In a world that is constantly telling you what you should be doing, who you should be, where you should be in life, be brave. Be bold. Be yourself.
Take the road less traveled. Don’t follow the beaten paths, especially if they don’t (or won’t) make you happy. And don’t settle until you are exactly where you want to be in life.
When I graduated college, I thought I knew my career path and trajectory of my life. I’d wanted to be a criminal investigator for as long as I could remember. And I set out to do just that from my first day in college.
In fact, I was hired as a federal law enforcement officer/investigator 6 months after graduation. And I loved every minute of it. The training. The learning. The experiences.
And then I didn’t. I settled into the every day humdrum of the job and realized I was bored. I thought maybe it was the agency I was working for or the work I was doing. So I switched agencies.
And it was exciting again. I did more training. More learning. More experiences. And it was fun again.
Until it wasn’t.
So then I thought it was the location I was working in. And I had the opportunity to transfer offices. And it once again became fun. I was learning and meeting new people and had new opportunities.
But it eventually became boring again. I found any reason to be out of the office or to take leave. I pretty much hated going to work and found any way to get out of it.
And when the opportunity arose for me to leave the government, I thought I was crazy for even entertaining the idea. I figured I’d take a 6 month leave of absence and see if I could hack it.
But then I realized I didn’t want to just take a leave of absence. I wanted to be DONE with the government.
So in 2016, I walked away from the federal government. I 100% followed the road less traveled and walked away from my very well paying cushy government job. To run my own business. Be my own boss. Do something I love.
And while it certainly hasn’t been easy and the road has had lots of curves and deviations, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I’ve learned to go with the flow and trust the process. I’ve evolved and grown as a business owner and leader. And I’ve learned so much about myself and what I truly want out of life.
It was a huge risk and it took a ton of bravery, but I wouldn’t change any of my decisions. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and done over the past almost 7 years.
It may not be conventional. And it can certainly feel like a lonely road. But I’m blessed beyond measure. And I would encourage any of you who are unhappy or unsure of where you are in life to be bold and take risks if you’re able.
It may just change your life.
I hope you have a beautiful week and slow down as we head into Christmas this weekend.
Whitney
