“If they hadn’t been pushed, they never would have made the leap”
I read an interesting article in USA Today recently, which profiled seven people who unexpectedly lost their job, then turned around to create a situation better than the one they lost.
From a bus driver to a piñata maker, each of these very different individuals used the negative experience of being laid off to make an even bigger, positive change.
I know it’s hard to believe, but not everyone who has been put out of work is wasting away. Some of them have completely changed their lives to create a much better situation for themselves.
The interesting thing was reflected in a quote used halfway through the article: “If they hadn’t been pushed, they never would have taken the leap.” In most cases, the people who jumped off to a new adventure had ideas before the push came, but ideas without action are just dreams.
I’d summarize the article, and the decisions these brave individuals made, like this:
1. Change sucks. Most of us will accept a lame status quo as long as it keeps us going.
2. When change is forced upon us, wham! We realize that maybe it’s time to make a better change.
3. All things being equal, it’s usually better to try than not to. Failure be damned.
Here’s another quote that seems appropriate:
“Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: you have no one to blame.” -Erica Jong
Yes, that’s hardcore. But so is unexpectedly losing your job. And so is striking out to do something totally different. Is it any wonder that 300+ of the Fortune 500 companies were founded during times of economic stagnation?
Think about this:
- Instead of being a complete catastrophe, a global meltdown is an opportunity for positive life change.
- Instead of finding security in a job, find security in your own competence.
- Instead of defining self-employment as inherently risky, maybe conventional employment is the real risk. (I know I certainly wouldn’t risk putting my future in someone else’s hands.)
***
An article in USA Today naturally profiles Americans, but those of us in this part of the world aren’t the only ones experiencing a blend of hardship and growth. Valur in Iceland sent me this note recently:
I got fired in the economic collapse in Iceland last October. Although a tragedy for my nation, this has proven a stroke of luck and source of inspiration for my personal growth for both me and many of my fellow countrymen.
A few weeks after the crash in October 2008 I created what you could describe as a small legacy project that even got featured in the Financial Times. It also made me the highest monthly salary I’ve had so far. All this, thanks to losing my IT job in the finance sector.
Best regards,
Valur Thor, Iceland
Not everyone who gets fired will get in the newspaper, of course. Not everyone will start a business or find their dream job.
But hard times force us to take another look at what we’re really doing. Are we waiting for a push to take our leap?
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Image: Rich
65 Comments
This reminds me of the Lemonade Movie trailer, which really appealed to me. Although I’m unable to get “fired” from my job, the thought of going full time next year is a scary one. Still, without having confidence in my ability and dedication, I would be paralyzed with fear. Instead, I simply embrace it 🙂
I think people do often wait for a catalyst like job loss or the death of a loved one to push them to start working towards their dreams.
Often people are too tied up in working 9 to 5 and paying off the mortgage/rent and all the unnecessary objects they buy (like big TVs, fancy cars, flashy technology) to actually do anything different. They create a little tread mill of work and buying stuff for themselves, then when they want to get off, they find they can’t – their life is no longer in their control. Sad.
Some people like the security of working for someone else and the perks like paid holidays. I suppose it’s a sad wake up call when they find that it’s not actually that secure at all.
Other people can’t stand the thought of working for someone else and being a cog in someone else’s wheel and they’re not afraid of the insecurity caused by self-employment. Everyone’s different but we all have to take responsibility for ourselves.
Great article, Chris. I like your line “failure be damned.” The status quo looks at the possibility of failure as a reason not to do something. Successful people know that the risk of failure is just part of growth. If you fail, so what? You’ll be better prepared to succeed the next time around. Sometimes it takes a push to get past the fear of failure and start making a better change.
Chris once again I love reading your newsletters and I thank you for this recent one. Just to add my favourite quote, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” For me personally, I haven’t had much work this year but I have continued to follow my bliss and make money while doing it. It’s hit and miss but I am happy with who I am and what I do today. Reading your updates helps when the chips are down. I am not going to give up! Thanks again 🙂
Really astounding article, Chris. It pisses me off and makes me want to hustle to succeed at the same time. I want to do the same thing as them. That’s why right now I’m conducting research in my niche and preparing to launch an online business by early to mid 2010.
I’m in college, 19 years old, and I’m already taking the steps to own my life.
I suggest the rest of you do the same before it’s too late.
Thanks, Chris!
