When I started out on this project three weeks ago, I didn’t have a clue about what my main focus would be. Just about everything in the course was new to me, after all, I’m a photojournalist not a marketing guru! That was evident from the failed marketing attempts I have made in the past!

I was feeling very discombobulated, and my mind was bouncing around all over the place, unable to settle on a specific path through this OneFunnelAway Challenge I had committed to. But I was determined to do it and not to walk away as I have done in previous endeavors. But the initial idea about the distilleries just didn’t spark the enthusiasm I need, probably because my first attempt to license an ebook bombed! (One of my fears! Oh no, I failed again!)

I knew what I wanted to promote but the key piece was missing and as this project is just a month long with the launch date just two weeks away, it just was not going to happen! At least not in the timeframe I had!

But then, writing my origin story about how I have come to this place in my life, a lightbulb went off. What is it that has saved me? What has pulled me out of the desperation and depression I was experiencing? What is the vehicle that has allowed me to move forward and have a roof over my head?

Housesitting!

I’ve house sat numerous times but usually just for friends and family and I did it more as a favor. What about if I could do it full-time?

While I was licking my wounds with my sister in New Zealand, she showed me a video about these two Aussie women who housesit full-time. At first I thought it was a scam. But as I watched the video, I thought, “If they can do it, so can I.” And with further research, I understood how it was entirely possible!

First Sit

The first opportunity I had to house sit was in New Zealand but my visa couldn’t be extended so had to pass on that one. But I managed to sign up on various international housesitting platforms and before I left New Zealand, I had secured my first sit in the States.

Just a few days after landing in Los Angeles, I was ensconced in a charming house in Silver Lake, taking care of a lovely old rescue dog, who spent her time sleeping on the couch! And it was relatively close to my son, so I didn’t feel like I was out there alone.

Since then, I have had back-to-back housesits with just single days in between.

Housesitting takes care of one of the issues — basically a roof over my head! Most of the time. And it can address the loneliness issue when I build community, something that I need to do.

Now I am in the process of developing a way to create an income stream as I remain location independent or nomadic and become more comfortable in this inappropriate life of mine.

Cheers.

First published on Medium