Quitting My Job To Follow a Dream
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change”
“Happy New Year” — but what was going to be ‘new’ about this year? I asked myself on New Years Day 2019 while climbing Carruantoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland (what is it about being surrounded by nature that results in self-reflection?!). I was 25, I had a solid career path laid out in front of me and a loving (and thankfully supportive) boyfriend, but deep down I was unhappy. Something was missing. Everyday for almost four years I walked the same route to and from the office, passing the same people at almost the same place and the only thing we shared was the same tired expression. Although over the years I had grown to like my job, I often questioned whether I had just accepted this feeling of discontentedness as ‘normal’. I found myself spending an increasing amount of time daydreaming and longing for new experiences. I was no longer present in my day-to-day life, rather I was distracted by a fictional me that existed in my head, the better me and all the things this ‘better me’ could do. 25 and stuck in a rut — uh oh! I knew I needed to get out of my head and shortly after New Years I handed in my resignation. I booked a European Interrail pass and a one way ticket to Bali and had the best seven months of my life.
I could spend all day listing the doubts that went through my head before clicking ‘confirm payment’ on those tickets. But since that day, the only questions I focus on when facing a ‘risky’ decision are “what if I let fear dictate the outcome?”, “if I don’t do it, can I move on and stop the constant inner debate?” and “is the worst outcome ending up back where I began?”.
You want to know how my ‘career break’ went? In 2019 I travelled to 19 different countries, backpacking solo through Europe and Asia. One of my most memorable experiences was volunteering as an English teacher in one of the poorest parts of Bali (and believe me, had I known the living conditions before I arrived, I would have told myself I couldn’t do it). I practiced photography and meditation, tried countless new dishes and learnt various phrases in different languages. I visited some of the world’s most famous museums and heritage sites and read an endless amount of books (including Alice in Wonderland which, on a sunny Sunday in the South of France I discovered it’s true message to “live life on ones own terms and not let someone else tell you what to do”!).
It is only now a year and a half later I realise the significance of my decision on my own personal development. By taking a risk, I made the first step towards attracting the version of myself I had dreamt about. The independence empowered me, I learnt more about myself and what really mattered to me when I removed the distractions and influences my mundane life had brought with it. I realised how caught up in the rat race I had become, valuing money, recognition and titles, all of which are egotistical desires that can never result in anything more than short term happiness.
The final step of my five year plan was to travel the world. Without that five year plan I wouldn’t have accomplished most of what I did in my early to mid twenties. Each step played a vital part in achieving my end goal which was to have a sense of fulfillment.
So my advice to anyone who has found themselves in a constant state of distraction;
- Make a plan; write down your goals and ambitions (as big or as little as they may be), write down the weekly obstacles you have to overcome to make this plan a reality and the coinciding solutions. Then let your ambition drive you in every decision you make.
- Recognise your tendency to follow ‘social- norms’ such as caring about what people think of you, blending in with the crowd, doing what everyone else is doing and taking the safe option. All these things which we do subconsciously are undoubtedly stopping us from reaching our full potential.
- Don’t let fear hold you back, I could write a whole separate post on this one! Think of fear as a presence of “untapped personal power and strength, the gateway from wishing and wanting to doing and being”.
“Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; its the realisation that we can”.
I hope this post proves to be insightful and inspiring for readers who have had an opportunity to reflect during recent times and want to make changes to their everyday life.
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions you might have.
Thanks for reading, Christine x
P.S. recommended reading which really helped me change my mindset included below;