Thank you for this post Chris. It is amazing what you can do when you have to, until you are thrust into the situation of change or perish you really do not know how you will react. Many people will just give up, but then there are others, the optimists who never lose sight of their dream and will do whatever it takes to turn things around.
Chris,
This post came at a perfect timing. As I told you when we met last week, I’m about to leave my secure job that I’ve enjoyed last 4 years and strike out to do something else on my own. With my personal situation in addition to that, I’m happy and excited but at the same time I have conversation in my head almost daily — that’s the voice that says “Are you sure?” “Can you really make it?” “What if you can’t??”. Sofia, who was also there at the SD meetup shared with me her story when she quit her job and started her own business 4-5 years ago, and said that since it’s my choice to leave and be on my own, it will give me strengths when times get tough. Well, whether it was their choice or not to leave their secure job, stories in this article are truly inspiring and remind us that there are people out there who are making this work.It also relates back to your another post about a man who turned around every “seemingly” adverse situation. Thank you for inspiring me today.
Etsuko
I agree with this 100%. Right now is one of the best times to hop off the bandwagon and sell lemonade to the people cruising by complaining about their bad situations. I have personally been inspired by you and many others to get a move on with my dreams of success.
So thank you for yet another inspiration piece of writing!
Thanks for posting this article, Chris! The lesson here is: Opportunity always comes in disguise, be on the look out perceived catastrophes!
Great read!
My husband lost his 12 year job with “A Big American Corporation” last March…we were stunned for about 45 minutes…then… without hesitation, we knew it was the best thing. Now our business has a “full-time” employee, who can spend the day working on projects. It’s been GREAT. While finances are tight, we have been able to pick up the pace and do more venues than if we BOTH were working full-time.
Be free and FLOURISH!
Thank-you for the post and the link to the article, Chris! I could relate to the message and the stories – it’s my story too. I had a good job in banking and got laid off, took the severance package and have been focusing on my right brain side. I would NEVER have done this if I hadn’t lost my job, but now that I’m here, I’m doing so many things I put on my “bucket list” for someday. It sucks to go through a job loss, but sometimes that tragedy is the catalyst for personal evolution and a new, better life. The stories have gotten me wondering if I could actually make money doing the things I’m doing for fun . . . love it!
Losing a job that pays the bills but you hate is a blessing in disguise.
It breaks you out of the routine you’ve been stuck in and forces you to analyze what’s important in your life. And that dayjob almost certainly wasn’t.
Once you’re snapped out of the rut, you can analyze whether you’re following your passion or just getting by. Is the routine you were living the right lifestyle? Do you feel happy and fulfilled, or are you wanting more out of life?
When you don’t have something that’s “good enough” to rely on, you get an opportunity to find what is it that you really want, and you can start figuring out how to get it.
Losing a crappy job can be the best thing that can happen to a person.
A push is what many of us need, but oftentimes feel we can’t provide ourselves. I know I’m currently struggling with it. It’s a coping mechanism for fear.
I’m afraid that if I strike out on my own, I might fall flat on my face. On the other side of the coin though, if I don’t, I’ll still fall flat on my face because I’m not being honest with myself and what I really want.
The quote from Erica Jong says it all. As long as we can create a situation where we feel like we need something from somebody else, we can feel safe in remaining idle because, well, it’s not our fault they haven’t provided us whatever it was we think we need.
I don’t have any answers, just a recognition of the problem. Who else here is waiting for a nudge that they know they’re capable of giving themselves?
I have just discovered you over the past weekend due to an unselfish good friend who linked me to you. I must say I have enjoyed your words immensely and always look forward to your new posts. I am busy studying up and preparing for the end of my second career coming up the first of June. My choice, but really more one of desperation as I cannot face after twenty years another year doing the work I do. I am using your words and shared experience as a way to gain personal inner strength along with your encouragement. Much appreciated.
Love this – and thanks for the link to the article in USA Today. I doubly relate.
In the fall of ’99 I was among half the staff laid-off one day – and the only one that practically danced out the door (I’d been plotting my escape for a while). Between my severance and a self-employment assistance program available through a local NFP (one that included a small monthly stipend for a full year!) my leap was alot less bumpy than I was afraid it was going to be.
4 years later, when it became apparent I needed to stop offering the coaching model 90% of my practice was built upon (a model I found myself increasingly in conflict with), I decided to leap again, this time with a whole lot less cushion. In both cases, I found my feet and my freedom while following the call of my life’s mission.
