Soul-filled Guest Post
by Tracey Ceurvels, The Busy Hedonist
An old boyfriend once told me that his goal in life was to be paid for being himself, a philosophy I quickly adopted for my own life. Except for those times when I thought I wasn’t living the adage: for several years, while I dreamt of working as a writer/editor for a newspaper’s dining section or a glossy food magazine like Food & Wine or the now shuttered Gourmet, I worked in the marketing departments of many high-end magazines—Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, More Magazine, among others.
But my heart wasn’t into marketing and copywriting. I often fantasized I’d run into Ruth Reichl, Gourmet’s editor in chief, in the elevator at the Condé Nast building in Times Square and she’d hire me to travel around the world and report back about my food discoveries. But in the world of magazines, it’s hard to jump ship from marketing over to editorial, so I left all that behind and took a leap of faith to do what I truly love: write about food, travel, chefs and restaurants, from the comforts of my own home and my neighborhood coffee shops.
For several years I wrote articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines. I even wrote a novel and recently acquired a literary agent, on Facebook of all places. I was enjoying my laptop lifestyle, but I wasn’t making a ton of money either. And then in the midst of all that I had a baby, my beautiful daughter Sabrina.
So there I was, a new mom, still trying to write articles while she was napping—not an easy feat I can assure you. But because of her, I wanted a successful laptop lifestyle more than ever. That way I could spend every day with Sabrina, be witness to all her milestones and not have to send her off to daycare. Friends kept nudging me to start a blog, which I was adamantly against. I was still old school and didn’t know what could come of it. Plus, admittedly, it was a bit scary to put myself out there.
But one day, exhausted from very hectic life, and without many options, I thought, why not? If nothing else it could serve as a live resume of sorts, which I could show to editors in hopes of acquiring more writing assignment. Or maybe, just maybe, it could bring in some additional income somehow.
These were the seeds that launched my blog, The Busy Hedonist, and I can report that it’s one of the best moves I’ve ever done for my career and lifestyle.
And aside from the writing I continued to do, I was even able to join two aspects of my life—cooking and being a parent—into helping other busy food lovers in their kitchens.
But wait there’s more! All the marketing and copywriting experience I had under my belt…the stuff I was pretty good at, but didn’t like at the time? I had no idea back then it would affect my current life and lifestyle. I was listening to a video from marketing maven Marie Forleo. One of her mottos is that she “freaking loves marketing,” a belief that’s garnered her much success.
That’s when I bell went off in my head. I can do what I love to do AND use my marketing/copywriting skills to attract financial success, not something I’d ever considered until that moment.
Now, all the concepts of my life have come together like a perfectly prepared, multi-course meal, followed by dessert: I run to playgrounds and play dates with my daughter, visit my favorite spice stores, gourmet shops and greenmarkets. I develop recipes for my readers and subscribers, color with my daughter while something is baking in the oven, help other busy moms with getting dinner on the table, take my daughter to food tastings. I visit new restaurants and dine out a few times a week for stories I’m writing, and I travel abroad to write about food—my next adventure is an Amazonian cruise in Peru with a renowned chef.
So when it comes to being paid for being you, it can happen. All those crazy twists and turns that have happened in your life, perhaps even the ones that have brought you down, they are meaningful, even when you feel like they’re dead ends in your quest to get where you’re trying to go. Trust me, I did not enjoy sitting in my cubicle in midtown Manhattan. My mind always wandered to far-flung places and to a daily life consisting of writing about things I enjoy. Because I follow my dreams with a passionate force, never settling, my life has magically melded together the way I dreamt it would, a simmering stew with just the right ingredients.
I absolutely love my laptop lifestyle and wouldn’t trade it in for anything. Though admittedly, I might reconsider if Ruth Reichl or Dana Cowin of Food & Wine magazine called me with a project.
HOLIDAY RECIPE FROM TRACEY: Butterscotch Bundt Cake (Yum!)
* * *
Tracey Ceurvels is a busy mom, food + travel writer and omnivore who loves helping busy food lovers in the kitchen. In between playgrounds and play dates with her daughter, Tracey enjoys dining out in NYC and scoping out the best spice shops, greenmarkets and specialty food stores in order to make dinner for her family and recipes for her clients. Tracey is a fine dining columnist for Hauteliving.com and she’s also written and/or developed recipes for The Gourmet Food Blog at Dean + Deluca, The Boston Globe, Paper Magazine and other web sites and publications.
If you’re a busy food lover and need help with dinner, read about Tracey’s kitchen services that include recipes + shopping lists to make your life easier. Or sign up for The Peach, Tracey’s free newsletter, to read about her latest culinary discoveries, by visiting The Busy Hedonist.
I am an innovative coach and love inspiring you to find soul-satisfying success for your creative endeavors. I am also a writer, author, and "laptop lifestyle" enthusiast.