I'm scared of the future
I made a very bold move nearly a month ago, going on a Leave of Absence from work. I declared long haul COVID symptoms, particularly memory loss, backed by a recent emergency room visit courtesy of my absent mindedly putting a power drill to my right ring finger. And while I'm sure I do have these things, it's merely a cover up.
My true intentions lie in my attempting to gain enough clients to justify my finally leaving the school system and finally become a full-time personal trainer, something I've wanted to do for years. Since I took off from work, I've regained two clients who my boss temporarily suspended until I switched over from nights to mornings and I even gained a new client, bringing my client total back to eight. But it's weeks like this that make me worry if I'm making the right choice.
I trained my newest client once and he's now in Europe until next week. Just last night, another client called me to tell me he was taking his whole family to the doctor today, ultimately cancelling what would have been this morning's session. This client in particular always offers to make up for cancelled sessions, as this was no different.
Not everyone is like him, however, and it brings to the forefront ever trainer's fear, as well as my biggest nightmare as an autistic person: lack of stability. Unless a client cancels within the twelve-hour window leading up to a session, I obviously don't get paid. I've worked too hard to be able to say I have a roof over my head and the last thing I need is to be in fear that one day I can't pay my rent.
I go back to work on Tuesday, June 21st. After school ends for the summer, I'll have until August to decide if I'm quitting the main job, or if I'm leaving my boss at the job I'd rather keep. Working for my boss here has been rewarding beyond my wildest dreams. I don't even consider this to be work. However, I know too well that inconsistency doesn't pay bills regardless of how happy I am.
My true intentions lie in my attempting to gain enough clients to justify my finally leaving the school system and finally become a full-time personal trainer, something I've wanted to do for years. Since I took off from work, I've regained two clients who my boss temporarily suspended until I switched over from nights to mornings and I even gained a new client, bringing my client total back to eight. But it's weeks like this that make me worry if I'm making the right choice.
I trained my newest client once and he's now in Europe until next week. Just last night, another client called me to tell me he was taking his whole family to the doctor today, ultimately cancelling what would have been this morning's session. This client in particular always offers to make up for cancelled sessions, as this was no different.
Not everyone is like him, however, and it brings to the forefront ever trainer's fear, as well as my biggest nightmare as an autistic person: lack of stability. Unless a client cancels within the twelve-hour window leading up to a session, I obviously don't get paid. I've worked too hard to be able to say I have a roof over my head and the last thing I need is to be in fear that one day I can't pay my rent.
I go back to work on Tuesday, June 21st. After school ends for the summer, I'll have until August to decide if I'm quitting the main job, or if I'm leaving my boss at the job I'd rather keep. Working for my boss here has been rewarding beyond my wildest dreams. I don't even consider this to be work. However, I know too well that inconsistency doesn't pay bills regardless of how happy I am.
