Or, alternatively, the straws you grasp at when you desperately want to quit your soul-sucking day job.

I believe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

Allow me to explain.

It all started when my husband decided he needed to go on a diet and convinced me to participate in a program that’s supposed to transform you into a healthy person with healthy lifelong habits. Now, I must mention that when I was in Weight Watchers several years back, not once did he show any interest in losing weight or getting into better shape. Seeing one of his karate buddies succeed in this program is what did it. I admit I was ready for a change, myself. And you know what? After two weeks I’ve lost over eight pounds and I have much more energy than previously. So, I can’t complain, really.

But that’s not all!

A dear friend of mine–who delights in encouraging and/or dragging me into writing adventures of one kind or another–recently brought up the topic of starting a ghostwriter business together. Cat-like, I decided to poke my paw in. Did you know there was such a thing as instruction for aspiring ghostwriters? Neither did I until my friend brought it to my attention. To my chagrin, the idea grew in its attraction, I got excited . . . and now, here we are, in Ghostwriter School. Get busy learning, or get busy dying. Or something like that.

But wait–there’s more!

In addition, this same lovely friend suggested I go on Fiverr and “put myself out there” as a copy editor (or copyeditor, depending on your spelling preference). Now, I feel I have very little by way of qualifications for this position. My educational and professional background is in the natural sciences despite the hundreds of thousands of words I’ve written that have precious little to do with biology. Or this universe, for that matter. True, I’m credited as copy editor in two of the three books my friend published (and I helped some with the third one) but is that enough for credibility?

My insecurities drove me to look into certification programs for editing–and possibly a degree in creative writing. I spent hours doing research online instead of writing. I whittled the list down to two realistically priced possibilities for online editor certification. And then, I took a deep breath and asked myself: “do you really want to go through two training plans simultaneously while juggling all your other responsibilities and obligations?”

The answer was a big, fat “no,” so shelved the editing certificate for serious consideration after I completed the ghostwriting coursework and developed a business plan with my friend. I also decided to set aside the creative writing degree idea. While it would be helpful for improving my craft, I really don’t want to pay through the nose for twenty credits of courses right now. It just doesn’t fit into my budget. Getting trained and certified as an editor seems more realistic and attainable. Not to mention useful. If I’m going to be a professional editor, I want to provide the best service I can to people who need help.

Am I overthinking this? Yep. Once again, I’m overthinking.

Darn it, this blog post was supposed to be about Palm Sunday. What sort of gig am I running here, eh?

In any event. . . Have a blessed Holy Week!