Recently, I quit my comfy corporate job to pursue my dreams. I dream of creating a legacy for my three kids, being physically more present for my family, and living a purpose-driven life.


What happened?

I spent the past ten years working in Accounting and Finance. I was excited at the beginning of my career. But over time, the excitement started to wear off.  I realized that Corporate America was not a good fit at this stage of my life.

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Life gets real

A few years ago, my mother, my hero, became disabled as a result of a neurodegenerative disorder. She lives thousands of miles away.  I can only visit for short periods due to work and financial constraints.

A few years later, it was my brother. He had been pretty healthy until he was diagnosed in his forties with a very rare illness; which forced him to change his life overnight and take a break from traditional work.  

So, I came up with a plan to keep working a full-time job while slowly working to build a real estate portfolio. Getting out of the corporate environment in the next 5 to 10 years was the plan. I studied the market heavily for two years, reading books and articles. I listened to podcasts, researched investment properties, simply learning as much as I could about the industry.

Life gets even more real.

Then my sister was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer, and my world shattered.

As time went on, demands at work kept increasing. Up until that point, I had convinced myself that the “flexibility” my job gave me was worth the insane demands from Senior Leadership.  But eventually, I changed my thinking. No matter how little sleep I was getting, I still didn’t have enough time with my family, let alone time to work on side projects. I woke up every day dreading going to and sad that I could not spend more time being there for my family.

Related post: What will your legacy be?

have a dream

Time for a change.

One day I asked my husband: “what if I spend the next five years continuing on this path and wake up one day having lost all the time I had with my family and stuck in the same position”. After agreeing that it was a possibility and sharing his own regrets, he asked me a question. “Why wouldn’t you take the leap right now and focus on the projects you are interested in?” My response was that with three kids aged five and under, it wasn’t the ideal time to take the jump.

Now looking back, I know the seed was planted that day. Every day I prayed to God to give me a sign of what to do next. I entertained the idea of looking for another job. But there was nothing out there that aligned with my long term plan.

Then one day, I woke up thinking, “I need to quit my job and give myself a year to reset and focus on other projects.”

Figuring out a way to quit my job.

For the next couple of weeks, I started working on a couple of scenarios to see if it that could be an option for us. With three small children and a new house, the timing was not ideal. After running the analyses, I found a way. With a few adjustments on our end, and the financial cushion we had in our savings, we could afford to take that chance. It would cost us financially, but my husband was in full support. I gave it a few more days, and as time went by, I knew in my heart that it was the right decision.

So I did it! I quit my job, unsure of what the future holds.

Related post: Five Things I Learned After Quitting My Corporate Job

               
              Photo Credit: Jason Swabi  

“I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself”  Beyoncé“