Daily writing prompt

What brings you peace?

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I left a job that no longer fulfilled me.

Years ago, I was working at a Call center. I started taking customer calls and then was promoted to Quality analyst. So, instead of receiving calls, I spend my workdays evaluating agents and how they handled our customers requests.

I also had to meet with different agent teams to share best practices and answer the agents’ questions. In the beginning, I liked the job. I discovered that helping people is something that I really like (I would even dare to say that it is my calling). However, not all good things last.

Problems in work paradise?

There was a coworker (whom I’ll call Nelly) who had a knack for being unfair at job distribution. She loved to randomly select agents that would probably not need an evaluation that week, take less agents, and even switch agents to make her work easier.

I escalated it to my supervisor, and then to my other supervisor when that one stopped working, but it didn’t improve. She kept insisting that she didn’t do anything wrong, that she wasn’t doing anything bad on purpose, and that I was having a cold attitude towards her (at this point, I kept my communication to a minimum).

Honestly, I was mistaken. I shouldn’t have let her “accidental” swaps and uneven work distribution ick me the way it did. I should have just kept on documenting the events and reporting that to my supervisor when needed. I should have insisted to work with a different team. Instead, I got so bothered that at some point, I decided to quit.

Freelancing is not easy.

I was very careful before quitting. I had savings, decided to reduce my price on my Fiverr profile to attract new buyers, create a new Virtual assistance Gig, paid for Fiverr ads, took some courses, and prepared for the uncertainty of not having a full-time job.

Was I successful? Short answer: No.

Where is the peace then?

Things seem pretty bleak so far, don’t they? Well, don’t worry. I started working part time as a virtual assistant for KYD Analytics (a small but steady income that slowed down the burning of my savings), and finally took the leap and created my accountability partner Gig in Fiverr.

Even if I became an accountability partner in May, that Gig has become my best seller!

I also started learning how to create automations on make.com, which allowed me to become more efficient both as a virtual assistant and an accountability partner (I 200% recommend learning how to use Make!). Their free version is great for starters.

Besides all that, I am counting my blessings as I can work remotely from anywhere, have a lot of flexibility as I’m the one who sets my schedule, and get to help others. That’s the closest I have been to my dream job.

I have gained weight (I was way too skinny, so this is a good thing), sleep better, exercise more frequently (even if I hate it), walk around Bogota, play Pokemon Go (sometimes), and just… feel at peace.

Leaving my job made me feel scared, but now I know I can be more responsible with money, reduce unnecessary expenses and even save money during uncertain times! I feel peace and gratitude, and I hope it last.

About the Author:
I’m Astrid, a biologist who made a career shift to become a virtual assistant and an accountability partner. My journey from the world of science to customer service and freelancing has given me a unique perspective on life, and I sometimes share it here on WordPress.

Do you need a capable and reliable accountability partner? Contact me on Fiverr or LinkedIn.