How many times have you sat in your office chair and thought to yourself, "I'm just grateful to be here"?
When you have that thought it can come from two different places. You are either very happy and grateful, or you are a bit deflated and grateful. If you are happy then I suppose you can click out of this post before I finish my sentence. However, if you are like me, then you may relate to what I have to say.
Very recently I found myself thinking this same thought. I was very grateful to be where I was. I was in a position of leadership. I was at a company that valued me and my time. I had free food daily and hardly any commute. So what's the problem? Well, the problem is that I wasn't happy. The paycheck wasn't bringing me happiness and neither was the free food. My happiness was hiding behind my ability to stretch my imagination and creativity. I needed to feel as though I was creating something with my skills and not just filling a role. As any creative will tell you, thriving within a corporate environment is an inner battle that must be balanced.
Every day I walked into the office I would visit my usual websites and Instagram pages for creative inspiration. I have done that at every office I ever worked in. Every time the same thought crossed my mind; why am I not doing what they are doing? Why am I not doing anything creative and inspiring? Of course, I did my best to find the opportunities to be more creative in my daily work, but at the end of the day you can't water a weed hoping for a rose to bloom. I came to the conclusion that I would never find my happiness or reach my potential unless I invested in myself and my abilities as an independent creative. I knew I had to create my own business one day. So I left that plush, easy-going position behind me and ventured off into the wild. I decided that I would rather risk my paycheck and job security than to look back in 10 years and realize how unhappy I was. I have taken all the skills, knowledge, and confidence I gained from my past work and packed it all in my suitcase.
We only have one life to live and I find it more important every day to do something you love. I intend to do just that, whatever it may be. I am on a mission to hone my creativity, to discover my true potential, and to find others just like me. I am here to create and that is exactly what I will do. If I look back in 10 years now, I can say it was the best decision I ever made. That's the end game. That is the advice you hear time and time again from successful people. I decided to stop being a spectator of success and start participating in it. One day I will have climbed high enough to be the one others look to for inspiration. But, it starts today.
If you feel this same way I encourage you to take a sick day, go somewhere alone, and reflect on what you want out of life. Decide how high your potential reaches and what changes you can make today to get there.