I've been struggling to write this blog post for about a week and a half now. It all started when my friend Lara challenged MTH alumni to write an entry about what we are grateful for in light of Thanksgiving week. I began jotting down all of the growth and wonderful changes I've experienced over the past year, which included this story, but by the time I got to the end of page two, I realized that it was going to be a novel, so I stopped.
Then, on Monday, I was asked to be part of a panel for a web conference with a few folks who are considering making the leap from their 9 to 5 and diving full-time into their own business endeavors. It was during this conference call that I really realized that it's the nitty gritty not-so-pretty but really honest truth of your own story that helps others believe that they, too, can create their own version of success. And that's really tough - because only a select few people know the whole truth and it's so much easier and more glamorous to sugar-coat the story and pretend like you weren't stuck in a boring job that had you in full-on blubbering tears at least twice a day. It's easier to pretend that it isn't a struggle and that everything just magically happened for you.
Two years ago, around this time of year, I was in my final days of battling with the decision to quit my full time job as a Marketing Director. It was seemingly secure, I had good insurance, and it was a great position, especially for someone who was only a couple of years out of college where I had worked hard to earn a quite expensive business degree, but the reality of it was that I was absolutely miserable every day. By the time 5 o'clock on Friday rolled around, I was already dreading going to work on Monday. At the end of each day, I was drained to the point where I was failing in my roles as a wife to Josh and a friend to others. I had no energy left to devote to the things and people I love. I was empty.
But thankfully, I have a husband who was tuned in enough to see that my job was taking away everything that made me me. He asked me the question, "What would you do if money didn't matter?", and I am forever grateful to him for giving me that challenge. Six months later, I took a huge leap of faith, quit my job, and devoted myself full-time to wedding photography, and the rest, as they say, is history. Has it been easy? Heck no, but it has been so worth it to have a job that fulfills me, allows me to spend good quality time with my favorite people, has given me the opportunity to meet so many INCREDIBLE friends, and the cherry on top, make money doing something that (most of the time) doesn't feel like work.
I urge you to watch this amazing video (thanks to my friend Owen for sharing), and I challenge YOU to answer the question "What would you like to do if money were no object? How would you REALLY enjoy spending your life?"
