My 9 to 5 Escape Story

Back in 2010 I was at a crossroads in my life. At the time, I had been working at a large non-profit medical office for almost 10 years. I was doing what I was supposed to - going to college, trying to earn a degree while working full time. On weekends I would tweak my resume and check job boards. I was on my way to a great life-long career. 

But secretly, I was miserable. I hated my job, hated being stuck in an office all day long only to go home and work for hours online trying to learn how to be a better office drone. I didn’t even like the medical field. But I was just doing what the world said was the ‘responsible’ thing to do. 

Deep down, I wanted to start my own business, be the one in charge of my schedule and daily events. I had ideas and needed an outlet for my creativity. 

Only problem was that I had no savings, no real skills, and no idea how to start a business. I mean, the world says such things are too risky, too expensive, and basically out of reach for the likes of 9-to-5-ers like me. I had a mortgage, car insurance, credit card bills, and kids to feed. Responsible people don’t quit their jobs and start working for themselves. That’s just craziness!

So I pushed my feels down and pretended like I loved my job and everything would be okay. But it just made things worse. I was starting to crack. I would cry every morning before work, and I would be depressed when I came home. My school work was suffering and my family could see I was going down fast. 

Finally, in late summer 2010, I decided one morning that I couldn’t do it anymore. I had to be true to myself and stop denying who I was. I walked into my boss’s office first thing that morning and submitted my notice. 

Wow! What a rush! What a relief! I’m finally done with this place! Now I can get on with bigger and better things, right? Wrong.

Funny thing about working for yourself – its not all fun and games. In fact, it’s downright the most difficult thing I’ve ever done before. Ever.  It doesn't fall in your lap either. You have to go out each day and bust your tail, you have to constantly be learning and putting it all into practice. You can't just show up and expect to get a check at the end of the week. It is a real change in how I look at my life and how I judge my successes. Some days, success is getting a big check and taking it to the bank. Other days its managing to get dressed and comb my hair.

But, each day, I get a little better at this new lifestyle. I learn new things, more than I ever learned in any college course. And the best part is that I’m happy. I mean I go to bed at night knowing that even though my bank account is sadly usually empty, my work has meaning and I’m on the right track. 

So what am I up to these days? Well, I've started my own ecommerce store, I run a lawn care business, and now I'm starting this blog. Plus I'm a mom of two beautiful kids, wife to a great husband, and the proud caretaker of a lazy but loveable dog and 8 chickens. And if that's not enough, I have more business plans in the future.

Have you ever had to make a major life-changing decision? Are you glad you did or do you have regrets? I’d love to read your comments!