For most of us, the thought of working from home sounds pretty amazing.
Well, not exactly, but it’s still pretty amazing.
The day I quit my day job was one of the scariest of my life.
Was I making a mistake?
Would I regret this in a few years?
What if my business completely falls through?
I should have listened to my intuition sooner, but felt like I needed to stick it out.
One strength I did discover during college was writing.
I loved researching the complicated medical topics we were learning about and organizing that information into papers.
I loved the connections I made with my patients and their families.
I loved being there for my fellow nurses and helping each other throughout our shifts.
Most of all, I loved knowing that my work was truly making a difference.
However, it still wasn’t right.
Becoming close to patients was emotionally draining.
I often drove home after a long shift nodding off from pure exhaustion.
And none of this became so clear as when I became a mother.
When we had our daughter four years ago, I suddenly saw my life with perfect clarity.
Maternity leave was this happy blur of napping, cuddling, and finally hearing my intuition.
Being home for those three months showed me that there is another way to live.
I began Googling ways that nurses could work from home and spent every free moment searching for answers.
When I learned about medical writing, I dove in.
The most important step I took to becoming a writer was simply starting.
I emailed nursing education companies and earned a job writing courses and exams for nurses.
I started a food blog and began making connections with local publications.
I even landed my own recipe column in our local magazine, complete with regular TV appearances!
I then became a recipe tester for major food companies.
Experience doesn’t matter.
Education doesn’t matter.
It’s all about courage and persistence.
I wrote out my vision for my future with as much detail as possible.
I knew I wanted to flexibly work from home.
I wanted a career that I could completely plan around my family, instead of the other way around.
I wanted to be able to travel and go on adventures together.
We learn them over time.
Have you ever seen a newborn baby walking and talking?
That baby has to make mistakes to learn, and so do we.
Simply commit to figuring it out as you go.
You may even feel a hint of jealousy, but that’s a good thing!
Your little green monster is giving you hints about what you truly want for your own life.
Fortunately, it was just the opposite.
My success created a ripple effect that I didn’t expect.
I have since helped old and new friends jump-start their own side gigs and freelance careers.
For one thing, you’re probably wrong about what others are thinking of you.
It also truly doesn’t matter.
One of the most common regrets of the dying?
Not having the courage to live their own lives.
“This was the most common regret of all.
Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.”
Was I crazy for leaving a dependable job like nursing to leap into the unpredictable world of freelancing?
When you’re a freelancer, you might never truly relax.
The day I walked into my clinic ready to quit, I still felt a little unsure.
I was especially nervous because I was going to be meeting with our brand-new director.
Quitting the first time you’re meeting your new boss is not a good look.
The new guidelines would have required me to work more and have to change our daycare situation.
Your hours can change, your position can be eliminated, your vacation request may not be approved.
However, when you’re the boss, you have the control.
Now I know that I’d rather bet on myself than anyone else.
I’ll be happy once I leave my job.
I’ll be able to slow down once I leave my job.
All my dreams will come true once I get out of this job!
But here’s the thing.
It may be a long time between when you set your goal and when you achieve it.
Waiting to be happy is a mistake.
Perhaps you could spend your lunch break at work writing a blog post for your business.
Find small ways to incorporate joy into your everyday life.
You’ll hit your goals faster and actually enjoy the journey.
This will happen any time it’s time to take a big leap.
You will never feel ready.
You will never feel like it’s the right time.
The only option is to move forward anyway.
Otherwise you will stay in a job that’s not right for you for far too long.
And then stick to the plan and move on.
Just start
There were plenty of reasons for me to stay in my nursing job.
I had a stable job with coworkers who I loved.
I was moving up in my career and was a valued member of the team.
I went to college and graduate school to be a nurse.
Oh, and I knew absolutely nothing about writing, or any other career, for that matter.
But there was one big reason to attempt to become a writer.
Because it was in my heart.
Because I knew that something was missing, and I found the inner strength to go after it.
Becoming a mother definitely gave me that extra courage to try new things and put myself out there.
If you have been dreaming of a fresh start, take one small step today.
You’ll be so glad you did.
