I quit my job and I’m not looking back

I wrote this post about a year ago and revisited it as a great reminder to myself!

I got a promotion and a raise earlier this year. Then I quit. That probably sounds crazy to some folks, but before you judge…hear me out. I’ve been working as a professional graphic designer in the corporate world for over 10 years. I’ve always freelanced along with working full time. I have experienced plenty of ups and downs in my career. I’ve gained invaluable on-the-job experience, helped launch businesses, gained awesome clients — even wrote a book. I’ve also been through layoffs, failed business ventures, crazy (and I mean crazy) clients and financial hardship. All of that has brought me to this point, and shaped me to be who I am today.

I went to work for a very notable corporation. I learned a lot about business. I was afforded opportunities to travel and to sit at the table with the big dogs. But it didn’t really feed my creativity. I was working hard and doing well, but I really wasn’t excited about what I was doing. After 3 years, I was promoted, but unfulfilled. The charm of the corporate card, corporate cell phone and the prestige of corporate suits had long worn off. I became a slave to routine. I grew weary of the buttoned up atmosphere, meetings about meetings and disingenuous “Happy Friday!” greetings. It’s not that I was ungrateful — don’t get me wrong, I was very grateful to have a job. However, I got to a point where I had to step back and ask myself, is this what I really want?

Here’s the path that led me to quit my job:

I knew there was more out there for me

I don’t think I was meant to sit at a desk for 8 hours. I’m creative and goofy and I like being around upbeat people. I like movement, growth and progress. I have a very entrepreneurial spirit. I wrote a book. I want to write another one and teach design in fun ways. Yet, I conformed and placed myself in a box, because that’s just what I was supposed to do. After all, at least I had a job…right? Nonetheless, there were plenty days that I sat at my desk staring out the window and asking myself, “Is this all there is?”

I once heard someone say, “Working hard for something you don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something you love is called passion.” I finally got to a point where I realized I didn’t have to apologize or feel bad about wanting more for my life, even if others felt I should be happy to stay where I was. It’s important to be thankful at all times for what you have, but it’s also okay to aspire for greater. People will make plans for you and if you’re not careful, you’ll end up fulfilling someone else’s purpose instead of your own. I envisioned myself doing more. I knew I was supposed to do more.

I set a goal in motion to create a better Shannel….and I worked my butt off

I mean ALL the way off. I didn’t have any particular opportunity in mind that I was trying to pursue…I just decided to pursue a better version of myself while I waited for my change to come. I’ve always been somewhat ambitious, but within the last year I turned it up a couple notches. In addition to work and the freelance projects I already had, I started contracting with a couple of companies that found me on LinkedIn. One of those companies was an up-and-coming tech startup. Our relationship grew quickly and so did the workload.

I also finally got serious about pursuing my project management certification…something that I had wanted to do for a while (I got REAL serious after I paid for that test). For months I listened to lectures at work, rejected lunch invites to study on my lunch break, dragged myself to Panera to study after work. I had no life. I bombed practice tests and wondered if I could really pass on my first try.

Life’s routine became: Go to full time job at 7:30am > eat/study after work > work some more up until 2 or 3am. Repeat. I pushed all limits. I had MANY stressful days, sleepless nights and some days where I had to slip away into a bathroom stall to wipe tears of discouragement from my face. I often wondered why I created this hectic lifestyle for myself and if it would amount to anything. But deep down I pushed hard because I was working toward getting myself to a better place. I didn’t know where that place was, but I was determined to get there.

I listened to positive affirmations daily and I prayed hard

When you make a firm decision to change something about your life, you need as much positive affirmation as you can get to keep you on track. You don’t need anyone casting doubt or any negativity creeping in. Believe me when I tell you that I literally listened to Les Brown, T.D. Jakes, Tony Robbins or some other motivational speaker almost every single day for the past year. I’ve listened to T.D. Jakes’ sermon entitled “Stay on Track” at least 30 times and I feel like I can almost preach it myself at this point (“look at somebody you don’t mind looking at and tell them ‘You betta press!’”). I read motivational books. I prayed. And prayed some more.

I created an opportunity instead of waiting for one

After 6 months of contracting with a tech startup and realizing how much exciting work we had accomplished together in such a short period of time, I decided to take a risk. I wrote a proposal to them to expand our work relationship. They weren’t even hiring a graphic designer at the time, but I made a case for myself anyway. They responded by giving me a 2-month challenge: design all the materials for a huge conference they were hosting on the West coast. And so I did.

My aspiration became bigger than my fear

I think many of us don’t take chances because we are scared. We are calculated. We like comfort and familiarity, even if it’s in a place that we don’t want to be in. Like anyone else, I was a little scared to give up something that was seemingly good, for the unknown. But when staying the same becomes more painful than changing, you change. When you don’t know exactly where you’re headed, but you know where you don’t want to be…you move. I was ready for a change.

A few weeks ago, my proposal was answered. I am now Creative Lead at the same tech startup that I started contracting with a year ago. I traded the familiar for what I really wanted: to explore a new challenge and also focus on building my own business. So what’s next? I don’t know…but who really does? Have I finally arrived? Does it get easier from here? No. I just started taking the “you’ve only got one life” cliché a little more seriously. I’m ready to take a little more risk and have a little more fun. I know that my source is not from any job, but from the One Above, so I know I’m going to be alright, no matter what.

This post isn’t about me thinking that quitting a job is the greatest accomplishment in the world — people do it all the time. It’s also not about bashing the corporate world or encouraging people to make decisions based on just emotion. It’s more about overcoming fear, stepping out of the comfort zone, learning about who you are and what you really want, seeing the value in the journey, getting out of your own way and having faith that things can and will work out — if you keep working at it.

So if there’s something you aspire to do, go do it :)