Back to Work After 6 Months of Rehabilitation (Latarjet Recovery)
Voor Nederlands, KLIK HIER
Starting Again Tomorrow
Tomorrow, I’ll be back at work as a postal worker.
After 6 months of rehabilitation.
Honestly?
It’s a bit nerve-wracking.
The past months have been all about recovery after my Latarjet surgery…
and the nerve damage that came with it.
Looking back now, I can only feel grateful.
It could have gone much worse.
And the fact that I can work again…
is not something to take for granted.
From Marketing to Postal Work (and Everything In Between)
After earning my bachelor’s in digital marketing,
I started working as a postal worker fairly quickly.
Nothing to do with my degree, really.
What was supposed to be a “short stop”
turned into more than 6 years.
But that’s not the full story.
I also ran my own gardening business for 5 years.
I worked one year full-time at bpost,
then combined that with my side business.
At first, it was a solid combo.
What sticks with me most?
I built a website myself
that ranked high on Google.
No ads.
No marketing budget.
Clients came organically.
That gave me a sense of pride.
Funny, because back then, I thought marketing
wasn’t really my thing.
Now I see how much it taught me.
And how valuable it has been.
The Lesson That Changed Everything: Passion
One of the biggest insights?
Passion.
I’m a worker.
Entrepreneurial.
Always busy.
But I’ve learned that it’s not enough.
If you’re not passionate about your work…
you won’t stick with it.
My business kept growing.
More clients.
More work.
More pressure.
Logically, I should have expanded.
But deep down, I knew:
👉 This wasn’t making me happy.
When Work Starts Consuming You
The reality was simple:
Constant pressure
Client visits
Physically demanding work
Admin tasks
Never really “off”
I overworked myself.
Coming home in the evenings, too tired to even work out…
That said it all.
My diet suffered.
Too tired to cook → often ordering takeaway.
Even my relationship suffered.
I spent more time taking care of other people’s gardens
than my own garden.
Literally and metaphorically.
The Downside of Being Self-Employed
Being self-employed sounds glamorous.
Freedom.
Being your own boss.
Growth.
But as a sole proprietor?
👉 It’s hard work for your money.
And if you don’t truly enjoy it…
it drains you.
I lost more than I gained.
Another thing I learned:
Taxes can be heavy
Managing income and expenses is a skill
Many people underestimate this
What I Actually Enjoyed
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
What I loved doing:
The digital side (websites, SEO)
Client interactions and conversations
That combination of:
👉 Digital (scalable)
👉 Human interaction (meaningful)
It just felt right.
A Moment That Stuck With Me
I remember a conversation with a client.
We had known each other for years.
But it had always been superficial.
Until I asked her one day:
“Are you religious?”
The question came naturally.
And what followed…
was a deep, genuine conversation.
We even ended with a prayer.
When I stepped outside afterward, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time:
👉 True fulfillment
Not from work.
But from meaning.
A New Direction?
Since then, one thought keeps coming up:
Maybe I should do more with my faith.
Teaching religion.
Maybe even pastor.
Sounds intense.
Maybe even extreme.
But just the idea…
makes me genuinely happy.
Doubt vs Calling
The biggest obstacle?
What others might think.
My surroundings.
My family.
But at some point, I realized:
👉 This is my life
I need to follow my own path.
My own happiness.
No one will do that for me.
And I believe God is by my side.
But one thing is clear:
👉 Faith without action is dead.
What These 6 Months Taught Me
Rehabilitation was tough.
But it opened my eyes.
I want my life filled with things that:
Give me energy
Give me fulfillment
Bring me closer to myself
Because we work for years.
So why do something
that drains you?
And Maybe… a Combination?
It doesn’t have to be black and white.
I see opportunities:
Faith
Teaching or speaking
Creating content on YouTube
Why not share sermons?
Why not share lessons?
The digital side stays.
But maybe with a different message.
Final Thoughts
Tomorrow, I go back to work.
But somehow, it doesn’t feel like “going back to the old days.”
It feels like:
👉 A new chapter
With new insights.
A new direction.
New questions.
And maybe…
a calling that’s slowly becoming clearer.
Stay tuned!
Youtube Video: boxing after latarjet surgery
