I have a vivid memory of the day I resigned.
I hadn’t planned on resigning that day, so February 4th, 2020 felt like any other Tuesday. In fact, I’d made the decision to leave my current job long ago. Staying in my role as Vice President of a very successful company just for a pay cheque was no longer an option.
I wanted more.
I am sure my boss could see it in my eyes that day. The drive simply wasn’t there, and hadn’t been for quite some time. I was at the point where no amount of money could offset the stress of working in a culture that no longer aligned with my values or served my identity.
Conversely, the dream of starting my own business and pursuing my passions full time was stronger than ever. This vision had been manifesting inside me for a couple years now and simply put, it was time.
The pull of my dreams — and the push away from my current role — led me to blurt out I’m resigning.
A bold statement that would significantly change the course of my career and my life.
Once said, there was no turning back and it felt incredible. On the drive home that day, I remember feeling both nervous and excited that I had finally taken the hardest step of all.
Little did I know what the next four weeks would bring.
Just weeks later, COVID-19 would grip the entire globe with fear, uncertainty, and anxiety in ways we have never experienced before. As the economy crashed, businesses and schools closed, and wearing a mask and queuing up for groceries became the new norm, people struggled with their new reality of quarantine, physical distancing, and living with restrictions being placed on just about everything we could imagine. All this while trying to cope with the worry and anxiety of catching a deadly virus.
Talk about a time to walk away from your well-paying, stable job and starting over.
But, that’s exactly what I did. I made a commitment to myself on February 4th and I was determined to honour that commitment. Over the course of the following few months, a great deal of deep reflection meant some serious soul searching. Overcoming my own fears and anxieties to a place of clarity and confidence in what I was about to embark upon was at the core of this introspection. I mean, who quits their job in the middle of a global pandemic? As crazy as it sounds, I was beginning to feel like it was the perfect time to become an entrepreneur and venture out on my own.
I have to say, my meditation practice, daily exercise, and journaling may have saved my life during what could have been a time of crippling stress and anxiety. To me, these three things are the foundation for clarity and confidence of who I am, what I represent, and where I am headed. Fear of uncertainty turned into optimism of opportunity.
The more I continued to focus on building my own foundation of health and well-being, the more my confidence grew. Confidence in my decision, but more importantly, confidence in myself to make it happen.
There are still moments of fear and anxiety, but they are quickly subdued with a pause, a deep breath, and a return to my centre. It’s amazing how something so simple, could be such a powerful tool to guide me on my journey.
These are the practices and principles that my life (and vocation) is entirely based on. My desire to live authentically in every facet of my life is finally being realized and I have to say, it feels pretty damn good. If there is one lesson I have learned during these times of isolation and uncertainty, is that our personal well-being cannot and should not ever be compromised for anything. And, that it’s the one thing we will always have complete control over.
As I look ahead to the coming months and the first leg of this journey, I do so not with hope, not with faith, but with belief. Hope and faith are cool, but belief has a different feel to it.
Belief is that unwavering commitment to your purpose and most importantly, to yourself. Belief can handle fear and anxiety. Belief acknowledges those emotions, gives them their space, but very quickly brings you back to the path you are on. Belief underpins confidence and clarity, building a foundation that cannot be shaken, regardless of what is thrown at you…
Even a global pandemic.