I’ve thought about what it would be like to actually write this post, and now that I’m writing it, it’s equal parts surreal, scary, and exciting all at the same time. Grab a drink and settle in. It’s about to get personal.

If you’ve been reading Cathedrals & Cafes since the beginning, then you know I’ve been building and creating it alongside a full time career. Anyone who has balanced two jobs (and yes, blogging is very much a job) then you know how challenging that can be.

Managing your regular 9 to 5, which never really means 9 am to 5 pm, as well as your evening and weekend time blogging can be a very empowering thing – if you’re the kind of person who thrives on a hectic pace of endless cups of coffee, emails, and a ticking clock. I do thrive on a busy schedule and I love always having another project to work on. As a kid I would play “office” instead of “house” and always pictured myself diligently working away at my desk, coffee cup in hand, and rising up to a leadership role. For the past couple of years I was two people – sales consultant by day and blogger by night. I felt like I was my own Clark Kent.

There was just one thing wrong with this scenario for me. I wasn’t happy.

Realizations…

Over the course of the last year or so, I came to realize that my 9 to 5 gig was killing me. I had arrived at a place in my career where I was respected and valued by my peers, but the work itself no longer inspired me. In fact, at the risk of sounding too dramatic, it was leaching my soul out of my body one excruciating drop at a time.

Everyday meant getting up and dreading going to work. I was endlessly frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, and frankly depressed. I wanted to feel good about what I was contributing to this world, and my “day job” had ceased to be an environment where I could feel happy and proud of myself. For my particular line of work, it didn’t matter how much effort I put into it, how much time I spent dedicated to it, how creatively I worked at our challenges, how nice or direct or cut-throat I was. At the end of the day, too many variables I couldn’t control directly affected my success. That just results in feeling like a failure 24/7.

Once my regular day wrapped up though, it was like I shed my skin and became the old Erin. The Erin that was excited to go to work! I dove into my blog writing articles, editing photos, planning for new features, and developing my website and social media strategies. I was wearing all the hats and putting in hours of hard work. My creative side came out of the hole I had bashed it into for so long.

And guess what? I LOVED it!

I kept thinking to myself, man, it would be amazing if I could just do this. What if working on Cathedrals & Cafes could be my one career, my 9 to 5, my “day job”…my passion project turned successful business venture?

But first, a little background…

I’ve had a “traditional” job since I was a teenager. My first job was working at Hobby Lobby as a cashier, then later the floral department manager. I was only in high school. I worked through college at American Eagle Outfitters becoming store manager. I landed a retail internship at Harold’s (they have since gone out of business) before graduation and was later hired by them as an Assistant Buyer. Boy did I think I was going to live the Carrie Bradshaw life. Nothing was further from the truth. I was later recruited by Fossil, the notable watch company, in their new apparel division (also no longer in business – they still make great watches, though).

All the while I was dating my now husband. We got engaged, moved to Houston, and I needed to find something to do. I took up teaching for a few years, went back to school for a masters degree, became a librarian (I know, where is she going with this), and lastly was working in the publishing industry.

It’s obvious when looking back on my work history that I’ve been pretty driven my whole life. I’ve kept myself open to opportunities and made choices that have helped me to realize these opportunities in the best way. And I’ve always been employed. Making the moolah. So, where am I going with this?

The jump…

Well, if you’ve already guessed that I left the corporate ladder to pursue my passions, then you’re right.

I did it.

I left my corporate job to commit to Cathedrals & Cafes full time. Holy shit!

This was not a decision I made lightly or quickly. I’ve spent months thinking about doing this and it’s only with the incredible support of my husband and family that it is even remotely possible. In fact, I even turned down an offer to stay with my company that might have sounded pretty sweet to anyone else. But again, I had to come back to the work itself. All the money and perks in the world can’t create happiness for you if you don’t love what you do.

What’s next…

This is my first week as an official entrepreneur! I’m 3 days into it at this point and feeling no regrets about my decision. There is still a lot to accomplish, but I have faith that things are only going to get better.

Opportunities are everywhere, and I’ve always believed that if you make the right choices based on who you are and what you want to be, you can pretty much do anything you want. Take the path less traveled and stick to your gut. My grandfather would always remind me that there are solutions to every challenge. It just takes a will to point to the way.

If you’ve made it to the end of this long post with me, then I just want to recommend to you to go for it – whatever that it may be. Trust yourself, plan for what you can, and live your life. You only get one on this planet and it’s too short to be miserable.

Thanks for reading!

xo – Erin

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Life Update: Making the Jump appeared first on CathedralsandCafes.com. If you see this content published anywhere else, please email cathedralsandcafes@gmail.com.

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