E. Lundberg. And it got me thinking deeply about my business.
Time for a new website & a new focus
I’ve known for some time that my website needs a revamp. Its design dates back to 2019, and while I’ve tweaked bits of content here and there, it no longer reflects my business.
My life has changed significantly since then. I now have a full-time job that I love, alongside creative projects – my photography and poetry books. My business has been ticking away in the background, and I am grateful for that, but I haven’t had the time or clarity to invest in it meaningfully.
Listening to Anna E. Lundberg’s session today crystallised some truths for me. She shared the 3 biggest patterns keeping independent experts stuck:
- Adding too many offers, creating a scattered ecosystem – guilty.
- Not knowing how to sell more without working more – definitely.
- Constantly pivoting and reinventing – yes, though it’s myself that I have reinvented, not really my business.
She said something that struck a chord: “You didn’t go independent to work 60-hour weeks for inconsistent income.”
So, what will it take to build a business that truly works for me?
✅ Profitable – without the endless chase for clients
✅ Aligned – with my values, energy, and current season of life
✅ Sustainable – no hustle, no overwhelm, no burning it all down just to start again.
Here’s the link to the session on Vimeo: How to Work Less and Earn More: A 45-minute reset for experts doing too much for too little.
Focus, focus, focus
As I plan my new website, I’ve realised I need to narrow down my offer. What do I really want to focus on? The answer is simple: writing. It’s what most of my clients contact me for anyway. Working with words lights me up.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Here’s what I want to focus on:
✒️ Creative writing & poetry
✒️ Writing & copywriting
✒️ Copy-editing & proofreading.
And of course, there’s photography – especially nature photography and architecture. I have ongoing book projects in this space, but I’d welcome opportunities to work professionally as a photographer or sell my photographs.
Who do I want to work for?
This is a harder question, because my interests and professional experiences are broad. I care deeply about nature protection, animal welfare, sustainability, mental health, rehabilitation, social sciences, the arts, and women’s empowerment.
Recently, I also realised how much I would enjoy helping organisations and companies with their recruitment web pages. It’s an area with huge potential for meaningful impact on both sides of the table.
Over to You
If you’ve worked with me before, what do you think I’m particularly good at? What words would you use to describe me?
Your feedback will help guide me as I embark on this new chapter of my life. And as I revamp my own website. Just drop me a line at eleanor(at)eleanorsmith.no.
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina 🇺🇦 on Unsplash
