Allocating resources

March and April brought an interesting assortment of opportunities that resulted in me sending out some contracts for ghostwriting projects. Two projects were contracted to begin today, which means another review of the information before I put fingers to keyboard and begin writing. Another is supposed to begin on May 15. I am hoping to begin a new, long-term blog writing contract and another long-term editing contract. And one project ended earlier than expected.

There's no moral to this story. Opportunities come and go. That's the reality of freelancing.

Oddly enough, though, opportunities seem to be cyclical. Around this time last year I fielded several inquiries and entertained several opportunities. Not all panned out, but enough did to keep me busy.

The latest almost-there project concerned ghostwriting a book for a retired physician. I responded to his RFP. We spoke on the phone and he agreed to receive my contract. He had a couple of questions about the contract, which I answered. Monday morning, I received a message canceling the project before it even began.

I thanked him for the courtesy of his notice and didn't ask why he canceled the project.

I'm not sure I want to know.

Actually, I felt relieved that he canceled the project. I worried how I would accommodate his project into an already heavy workload. I don't always recognize my limits, so this cancellation felt like a reprieve.

That alone tells me that the reason for that project's cancellation doesn't matter--at least not to me. That release of pressure makes me think I have a bit of time to work on my own projects, which I need.

Cancellations aren't always bad news. Sometimes they're blessings in disguise.