Coincidentally, read a great article that seems to explain some of ‘why’ we don’t leap easily over at Psychology Today.
The only way out IS through. Recovering from these unexpected pushes and falls is akin to recovering from the loss of a loved one and moving through similar stages of grief. Understanding that makes the process doable.
Love the quote. Also, “You can’t run from trouble. Ain’t no place that far.” ~Uncle Remus.
Six health coaches, The Lemonade Network, are about to release a book that helps negotiate this rocky road. The free ebook is available now.
Thanks for revealing the opportunities!
getting laid off always led to something better. i agree 150% with your line, “find security in your own competence.” Forced change can be a wonderful thing. Otherwise, you can toil in complacency for the rest of your precious life.
love this. there’s no doubt that the current economy will be the best thing that ever happened to some people and the worst for others. sometimes it’s as simple as a choice in what perspective you take.
Chris,
Its so interesting to follow people’s live when the unexpected happens. I was laid off in Feb and looked at my time off as a huge gift. How often do you get a break in the action like that? It has been a wonderful period of personal growth– I’ve never learned so much about myself and the world.
The Seattle Times also did a piece like this a couple of months ago and followed people who’d been laid off—fascinating, life’s turns…
Take Care,
Jill
I definitely agree with this, I am currently working on starting my own business online. I haven’t lost my job, but the economic turmoil has been a huge factor in me wanting a second stream of income at the very least, to cushion any blow that would be caused by a layoff.
Mmmm. So true! My own story echoes those within your post – AND still waiting, hoping, believing in an ongoing end that will be SO much better than the job I left. Hindsight always offers the clarity we miss in the moment, but the push and subsequent “fall” grant us vision we might otherwise never have. Thanks.
Thanks for writing again about this one. I saw the article when you tweeted it last week.
I do my best to surround myself with people who are always looking for that positive aspect to any situation. Most of us who don’t tune out to the “news” every day seem to find it easier to do. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
I just had a relative get downsized from her professional career, and took her world in a completely different direction. It is truly disturbing how much nay-saying and negativity she got as she threw herself into her new company. She of course ignored them all, and it is turning out to be quite a successful business.
The happiness she is getting from doing what she’d always wanted to do has done much to ease any concerns she had about losing the career she was forced from.
The kick in the ass that I needed.
“Instead of defining self-employment as inherently risky, maybe conventional employment is the real risk. (I know I certainly wouldn’t risk putting my future in someone else’s hands.)”
— definitely. i agree. the recession proves that there’s no such thing as “a stable job”. it’s about taking your own life and carrer in your own hands. i have temporarily left the world of freelancing to work fulltime for an international newswires (its a return to business reporting). but this is just for a short time. in between breaks (like now) i’m busy building my own little biz.
I think anytime is the right time to work your way out of a negative job. If you’re forced to “leap” then leap to a better way of working. If you don’t have to jump then just walk on out taking small steps until you’re clear. There is always a way.
Amen Chris. Great article as usual.
I don’t understand why people think that being employed by others is better–they’re the last hired, the first fired, and pay a hefty commission to someone else for their labor.
Can you write an article about getting off the debt treadmill too? I know it might be out of your area, but I think they’re part of the same problem of not being in control of your life. Always bills.
It’s funny, but my attitude at work sucks right now. My job is stifling, and I’m craving the time to throw myself into my passions that are now just pushed to the side due to a lack of time. (Writing & photography pertaining to cars.) I so badly want to pursue these, though I have no clue whatsoever how to make any money doing it. So my attitude sucks, and I know that I could eventually end up in trouble of losing my job if I keep it up.
The hardest thing for me is knowing that I have the power to change my situation, and yet I’m paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and it’s preventing me from doing so.
Actually, scratch that. I’m afraid of failing, even though I haven’t got anything really to lose!
WTF is wrong with me?! I know I don’t want to settle for a mediocre life, yet that’s exactly what I’m doing. I just feel insane for wanting to give up a decent college income when people who want jobs can’t find them!
Great article. I was speaking to a colleague recently who is about to be laid off and this was her attitude too. She was looking at leaving the big city and starting something of her own. Awesome.
If you’re thinking about quitting your job but aren’t because of fear, honestly ask yourself – what’s the worst that can happen?
I swear; you won’t die. I quit my job. I moved my family to another state. We lived in a hotel for six months. Then we moved into a much better place then we’ve ever lived before. Fair trade, I’d say.
