Picture This:

You’re in meetings after meetings and have no idea why you are even in the room. People are talking; you know this because you can see their mouths move, yet in your world, nothing is said, because your mind is somewhere totally different.  While they’re discussing how to accomplish the agency’s mission, you, my friend are thinking about your personal mission, all the ways you can help inspire and empower women all over the world. Not that one should overpower the other, but this is where your heart and soul lies. This is your passion, your destiny, and it’s all you see yourself doing.

This was exactly how my career felt! A job based on a dream I created for myself at the age of 5 and meant nothing to me anymore.  Have you ever felt like that? Like you’re not driven to succeed because you know deep down in your heart, you are not meant for the path you are currently on. You know you have more to offer but your day job is holding you back? It’s almost like you are trapped in the façade of what society wants for you and what you want for yourself. Yet every time you try to change the cycle, life happens and you are forced to continue putting your dreams on the back burner yet again.

It’s the fear of the unknown that held me back from making any drastic change — not knowing when I would replenish my current salary, or even when my next paycheck would be. Having to think about health benefits, savings, life insurance, and anything else that was covered by my secured office job, held me back.

The fear of leaving a stable career, one that pays pretty well and offers fantastic benefits to pursue a dream that could potentially fail scared me to death.  

Mind you, I have an amazing husband who always pushes me to follow my dreams, but yet the idea of not having my own income still scared me.It sounds silly reading it, but these fears are real ladies. They are all part of the reason why we lose sight of our dreams and follow someone’s idea of what our reality should look like (the other part is our own pure laziness in going after what we want).

When do you say enough is enough and walk away from that which you know is holding you back? Million Dollar Question Right!!

Well, the answer my friend is quite simple…

You do it NOW. I’m not saying quit your job now. I’m saying make the decision and stick to it. 

There will never be “a good time to quit” unless you make it happen for yourself. Sadly, it took me a long time to realize that. I went back and forth with my choice for over a year. I kept picking dates and changing them as we got closer. I thought I could have the best of both worlds and for awhile, that worked out just fine. I kept the day job and worked my blog, sold items, and studied to become a trainer while still chasing after my babies and being Bini’s wife. Don’t ask me how I did it though, because I honestly couldn't tell you, apart from it being through the grace of GOD that I managed to get as far as I did.

One thing I can tell you, however, is that I made lots of sacrifices and changed the way I lived my life to become the person I am today. I read a lot of inspiring books, listened to empowering podcasts, and surrounded myself with positive people who motivated me to want more, worked day and night and wrote my affirmations all over the place so that I could read them out loud for the universe to hear. I created a vision board and kept it in my closet so I could see it every morning while getting dressed.

You have to be in the right mindset, and all these practices will help you feel confident and build you up when you feel like quitting.

That was the first step; the second was planning out the dream so that it could become a reality. That’s where setting a date comes to play and working towards that goal by changing things around slowly to ensure your family adjusts okay. Cut out unnecessary spending habits and start saving even more than you did before. Network, network, network!!! Perfect your craft while you are still working so that you are confident in yourself and know what to do when you start going at it full force.

It’s in doing all these steps of preparing mentally & working on myself, making adjustments to my lifestyle and carefully planning out my next chapter, that I was able to walk away from an 11-year contracting career at Department of State at the end of May. Almost all my loved ones think I’m crazy and that’s okay because I know I can at least say I went for it!! Right now though, I love my new-found freedom. I have more time to create, plan, and continue to grow. People keep asking me if I feel any different, and I don’t or at least not yet. I honestly feel like I’m simply on leave. I’m sure once those paychecks stop coming, the reality will finally sink in.

Believe it or not, as confident as I am in my dreams, I still have that same fear of the unknown that I did last year. I still worry about whether or not my client list will grow; if my products will sell; and if the endorsements and sponsorships will continue to come in. However, I have something now that I didn’t have last year, Unwavering Faith!! I know that with every day I continue to work, I will get better in my craft. When days are hard, or I receive bad news, it’s that unwavering faith that will help push me through.

Lastly, always remember, if you want to live an extraordinary life, you have to take extraordinary measures and following the steps I listed will help you get there!

I hope this blog post helps you or someone you know. As always, I’d love to hear from you. What are your dreams? Are you truly doing what you were called to do? Please leave your comments below so we can connect.

Yours,