Ever have one of those days where you just want to rip someone a new one?

Me too. Regularly.

Yesterday I was happily browsing along, applying to gigs. I sent an email to a potential client, (showcasing my rockstar writing skills) and moved on to the next job application.

Later in the day, I checked my email, to be greeted with a nasty reply about sending unsolicited email, the consequences thereof, and potential legal action.

HUH?

I fired off a quick but hateful response, pointing out that I paid for access to a list of jobs, had applied to one of them, and this was not my fault in any way. I believe the word asshole was used.

Ok, the word asshole WAS used – several times.

Then I thought better of myself, saved the email as a draft, and went to make a pot of herbal tea.

Later, feeling a bit calmer, I returned to the email.

I redrafted a polite reply <the word asshole was NOT included> explaining that I was feeling pretty upset by the situation myself. After all, I pay a yearly fee for access to writing jobs, and I had assumed that those jobs were all…um….people looking for writers.

My mistake.

List owner’s fault – not mine.

So, that was the gist of the email.

I recieved a response at the speed of lighting from the client who’s email had been on the list, apologizing for his  grumpiness. Apparently nasty news in the mail and a flooded email inbox had made him a bit snarky.  Again, the word asshole was used. As in, “Sorry, I was an…”

Crisis Averted.

Today, I got an email from the same gentleman, offering me work.

The moral of the story?

Don’t call people assholes. Even if they’re behaving that way – could just be a bad day.

The real moral?

Be professional in all your business communications, or it’ll bite you in the….

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I have a degree in Psychology, and spent several years working in a psychiatric hospital. The mentally ill are sick no matter what the calendar says, and there’s always a need for staffing. This meant that I was mandated to work at least one day out of every set of holidays – Thanksgiving day or Black Friday, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day – you get the idea. Either I worked on location or from home on call, but regardless, my holiday was pretty well ruined. Holidays were exhausting, and I spent the majority of my time wishing I could be at home with my family.

The Christmas of 2006, however, life changed dramatically. I had just had a baby in September, and was struggling to hold it all together at work. I was literally hanging on by a thread. Christmas Eve, my mother was killed in a car accident, and that thread snapped. I spent the next few weeks taking care of arrangements, making plans, and reevaluating my life choices. I took two weeks off work. When I returned, my heart just wasn’t in it. Eventually, they let me go for lack of focus – with good reason. I was completely unable to focus on anything except how badly I wanted to be home with my family.

I opened my own business that July, and never looked back. I was able to spend time at home with my little girl and earn an income at the same time – something I had never dreamed was even a possibility. With the help of my trusty laptop, I was able to attend my family’s Fourth of July celebration, spend time with far-flung loved ones, and submit my articles and earn an income – all at the same time! This was the first time I truly experienced the freedom that comes with working from home.

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