You might have to downgrade your lifestyle for a little bit. That means getting to down to essentials – figuring out what is really important to you. Sounds good, right? So, that will probably happen.
You won’t die. You’ll try things. Some won’t work even though they seemed like good ideas. But since you HAVE to, you’ll regroup and try something else.
Chris, thank you for today’s newsletter ~ just what I needed to hear after a few days of self doubt and high anxiety about not having paid work but plenty of ‘pro bono’ work.
Very warm and close to the heart topic. I am in a very similar situation right now where things are not going the way I want them to. Yet, we all know the saying: “Be careful what you wish for”.
“Failures” so to speak take you directions that you would not have been otherwise aware of. Key word here to me seems to be awareness.
Many people fail day in and day out, but yet they fail to accept the responsibility for failure themselves and they keep on failing the environment, the boss, the economy. Sometimes it requires real courage to take responsibility, because, just like you mention in the article – there is nobody left to blame.
I am always pleased to read a great and refreshing article about a conventional situation. I love being surrounded by a crowd that loves to grow and prosper in the times of uncertainty!
Best,
Tomas
I just wanted to follow-up on my comment earlier and say that this post actually gave me the push I need to start writing an ebook. I’d been toying with the idea for awhile and I was able to pound at 1000 words today.
Thanks for the push!
True.
After all:
“If you always do what you always did; you will always get what you always got.”
If it is a poor job, it is always going to be poor, why stay?
Stay well Chris,
Thank you Chris, this is a profound post. It is interesting that times of crisis force us to make positive change, yet when times are “good” we settle for an unhappy status quo. Regards and respect.
Thanks Chris, I really couldn’t agree more. In fact I’d go further to say that people *need* some minor disaster to happen if they’re going to make long lasting, positive changes. Otherwise there’s no real reason. I’ve always encouraged everyone to take their dissatisfaction and use it to their advantage. I know the big changes I’ve made have invariably stemmed from career despair!
@Foxie. Tell me to go jump if I sound like I’m telling you how to suck eggs, but have you read Susan Jeffers’ “Feel the fear & do it anyway”? It’s a good starting point for the questions you have. Of course you’re not insane and there’s nothing wrong with you – what you’re feeling is completely normal (and good)! And it seems to me you’re looking for the answers in some of the right places (e.g. here)!
Foxie, in my experience, when people are unhappy in a situation, their subconscious finds a way to sabotage it. Could be what you need, but when you actually find yourself getting closer each and every day, it makes all the difference in the world.
If we consider that life’s events are the product of our cocreative efforts, and their manifestation is driven by a natural tendency towards greater coherence (in other words, creating more meaning/value for a given amount of energy), then we could consider any event as productive and perfect. To some degree this is the basis for the eastern practice of contemplation.
Maybe these events do not seem productive in the short term, they could even be dramatic, but as Chris mentioned in this post, they could be the start of a more fulfilling life. It all depends on what’s our atitude towards life’s events.
A crisis is often a fertil grown for reflexion and renewed action. In my work, I try to instill the desire for constant reinvention to keep those spiritual muscles flexible and able to overcome the many changes that we are all subject to through out life. Reinvention implies PLAY to discover our potential and realize it. When we stop playing, we stop learning. Are you still playing?
Articles about people making the best of bad situations are so inspiring. However, my situation is not bad, but I still want to make the jump. I’m just looking for the right kind of push to become extraordinary. Hopefully, it doesn’t have to come through hardship. Hopefully, it can be a willing decision. But if it’s not, I’ll be ready for what ever comes.
My catalyst wasn’t getting laid off, but getting RSI after ten years in the IT business.
Although I hadn’t been planning to leave my old job, it was a blessing in disguise. I retrained to become a library technician, and now have two jobs (part time and casual) which I enjoy much more, with heaps of flexibility over the hours I work … or don’t work. Life is better, but it took RSI to force me to change.
The savings I put away while working in IT turned out to be vital in supporting me while I retrained. For anyone enduring a job they hate, the time is not necessarily wasted if you can save money to support you as you “take the leap”.
When I started work (1983) I was encouraged to find employment with a big company – a job for life. Except it wasn’t; I got made redundant around the time my first child was born. Disaster (or so I thought); I was hoping to carry on working for this company on a part-time basis. The pay was good, the hours were good but the job was gone.
