It was the summer of 2009. I was turned down for a promotion with my peers in my first job after college. I was devastated.
I lost motivation. I counted down the minutes until I could leave each day. It was miserable.
I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else. I wanted to be my own boss. They knew this and held it against me.
But the world was in a massive recession. Conventional wisdom said to play it safe; to stay there, even though I wasn’t a fit. People said I should be grateful to have a job when so many people were out of work.
But I’m a contrarian.
I needed freedom and autonomy, even if it meant making less money.
Being turned down for the promotion was just what I needed to finally leave my job.
It was a huge risk.
There’s never a perfect time to take the leap, but it’s always the right time to break free from whatever is holding you back from becoming and creating what you want to become.
10 years later, I’ve created the life I wanted. It was a lot of hard work and sacrifice. It wasn’t easy. Everything was stacked against me, but I pushed through and figured it out.
Don’t believe the naysayers. Follow your heart. Believe in yourself.
Create the life you want. It’s yours for the making.
