The beginning of April marked 1 year since I submitted my resignation letter and decided to pursue my coaching practice on a full-
time basis. It’s been an interesting year, much like a roller coaster ride – highs and lows, and never a dull moment. Here are 5 truths I’ve experienced since I decided to let go of the title of “employee”:
When I told people that I had quit my job, there were some that were excited for me, and a lot that thought I was nuts! There were questions about my “back-up plan”. I wondered why I was supposed to be planning to fail instead of setting my intentions on success. While that may seem a bit idealist, I spent a lot of time thinking about what could go wrong, and it paralyzed me for a long time! I finally got to a point in my life where I didn’t care what other people thought, I just knew I didn’t want to live a life of regret and there was no time better than the present to follow my dreams.
When you look at your feeble bank account and the stack of bills that need to get paid, a 9-5 job can look really good! You’ll start to question your abilities to make a living doing what you love after hearing your fair share of “no’s” to your pitches for the product or service you’re selling. Focus on the “yes’”, know that your product isn’t going to be for everyone, listen to your potential clients and stay committed to your dream. Whenever I question the choice I made, I remember the chapter on Persistence in Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich. I read it in 2009 with a friend of mine for 30 days, and the stories have stuck with me and remind me of the power of persistence in everything we do.
When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work (most of the time)! Working from home has been an interesting experience. I find myself writing blogs at midnight or updating the website at 7 in the morning. When you’re doing what you have to do when you have to do it everything else becomes secondary. When I spent the first six weeks of my emancipation writing my book, very little other than laundry got done. Meals don’t seem to have a set time anymore, and I’ve lost touch with friends because I’m out networking more than I’m socializing these days. We have to be mindful of our other priorities when pursuing our passions so we don’t lose sight of the other things in life that are important to us.
At the beginning of 2013 there were 2 things I was committed to doing at some point during the year – 1) quit my job and 2) start seeking speaking engagements to get more visibility. Right after I submitted my letter of resignation, I was offered 2 speaking engagements and signed up to give a presentation in April and May! I felt like once I made the commitment to myself, the universe opened up to provide the opportunities I was looking for. I had been talking about writing a book since 2010 – I have 2 incomplete versions on my laptop. As soon as I got clear on what I wanted to achieve with the book and made the time to focus my energy on it, things flowed easily. Once you make the commitment to realizing your dreams, the universe cooperates with you to make them happen!
There are going to be tough times. I look at them as tests to see how committed we are to making our dreams a reality. Rejection – check. Plans that don’t work out the way you want them to, check. Launch a product or service no one seems interested in, double check. Guess what? Still breathing, the world did not come to an end and I’m wiser for it all. For all that didn’t go the way I planned, there has been a lot that has gone even better than I could have imagined. That’s the magic that comes when you step outside of your comfort zone and really get a chance to see what you’re made of. If you don’t try, you’ll never know!
I can’t believe it’s only been a year since I hit send on the email that contained my resignation letter. There were definite butterflies. Excitement of beginning a new journey, nervousness about the uncharted territory and proud of myself for actually doing it instead of wishing one day I would have the courage to do it. The first year has been an interesting ride and I’m not ready to get off any time soon. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the journey has in store! It hasn’t been easy, but it’s definitely been worth it. I don’t regret the choice I made and I couldn’t imagine it unfolding any other way. ♥