I think I may have done the absolute craziest thing in my life today.
I quit my job.
I quit my very high paying job.
I quit my very high paying job in the midst of a recession.
I quit my very high paying DREAM job in the midst of a recession.
WHY, you ask? Because of my why. That’s exactly why I quit my job.
Totally lost? Trust me. Looking at what I just wrote makes me wonder if I shouldn’t commit myself to a mental institution for observation. At least there I would have food and shelter. (Something I may be wishing for when my life savings runs out and I am kicking myself for quitting my highly paid, dream job in the middle of a recession.)
My ‘why’ is having a quality of life that isn’t derived from a pay check but from living out my passion and fulfilling my dreams. I realized that while I had a great job at a very reputable Fortune 500 company, it was not fulfilling my dreams and goals for my life, nor would it ever, no matter how hard I tried to make it work. Corporate America and I were both very headstrong entities and I spent nearly 10 years of my life trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. (Editor’s note: this is a very painful process and I don’t recommend trying it at home.)
For a LONG time, my rationale was that if the 80K+ people who worked for this company could make it work, then why couldn’t I? I mean, how hard is it to go to a job from 8-5, sit at a desk, do some emails, go to a few meetings a day, take the weekends off and get paid for it?
Except it wasn’t like that at all. And maybe in another blog, in another lifetime, I will explain why in detail. (For the time being, I have signed my life away to not say.)
After a LOT, I mean A LOT, of self reflection I realized.....I am THAT different, THAT unique that I don’t fit into the mold that over 80K+ others do. They may want to follow the herd and have a safety net, if you will, of a steady paycheck, health benefits and a 401K. But that wasn’t for me.
The funny thing about self reflection is that you realize things about yourself you knew all along, yet simply forgot. You start to do things (go to college, get a job, get married, have kids, buy a home, etc) because that is what you are ‘supposed’ to do. And there is nothing wrong with that, for the majority of people. Except that it wasn’t for me.
What I knew about myself and had long lost sight of was that simple things in life mattered most. I wanted freedom - freedom to spend time with my family during the summers and watch my nephews and niece grow up. I wanted to be able to go on mission trips with my church. I wanted to work on projects in LA or NYC. I wanted so many other things that I was unable to achieve because I was doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. (And I wanted to do all this without having to worry if I had enough vacation time from my ‘day’ job.)
So, I quit my job. Because life is more than a paycheck. It is about stepping out in faith and believing in God’s plan for us. And now I am ready to begin living my life. I am ready to fulfill many more of my life long dreams and passions. A very dear friend told me this today: “Smile, laugh, and love. The whole big, wide world is yours for the taking.” I am so ready for it.
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Get This Girlfriend (GTG) is designed to impart dating (and life in general) wisdom from those who have been there (and suffered the trials and tribulations, but nonetheless survived) to those who may not yet have been down that path (including our little sisters, cousins, nieces and perhaps even some gents) as well as to those who have been through similar situations and can painfully, humorously or, just simply, relate.