We're coming up on my One Year Quit-viersary, the day I stopped working full-time. Yup, it's almost been a full year since I hit the bricks and did something completely ill-advised. September 23 was my last day at work.The reasons I left were serious: I was tired of the type of work, after 15 years I was not challenged and there was no foreseeable career path or advancement. Most importantly, I decided to commit myself to "righting the ship" -- to point my career back towards what I'm passionate about.
Ultimately, the experiment was a success. Last month I got a full-time job offer in my ideal field. Huzzah! Just, unfortunately, I had to turn it down because ... I'm moving to Paris. So, yeah ....
Financially, this has been a good wake-up call. I was definitely buying way too much, and not watching my spending. But on the upside, I was contributing to my family's monthly budget. And once that stopped, well, it's taking me some time to get used to. I have been fortunate to find some freelance writing work and the direct sales side-gig is bringing in some income. So ... there's that.
And looking back on the year, I've accomplished a lot. I was very involved in our basement refinishing project and I think that directly contributed to it being done mostly on time, and mostly on budget.
I also did a lot of decluttering and organizing. And got into some arts and crafts I haven't had time for. I even established a gym routine! Not to mention I got to be a dedicated mom; at the bus stop, morning and afternoon, hear all about school/camp, help with homework and, most days, prepare dinner.
I also became the unofficial family taxi driver. And found out grocery shopping is way more enjoyable on a Tuesday mid-morning, instead of a Saturday afternoon. Yes, I learned how quickly my family got used to me taking care of everything around the house, too. (Not always a good thing.)I'm learning that each week is going to be different, and having an "at home weekly schedule" (laundry on Mondays, vacuuming on Thursday) is not realistic. The "that's who I am this week" motto is powering me through that particular life lesson.
So, there are advantages of doing something crazy like leaving a perfectly secure job; for me, I opened up space in my life to say "yes" to a lot of things I would have ignored or avoided. It's been a time to take a breather and consider what I really want, what my goals are. Be more intentional about where my ship is heading.
Now, was one of my goals to move to Paris? Sure, but in a very day-dreamy kind of way. Little did I know that just one year after I quit I'd be preparing my family for that big move. But here I am. Ready for the next adventure.
Related posts:
My "I'm quitting" announcement
My Day 1 plans for staying home
More "stay home" posts
More "jobs" posts
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