This past Monday I began a new adventure, at a new place of work.
As it is anytime you start a fresh assignment in life, the transition has been exciting, and a little nerve wracking, overwhelming, and just downright fun.
I am someone who never really likes to do anything without being, well, incredibly versed in whatever it is that I am doing (aka I am a foolhardy perfectionist), so starting out as the new gal is always a bit of a learning curve for me.
It never really does get easier, but my belief in myself and my abilities has grown as I have also grown (older), and so I do have an easier time coping with the pressure that I put on myself.
But I have a confession to make.
Perhaps not exactly a confession, but an addendum (or perhaps the opposite of an addendum?) to this tale –
I quit my old job before I had secured my current position.
I’m not sure if any of you remember, but about five thousand years ago I wrote about the fact that I had “a secret” – something that I desperately wanted to share with all of you, but couldn’t for reasons (annoyingly) that I couldn’t divulge.
My plan had been to put in my notice with my old employer, take the summer to both spend time with Marc, and finally take a moment to think about what it was I wanted to do in the next phase of my career.
I had tentatively been putting together a project plan around starting a non-profit focused on providing writing and theatre opportunities for young women here in New Westminster, and had also planned on doing public speaking for Big Sisters through the United Way in the fall.
However, nothing had actually been set in stone.
I would be throwing caution to the wind, jumping into the void, and using all the other available clichés I could think of, to take the biggest (professional) risk of my relatively young career.
Many people sought to tell me that handing in my notice with no concrete job prospects, or guarantee of income was more than a little scary.
But despite this, I knew that leaving my old position was the best thing I could do for myself.
Sure, what they were telling me was, for all intents and purposes, correct. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I had some trepidation thinking about the unknown – but I also received an incredible amount of energy, excitement, and giddiness thinking about it.
In the end I trusted my abilities to succeed far more than I did my occasional stomach twinges of anxiety.
I knew that something would come up.
And in the end something did.
Just five days after handing in my letter of resignation, my current job was posted.
Nine days later the position was mine.
I am still incredulous at the serendipitous nature of the whole process – but hey, in the end you’ve got to just trust your instincts, right?
Because in the end, you are the only one who knows what will make you the happiest – whether that means staying until you find your next step, or jumping out of that plane knowing for certain that the parachute will unfold – it’s best to follow your head, heart, and gut.
(But just check to see if the parachute is indeed there. That might be good too.)
Rant and Roll 
Best of luck.
Cheers!
You did the right thing — that it worked out the way that it did proves it!
Definitely the right thing. Sometimes the scariest thing, but always the right thing!
Glad the cosmos moved in your direction!
Thanks! Me too. :)
So many hops, skips, and jumps for you over here! It is inspiring to see friends taking risks and having those risks rewarded.
So many! I’m starting to feel as though I couldn’t be a professional hopscotcher. (My five year-old dreams come true!) And thanks! Goodness knows if I don’t look to you daily for that same inspiration!
Good for you! I was always quitting jobs without having something else lined up! I always found something bigger and better! If you believe you will succeed right?! Also, I remember you saying you had a secret! I totally thought it was that you guys were going to be on the Amazing Race!
Haha, I WISH! Oh my goodness, how I wish. Unfortunately no – the show really dropped the ball on that one, didn’t they? Hah!
And thank you – I’m so glad to see I have such a fabulous sister in arms when it comes to risk taking!
Excellent! The are 3 things successful people have in common: 1) a vision, 2) belief/trust in achieving it, and 3) take action. You hit the nail on the head, too, with your realization that “in the end, you are the only one who knows what will make you the happiest.” When we face our fear and step into our power, we are rewarded and with MORE than we expected. Ain’t life grand?! Congrats and best wishes on this next leg of your life’s journey.
Life IS grand! You’ve got to make the most of your opportunities, lest they go to waste. And sometimes, you’ve got to make those opportunities for yourself by taking the plunge!
Thanks so much for this note. Reading it alone made me feel really grounded and happy! :)
trust? in me to belabour the awbvee ous: you’re young, you’re schmardt, you’ve got — if not a fire — plenty of irons anyweigh — so, a “good job” would be YOURS before long, anyway.
and you (continue to be) are what i’d call “idealistic”. in any day and age, and THIS, that is always a good thing. (besides, furthur belayboring the awbveee ous, marc is emploid, and on health insurance. you can walk out on thin ice quite a ways …)
ah, orygunn …. (but i equally like what i’ve seen and XXXpeerienced of Brit C, as well)
Oregon is crazy because there are sooooo many different types of plants/foliage/what have you. There is diversity here, but when we were hiking in Ashland we encountered all types of terrain – forrest/meadow/etc. It changed up all the time!
And thank you :) It’s good to be idealistic – and to let your ideals be forged in that fire! Haha!
Ha! Im in the exact same situation…I will be handing in my notice on Monday with no real guarantee of where Im headed except out of my current situation. Thanks for this it reminded me that I just need to trust my intuition :)
Definitely trust your gut! It’ll see you through every situation.
And congratulations on the leap! I wish you the best in whatever it is that you take on from here! x
Way to Take the Leap Sweetie – Congrats & Good Luck – Happy Adventuring!!!
Thanks Ms. R! Means the world to me. :)
My dear, congrats. You’ve done something I’ve always wanted to do but have never had the guts to pull off. Here’s to being happy in your new job! *raises glass of wine*
Thank you so, so much! It was definitely scary, but in the end it payed off!