As many of you may have read before, I recently quit my job without another one lined up.
I quit for several reasons, but the main one was that I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing and I felt like time was running out for me to get on with it and do something more fitting.
The only problem with this reason is that I didn’t (and still don’t, really) have a clear vision for what I want to do next.
I was able to secure some part time work that will help stretch my savings, but truth be told it’s not work that makes my heart sing any more than my last job didn’t.
So here I am. With a bit more time on my hands and a big question mark following me around.
I’ve jumped into the abyss, a space of formlessness, where I’m not fully sure what’s to come.
And while I don’t really enjoy not knowing, I’m not nearly as afraid as I would have been a year ago.
Starting this blog, writing about fear hugging every week and interviewing others about fear has taught me more than I realized until now. In a way it’s prepared me for this moment.
Yes, I feel some fear about being underemployed and not having a fully defined next step, but I’m in this space anyway.
I took the leap.
I’m taking this risk.
I’m putting into use all that I’ve been writing and asking about this past year.
I’m feeling the fear and doing it anyway and in that sense I feel very much alive.
I have an irrational, yet comforting belief that I was meant to leap when I did and that I will be a better me for doing so.
I also strongly believe that my example can help encourage others to take big or small leaps of their own, even if they have no idea how things will turn out and especially if they struggle with fear.
So whatever you wish to do, whatever abyss you might be in or be thinking about jumping into, take heart, you can do it.
Life is short. Who knows what tomorrow, a week, a month or a year might bring?
Being unsure about what you want or what might happen does not excuse you from trying.
As I go forth further into this abyss, I predict that some of what I write or how I write will change.
How can it not?
My most sincere hope is that what I share remains helpful and encouraging.
Until next time,
Varonica 🙂
Congrats on this journey and giant step.
How did you quit? How much notice did you give? How did you save up? How did you face the fear of quitting? What’s your message for others who are thinking about quitting:) Hope to hear more and read more in upcoming posts, Varonica!
Thanks, Vishnu!! That post (and more) is now in the works! Thanks for the idea!
Congratulations on making the leap, Varonica. The period after leaving a job is a time of uncertainty but also excitement. When I left my job, there was a period of wandering. Only now, almost a year later, am I finding my focus on what I really want to do (and how I want to do it). But it’s worth it, there are no regrets. With more time to think, you’re in better place to discover what you really want to do.
Thanks, Brandon! It’s so nice to hear from a fellow traveler. Thanks for sharing your experience. It really helps me to read that and I think it will help others too!
Varonica,
That you will find (no, write) your way to a life immeasurably better than the one you gave up, I have no doubts. I couldn’t be prouder of you for the progress you’ve made on this blog and for all the actions you’ve taken to propel yourself in the direction of your goals.
This line resonated so deeply with me: “Being unsure about what you want or what might happen does not excuse you from trying.” For so many of us, certainly for myself, uncertainty is not only our excuse for not trying, its also our excuse for not dreaming.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us so courageously. Majorly inspired.
Justin
Thank you for such a fabulous comment, Justin! It means so much to me!!!
I’m so glad that something I wrote was helpful to you! I know I’ve let (and sometimes still do let) uncertainty stop me even from dreaming before I even get to the trying step.
Thankfully, one scary step at a time is all it takes!