This is part 2 of my experience with resigning and a real-time account of my brain the day after. See Giving Up the “Good Life” for a Great Life for part 1.
As I rode into downtown, on one of many buses that had shuttled me to work for over a decade, my mind was blank. Then, all of the sudden, there was a tempest brewing in my skull.
It was going to be a day like I'd never experienced before.
My first meeting was with two people who knew about my resignation and two people who didn't. I knew one of them knew but I didn't know (yet) the other one who knew – you know – knew. Trust me, that all makes sense in my head.
The phone rang as I got back to my desk. It was a woman I was friendly with and she already knew. How did she know already?!
I needed to accelerate my plan to sit down with key coworkers so they could hear the news from my mouth instead of the grapevine. As the day progressed, I was able to catch a number of people before they caught wind of my big news.
Some of them were amazed with my chutzpah. Some of them were amazed at my future mission and how I was planning to bring value to the lives of others. And some of them thought I should be sent to the funny farm.
My part of the interaction was the same regardless of their reaction. Heightened levels of excitement radiated from me with each round of answers to people's questions.
Where was I going? What was I doing to be doing? What's Daily Money Management? And what in the hell is “resource management”?
I'm In It for Love
It never gets old. Each time I talk about my blog, daily money management or my zest and approach to life, I'm filled with confidence and energy. This fills me with pride and confirms what my heart already knows but my brain needs reminding.
THIS is part of what a full and rewarding life should feel like.
I was struck by the number of people I talked to who said “I could never do what you're doing.”
Some of them meant they could never give up the financial stability that comes from a well-paying corporate job. Some of them meant they could never see themselves as an entrepreneur. And others meant the uncertainty and risk of leaving a job to make zero dollars for a while would make their heart explode.
Each time I heard “I could never do what you're doing” I gave credit to Melinda. Each time I listened to those words I wanted to say “you could absolutely do this too” (after a good amount of planning and buy in from friends and family to support you).
The fact of the matter is these people who I work with are good people with the right priorities. These are people who feel they are making an impact by fulfilling their role at work and honestly, I believe they are.
The Fog Rolls In
As I fell asleep, my brain recapped the day and the interaction with my friends and coworkers. It told me that I am no more noble or special than people who have come before me and will come after me.
This was only one more domino to fall in a long chain since my personal renaissance began almost two years ago. If you've been following along it doesn't seem crazy at all. This was a well planned, rational leap into the great unknown.
Much still remains the same for as radical of a transformation as I've had. I'm still a proud papa of a wonderful son (who is transforming on his own and walking like Frankenstein these days). I'm still a grateful husband to a wife who amazes and dazzles me every day. I still put my pant legs on one at a time.
The impact I'm trying to have is untraditional, sometimes abstract, and difficult to communicate. My work life needed to change and now it's finally going to.
But we're all not so different. Health, family, community, country…we share the same hopes and desires to see it improve for ourselves and future generations.
I'll just be doing it in a weird, unpredictable and self-guided way. If you want to do it someday too and you need to hear a story about the before, during and after of resigning, contact me. It doesn't have to be scary and it doesn't have to drive your stress levels through the roof.
Perhaps this humble and small retelling of my thoughts and dreams over the past couple of days will help others in some small way.
The journey has begun.
Thank you.
Please share this with others if you feel inspired by it or need someone else to know this kind of thing is possible (and happens all the time).