and I thought work was tiring

I just finished 2 seperate bids for 2 different jobs that I pretty much had BEFORE I wrote the bids. But I couldn't skip this part of the process, because it is WHEN and HOW I organize my thoughts. And hopefully set up the expectations, both the clients and my own.

However, it really is exhausting. Mentally shredding a potential project to its core to determine (without doing the work) what work will be required, takes nearly as much energy as doing the work.

And then there is the actual bid, the DOLLAR FIGURE. Experience can tell us how long something takes... it can even tell us where the client may come back and change their mind. If one has enough experience, the hidden complications can be guessed at with a reasonable accuracy... but that doesn't change the nerve wracking nature of commiting to a large amount of work over and extended period of time.

And there is the intangibles,
is it fun?
is it new?
is it exciting?
is it easy?

when all is said and done, will it have been a worthwhile venture...
for me, for the client?

does it have a bit of a soul?

if you don't think that these projects can contain some bit of soul, then you will never get anything out of what I write. You might as well stop now... and certainly you won't be interested in hiring me ;o)

so the bids have been written, pdf`d and emailed, and now I rest... the "i" of the storm