Stuck in the Mire

Mire, per the online Dictionary:  a stretch of swampy, boggy ground (noun).  Cause to become stuck in mud (verb). 

Mire, per me:  stuck where it is hard to move forward to where I want to go.

The goal:  earn the money shortfall I have with other retirement incomes by doing things other than accounting.

I an succeeding at many things in life, but I am failing in this.  I have always been a failure at earning money at those things I do the best and enjoy the most.

I'm probably not alone in that regard, but I'm tired of using that as an excuse.

I thought maybe before tax season started I would've figured some of this out.  But I did not.  So I'm spending more time working than I expected.  I have a limited amount I can earn for the year while collecting Social Security, and the consolation is that tax season will use up how much I can make more quickly.  But that is also a disadvantage, in that it gives me less room to see if I can make money doing other things.

The major thing that I have done outside of work is theatre.  Since I "semi-retired" in August, I have been involved with four productions (The Odd Couple, The Model Apartment, Love Letters, and The Addams Family).  This is great, and I have enjoyed them, but they don't earn a dime.  It shows I'm a creative talent, but it does nothing to bridge the gap away from accounting.

When I am home, it has often coincided with family, and I have done things with them instead.  I also have read and watched television.  I know I should be more disciplined, but it's been good to have a little more time to do those things.

My schedule has been chaotic.  Some days I go to work early, some days late.  And it seems like whether the work day is six hours or ten hours, it seems to eat up just about the same amount of the day.  I don't know why that's true, but it is.

What would I like to do?  I would like to write more fiction, mostly selling via the Internet (self-published), although if I could accidentally get an agent or real publisher, that would be okay.  I wouldn't mind being extra in the movies/TV that are being done in Georgia (as long as I could contain costs so that I actually made instead of lost money). 

Most significantly, I would like to take advantage of my best skill, reading aloud in an engaging and expressive way, and become a voice for audiobooks.  The biggest flaw here is it would require a recording studio, and although Benjamin has some of that setup, I don't know how "professional" it is.  When I read about becoming a voice talent, it's all the technical stuff that throws me off.  Could I be a vocal talent for audiobooks?  Oh yeah, most definitely!  Do I have the ability to build a technically proficient recording studio?  Oh, most definitely NOT.

I would also like to become more involved in charitable work, for both the church and the Heritage Center.  My chaotic schedule also makes that difficult.  And, to be honest, my first priority is to bridge away from accounting.

So I may need to dampen down on some other things.  I may need to back off my theatre commitment for a while.  I may need to give up more personal downtime.  I may need to do what I can to create a more routine schedule.

Right now, however, I need to get through tax season and The Addams Family.  It's always manana, though.  There are always other commitments I need to get through. 

Currently, I am mired.  I'll keep thinking about tomorrow, though.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll find a break in the bog.