A Portfolio Career: The Best of all Possible Worlds?

It's easy to think the world is a bit of a hostile place at times and start to wonder 'is this really as good as it gets?' (even if materially we are actually very fortunate). So how can a portfolio career help with this?

Simples (not quite yet in the OED but easily recognised as a neologism by my English Lit undergrads!): A portfolio career builds resilience and the variety of a portfolio career can let you experience many lives all in one and the best bits of those lives too if you take the time to notice. Take this week for example, on the London Underground on my way to meet a client, I get to travel out of rush hour but still feel like a city slicker amid the hubbub of walking through the city when I reach my destination. In comparison to the time in my life when I slogged in every day on the tube, I am more present and take in things around me more - I'm particularly eagle-eyed about making sure the heavily pregnant lady everyone else seems to be ignoring bags a seat as soon as possible.

Having volunteered and taught at a homeless education centre as part of my portfolio, I take the time to acknowledge and make eye contact with the homeless person asking for change. I notice how genuine and polite he is in expressing gratitude that I bothered to interact with him even though it was only to say 'sorry none on me'. This makes me remember a lovely girl from my school days who would buy bananas for the homeless people she encountered and sit and chat.

Also this week, the sun is shining and I make sure there's time for doing some editing while sitting in the shade in Epping Forest. Glad that it's not all freelance style solitude though I also feel better for a morning spent networking with other local business owners. It's also a welcome change of pace switching from finalising web designs to copywriting when one of my clients calls for an emergency bit of writing he needs me to do.

The day I do ask 'is this really as good as it gets?' is the day I do my monthly accounts. Maths was never my strong point and I call my patient accountant for yet another reminder of how to log something he's already explained twice! Once done though, there's a sense of achievement (and relief that it's now the weekend).

A particular high this week is being invited to give a TED talk on portfolio careers at TEDxUWestminster...the idea really must be catching on!