Now I realise it was the best thing to happen to me. I had another child, went to university and now have my own business. I am happier in my working life more than at any other time. I would have never done any of this if I hadn’t have lost that job for life!
I don’t think it’s surprising that many people need a push (or a shove, in the case of job loss) to go out on their own. People hard wired to want comfort and security. It takes acting consciously and overriding our natural inclination… The first step always being the hardest.
Great article and post, Chris. It’s always reassuring to see people acting on and trusting their own ability!
This article represents the wisdom of the ages, and my wife and I can relate totally. A few years ago my wife left a job she hated. Actually, it was sort of push-pull. Her employer didn’t like the symptoms of her artistic frustrations. Her regular paycheck, unfortunately, had allowed me to be a slacker. I had a good idea but had sat on it. My wife’s job loss not only resulted in her finally creating the art she loved, but it got me to implement the idea that had lain dormant for so long. Here’s the spooky part: at the exact instant when we were at the tipping point between fear and forward movement, an old friend in a similar situation suddenly appeared in our lives and provided everything we needed to succeed by simply taking a different path. Magic indeed!
–> The REAL risk is putting your future in someone else’s hands. Amen to that brother.
The so-called “secure” job is often simply that job to which we have become accustomed to doing. More illusion then security. Genuine security does not come from a job, it comes from having the skills to add value to someone else’s life, and the courage to stand on your own two feet.
Chris,
As it was stated up above, To get what you have never had you must do what you have never done. I have this quote littered around my house. It is a helpful reminder. I also have a quote from you on my laptop. “You don’t have to live your life the way others expect you to.”
Vince
I really loved this post Chris. I can really relate to this post as I was “pushed” a few years ago when I was nailed with chronic pain AND having to deal with a job that did not satisfy me. This eventually lead to my personal freedom in many many different ways. It made me take a big leap into the unknown where I simply had to rely on myself and my abilities…and it worked. 🙂
Thank you again,
Dayne
I found this post just after I’d written a post of my own – I’m currently ‘mid-leap’ in making a significant life change towards a more free and mobile lifestyle …looking forward to all the wonderful places I’ll be landing!
This is a tangent but related. I heard an analyst on NPR’s Marketplace about a week ago argue for not extending unemployment benefits because it was encouraging people to sit around and collect a check instead of creating their own recovery.
He interviewed two people whose benefits has run out and they started out in low-pay service sector but found a way to create themselves a new life further up the food chain. One had to move a long distance and her family was taking care of her daughter and keeping her in her school for the year until she saved enough to get them settled in her new location. She said she balked at first but now sees that if it hadn’t happened – the collapse, her foreclosure, and her benefits running out – she would never have ventured into this new area.
I don’t think everybody’s silver lining will be this instantaneous but a new world is being organized by those who would typically have been labeled the losers.
I found this article so compelling – I have been laid off for 2 years, right after a traumatic brain injury. I have been spending my time recovering, doing brain therapy, listening to Abraham-Hicks and doing focus wheels, vision boards, deliberate intent. Even as co-founder of a company out of Singapore, things just aren’t happening for me. Just yesterday I was looking at what a bankruptcy would mean to me and my finances when this article came through. And while I don’t know where I am going right now or what adventure calls me, the adventure of a bankruptcy will not be my next one.
I don’t know my jumping off place. I don’t even know which direction to face right now. But it is time to pick something, and just go.
Thanks Chris, for a very inspirational article.
Chris,
thanks for posting that story from USA Today! i love hearing these stories of people turning the ‘recession’ around and then earning WAY more money than they did at their 9-5 jobs, but you won’t see these stories on the evening news since the media just wants to feed the fear and keep everyone in line =-(
to “Foxie”: why not start a blog about your passion for cars? i’m a fan of vintage autos myself and would love to see someone writing about that (if they aren’t already!); i’m sure lots of folks would be happy to see something about newer cars if that’s what you love and i can say from experience that starting my own blog has helped me to see beyond my crap job and find like-minded souls who really lend a lot of support for what i do – creating meaningful gifts and toys =-)
Great stuff, Chris —
We all hear the whining, moaning and excuses from people all the time. They’re so conditioned by the “system” starting most of the time with their parents, then teachers, college, etc. Once they buy into the “system” they start buying the “stuff.” And then one day, the trap door opens and they fall through. They don’t know what to do about it because their dreams were all based on the “system.” Like you with your Art of Non-conformity, I’ve been living and working free all my life. I managed to not allow the “system” to trap me. And now, I’m working at helping as many others as I can to learn to “live and work free.” I appreciate you and the group who follow you and all their efforts because, in the short and long run, those we influence will likely survive and have a great life. Those who won’t make the leap – even when pushed, will just fall into an abyss. That’s a shame, but you can only help those who are willing to at least attempt to make the leap. Thanks!
