I cannot begin to tell you how it good it feels to have finally taken a leap of faith and quit the corporate world. I do not have another job to go to, I just knew it was time to get out from under my security blanket if I was ever going to change my world. It was a hard decision to make, because of all my financial commitments, but that’s exactly what keeps us in the prison of our own making. I have been in sales for many years and have always been very grateful that I am good at it; as a single parent it enabled me to support my family. But the constant demand of hunting down customers and chasing the dollars to make your monthly budget, is so unfulfilling not to mention downright stressful. Plus living out of a suitcase and staying in hotels in places that you just don’t want to be, gets really tedious.
We are all salespeople on some level. The process of educating people on a product, service, concept or idea so they can decide whether or not it is of value to them, can be very rewarding. It’s just the concept of having to do it, to sell something to meet financial targets that are determined by a third-party. I need variety, spontaneity and the knowledge that I am helping others in ways that are important to me. That may include selling something, but that would only be part of the picture.
I am a multi-faceted person. There are many things that I can do and many more things that I am interested in learning to do. I love photography, digital art, writing (you think), teaching and I connect well with young adults. I love to travel and explore other cultures and I have acquired a large wingspan of life experiences along the way; I am a gypsy spirit. When you get to my age you know what you are good at, life teaches you that. But there are always new things to learn, if you have a passion to do so, which keeps life fresh and exciting.
You can see why for me, spending time catering to the dictates of the corporate world, is like doing an impression of a square peg in a round hole. Raising children definitely clipped my wings, but that’s okay, that’s one part of my life that I wouldn’t change. They are 19 and 23 now and I just got back from a road trip with my 19-year-old, as she moved to New Brunswick. Will it work out for her? Who knows, she may end up coming back home and that’s okay, but this event was the final nudge I needed to say goodbye to the way of life that was draining the life out of my soul.
So what am I going to do? It’s easy, I am going to focus on writing as I have two blogs, both serving different purposes. I am teaching myself how to use photoshop, getting back into going to the gym and I have joined some local groups to see what interesting people I can meet. I am also going to sort out my apartment and get rid of everything that I don’t need any more. It will be a much-needed cleanse inside and out. As far as earning an income, I am simply going to leave that up to the Divine and let life unfold as it will. I am aware of what may happen in the future, good, bad and downright ugly, but I have made peace with that by being willing to accept whatever the future holds as that which is meant to be.
I feel free, alive again, open to the world and I didn’t give the “you should be grateful you have such a good job” well-meaning piece of advice that I constantly heard, a second thought.
I am not worried about the future as I am not going to think about it, I am simply going to live for today.
Ma
Congrats! I remember sitting at my desk in my office, years ago, thinking… “there has got to be more to life than this.” It sounds like you made a huge, wonderful step.
Penelope
Thank you Ma, I hope you are following your dream too. I love your blog so perhaps you are. I feel like I can finally be my authentic self so the next part of my journey is going to be interesting if nothing else!
Colette
congrats embrace this new path……….A-plus for bravery
Penelope
Thank you Collette, I definitely am gong to.
mysweetmarie
congrats pennie…spread those wings and fly baby! enjoy the freedom, exploration of new experiences. I see a big bright future ahead of you!
Penelope
Thanks Anne-Marie I appreciate that!
Penelope
Thank you, I am excited to find out just where my wings are going to take me 🙂
WSW
Congratulations! Spread your wings.