Media Criticism

Surviving grass-is-greener syndrome

* This is a guest post written by NoReturnMom, a mother of two and professional writer and editor.

I have a flexible, part-time, benefited employment arrangement for which a lot of moms would trade their husbands.

But for several months I’ve been wracking my brain for a viable way to ditch my company (with fond regards, of course) and venture out on my own. You see, I’m not exceptionally passionate about this work—in part because my coveted part-time status relegates me to less exciting projects. Okay, well, that’s the excuse I give myself for not making myself a corporate star.

On the other hand, now that my two toddlers are finally sleeping through the night consistently, I’ve voluntarily run on four to six hours of sleep many nights to throw myself into this blogging thing. I have loved writing about my experiences and epiphanies as a parent so much that I don’t think I could ever tire of it. I’m motivated beyond reason.

In my fantasy, I spend my days fully engrossed in activities and interaction with my one- and two-year old, I coach track in the afternoon (a recent offer I’ll likely turn down), I write thought-provoking posts during the evening and weekend hours, and somehow manage to spend quality time with my husband and get my own runs and/or personal time in after that. Ummm, maybe if we could add about 18 hours to a day and run on 40 minutes of sleep per week.

But, for argument’s sake, let’s just say I ever got to the point of becoming a professional blogger, scrutinizing stats and PR possibilities and brainstorming and writing and networking more than I already do, wouldn’t I miss the hell out of my set hours and salary? Would I end up right where I began—wishing I could just write about whatever I wanted without a care as to who would buy?

But, but…What if I could earn a legitimate income—at least enough to afford a babysitter for not just the coaching time but maybe one or two full business days? Like an actual job—one I won’t ever know to love or hate unless I apply.

But, but… I’m a mom and a wife and—hello—we’re still in the midst of a global recession. Although I don’t keep much of my pay after daycare, my husband is self-employed and the health insurance I get for the four of us is hugely valuable. We research other options probably monthly, but the math is hard to argue with. It’s not all about me and my mom-blogging dreams. And by the way, this vision does not involve sponsored posts or nonstop giveaways or enough flashing ads on my site to rival Times Square. People would come to read and relate and discuss. I’d selectively do a limited number of reviews and such that would truly benefit my audience.

But, but…What audience? Remember, I have a job and two kids. So after the posting is done, the traffic-building happens inefficiently in the wee hours I have left. Even with time and money to burn, would the people come? And how long until I started hating these very people for demanding more and more of my time? What if my blog becomes a superficial, brainless task on my to-do list?

My gut tells me that I could pull it off and be happy—even in a reality I’m sure has many variances from the fantasy. But I’m not at a tipping point just yet. So, I have to learn to live with the dreaded Grass Is Greener Syndrome for an indefinite period.

The blogging scenario is must my personal example of dealing with this disease—one I’m sure you’ve all suffered from at one point or another. So tell me—whether it was a different career, home, relationship, or something else you envied—did you leap over to the other side? Was it worth it? If not, how do you stay focused on making the most of your current circumstances and avoid putting undue energy into something that may or not happen? How much stock did or do you put into intuition?