oy vey - too much stress for my couch

So, I have joined forces with an already established webdesign business - a business with an established clientel, an excellent reputation and web presence - not to mention lots of experience and expertise, which means, basically, they're wildly successful, and they love me. So they invited me to become an unofficial partner/subcontractor. This means they can sell more websites, because they have me to do them, and I get more clients, because they have the resources and reputation to bring them in by the boatload.

Friday, we got our first joint client! And seriously, my brain can't wrap itself around making such great money without leaving my couch. It just... doesn't compute. I am SO excited, and yet, there IS a catch with this job. The catch is that I cannot do a single thing until Wednesday morning because that's when their planning conference is, but the new site has to be complete and go live one week later.

Basically, this is the first client whose site I am completely and solely responsible for, and I have an insane deadline to do it in. I am a wee bit stressed. And yet, I am astounded and flattered that they trust lil old me to do it, right and on time, as well as continuing to meet the demands of my existing clients.

Assuming I don't screw everything up, I will make more this month, from my couch, than either of us have made in any single month in the last year.

It makes no sense at all to me, but I am soooo not arguing with it. I deserve it, I have earned it, I am capable of doing it. I know I have the power to become financially stable and independant -- to become successful.

It's just taking some time to adjust to it is all.

So anyway, in order to keep up with the 4 sites and my editorial assistant duties without falling down on any of those jobs while I have my nose down for the (very very crunch-deadline not-long-enough) week I have to create the new client's site, I have spent 3 days doing this week's work, as well as all the work that would come due between now and January 13th. That includes updating copy on one site, scheduling conference calls weeks in advance, colating book submissions and bios, organizing lists of calls I need to make, deleting content from another site, revising 2 PDF files, 1 power point presentation, 1 press release, 3 newsletters... drafting content for 3 partnered give-a-ways, 1 poetry contest (complete with rules for the site, as well as rules to be posted on outside sites) plus, funnest of all, thirty book reviews, each posted on three different sites.

And still, here is more to do to be able to truly concentrate on this new project! Sadly, I can no longer see straight, or think straight. I'm not sure if that's exhaustion, stress, or absolute elation that my "big picture" has improved so substantially in the last 3 months.

Now, if only so much of the money wasn't already spent just trying to get ourselves out of the hole! But, hey, we'll have the money to get out of the hole, and that's more than a lot of others can say, so I am grateful for the crazy deadline, all the stress, and the sleepless nights. I am healthy, my bills are paid, my future is looking up and feels bright... get that? Hopeful even. That's crazy. Crazy amazing.

Viva 2009.