For the 6-month anniversary of me + freedom, I am giving us a present – the next level of freedom! On May 7, 2016, I embarked on a strange and beautiful journey. After a lifetime of workaholism, I voluntarily left my job to figure out what I really want to do with my life. I have no idea if I will find that perfect calling, but I am determined to give it my best shot…and to be patient with myself along the way.
Reflecting back on the arc of my journey to today, it’s pretty remarkable what has been required to shed the layers of expectation and habitual thinking around what I needed to do in my life to be considered a success in my own eyes and in the eyes of the world. My first week of unemployment was ebullient and frenetic. I threw myself a party, complete with a drunken “Happy Birthday” screech (um, it’s not my birthday! I quit my job…) delivered and serenaded by a friend as I was presented with a Hello Kitty cake. I had so many meetings that week – I considered jumping into other industries and jobs. I felt like I needed to be even more invincible, perhaps to make up for some insecurity around venturing into unknown jobless territory. Not having a job in NYC…you might as well not exist.
I traveled to CO, SF, NYC, SF, Japan, Bali, NYC, London, Germany, Sicily, London, Jeju, Seoul, and now Thailand. I started a consulting practice and worked with several startups and on London Fashion Week.
What does the next level of freedom look like? I am going to try to mostly do things that I want to do.
A few things I’m trying to keep in mind:
- Stress is a killer. Not worth it.
- Be around people who inspire you and are good at heart.
- See the world…a bit more slowly.
- Relax and spend most of the day digitally detoxing.
- Things are not as important as they seem. It is okay to disappoint people a little for now in order to focus on the most important focus of recovering.
- Self-destruction begets self-destruction.
- Keep your mind and spirit healthy.
- Learn and do without thinking about where it’s going to get you.