Chris,
This is inspiring…I work with clients on this very mindset all the time…sometimes it does just take a “push”…I firmly believe that every dark period produces a renaissance and that yes, entrepreneurialism is exploding during this economic recession, even Entrepreneur Magazine included an article last year about MBA applications spiking during a time when you wouldn’t expect it…people who have put their dreams on the shelf for too long have to wake up when they suffer a loss like that of a job – you hit the fork in the road and you have to make a choice, one way more than likely leads to more mediocrity and the suppression of dreams, the other road may be scary, but personally I can’t think of much more frightening than not pursuing something you love and trying it. I urge anyone going through this series of decisions to strongly consider starting a business doing something you’re passionate about…it can make all the difference.
I believe in this wholeheartedly. I have always had a strong faith and have known that no matter what my path was divinely paved. If a door closed, there had to be a reason and there was something better in store. We can’t see it at the time and it’s hard to sometimes accept, but we cannot force life. We have to live it and accept the challenges that come. When we resist change, we miss the blessing or opportunity that is to follow.
I completely digg the positivity here. Life turn out best for the people who make the best of the way life turns out.
It has been said that when you find work that you love the rest will come. I worked as a Firefighter for 29 years and retired due to health. It’s a young persons game. Now as I search for the second career I love the inspiration I get from the blog and all the comments every one contributes. Thanks and to all a great week. Good hunting
I always say the ongoing mantra of all self help is “Life isn’t about what happens to you, but how you react to it.”
I think losing your job makes one and their family reevalute one’s entire life. My husband lost his job and being 58 it’s not easy beginning again. Wall St. Journal says anyone finding a job can expect to be let go again in 3 years.
That did it. He decided to begin his own biz. Has it been easy no. Has it been challenging yes. We haven’t fought for years and we found ourselves fighting over the stupidest things for a while. All of course coming out of fear. Fear of the unknown etc.
I’m not sure there is such thing as a stable job today. This teaches on to be open and live in the moment more. Who knows what life will bring anyone? Nobody!
Life can change in an instant…good or bad. It’s just that this is the first time so many of us in the USA have been in this position together.
An opportunity for all to grow and learn and keep movin’ forward all the while enjoying the moment or day.
Something I’ve been surprised to find in my economic classes is the fact that money is just a symbol of value and depends on the confidence of the population is such a vital foundation to understand world economy and finance. Hell, there’s even a “Consumer’s Price Index.” Inflation happens because there is more money in circulation, yes, but it also happens because people BELIEVE there is too much money or money is easier to come by, i.e. low interest rates.
The recession happened from fluctuations in confidence! Recessions are manmade and as long as people have such low confidence in the marketplace, it will continue to be a problem. Instead of blaming everything on the economy, make better decisions! Don’t take out that mortgage if you can’t pay it off. Blaming it on the economy seems, to me, like a cop-out from investigating our own actions …
Yeah, many times adversity pushes people to do the things they could have done all along if they had only known it. But we don’t have to wait for an outside force, we can give ourselves that push as well.
I am so glad that I found this article. It’s something that I often tell other people, about being booted out of their comfort zones — and now, it’s ME getting the boot. Being laid off from a job that I was growing very restless with has actually been one of the best things that has happened. I am much more focused about what it is I want to do and am seriously working on redesigning and refining my new life. It’s great to find a community of like minded people.
@Andre That’s great to hear! 😀 What have you used that opportunity to do, if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m definitely on the being-laid-off-was-the-best-thing-to-happen-to-me side of the fence; that push was the Universe demanding that I stop procrastinating, stop making excuses, stop living cautiously and really pay attention to where my heart was compelling me.
I once told my tween daughters: Pretend there’s a roller coaster. Would you rather be the person standing next to it with a clipboard weighing risks and thinking about physics — or the person riding it first with your hands in the air screaming the whole way?
Please scream your way through life!
Quotes I enjoy.
“It is never too late to become what you might have been” George Eliot.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
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