The day I graduated from college with a business degree was what I thought to be the beginning of a successful career in the corporate world. I had dreams to shatter the glass ceiling and climb my way to the top.
A year into my first corporate job I was beginning to lose sight of that dream. I was burnt out and exhausted. I dreaded getting up and going to work every day. I felt like I was wasting 40+ hours of my week doing a job that I didn’t even like.
I realized in this first year how important doing a job that I’m passionate about was to me. I was so unmotivated to do anything and felt that no matter what company or position I was in, I would not truly be happy. Doing a job I wasn’t passionate about just wasn’t sustainable long term for me.
Ever since I was little I loved helping people. I was always the go-to person for advice. I was so passionate about helping people, but not in a surface-level way. Helping people make big decisions for themselves and achieve their goals.
I ignored that passion and decided to major in business because people told me I was good at it and I could make good money.
Even though I didn’t like my job, I wasn’t thinking about making a big career change. I didn’t think I could. I thought that because I had gotten a degree in business that I needed to do that for the rest of my life. I truly didn’t even entertain the idea of making a career change.
Until I heard about Life Coaching.
It was literally my dream job. I heard about it on a podcast and immediately knew it was for me. At first I thought it may be something I do when I’m older and have kids. A fun little side job.
I decided to hire my own life coach just to see how the process was and if I enjoyed it. Well, I completely fell in love. With her help, I decided I was going to make this career change sooner rather than later.
So that’s exactly what I did. I finished my coaching certification, started my own business, and quit my job. All within the same month. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.
I never thought I had it in me to go off on my own and start my own business. I was so fearful of failure. But working with my own life coach helped me overcome this fear and believe in myself and my ability to succeed.
I’m still learning and growing every day, but I definitely learned some things from taking the biggest risk of my life.
#1: Don’t let fear of failure stop you.
Failing was the biggest fear I had when quitting my job and starting my own business. What will people think of me if I fail? What will I think of myself?
But then I realized that failure is inevitable. I’m going to fail, but that’s how I learn and grow. Once I stopped fearing failure and started embracing it, I started taking more risks, which ultimately helped me grow much faster.
#2: There is never going to be a “right time”.
If it wasn’t for my life coach I probably would still to this day be waiting for the “right time”. But I learned through her that there is never going to be a right time. It’s always going to be scary. It’s always going to be a risk. It’s always going to feel super uncomfortable. You’ll always have an excuse for waiting. You’re never going to feel fully ready. But if it’s something you think you’d regret not trying, then you have to just do it and learn as you go.
#3: Nothing is set in stone.
I used to think that once I had a plan I couldn’t change anything. That once I quit my job there was no going back. But that’s just not true. You can always go back to a job like you had before. You can always change directions in your business. You can always change your mind. Give yourself grace and allow yourself to do whatever feels right to you.
Taking the biggest risk of my life and quitting my job to pursue my passion was 100% worth it. Yes there are tough times. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. But I am seriously the happiest that I have ever been. I am living out my purpose every day and helping women create a life they love. I’m so happy I didn’t wait and just went for it.
Written by Jane Hursey | @jane_hursey