If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last months, it’s that others help you find your way. I have always prided myself on my independence, but going into this difficult journey has taught me that talking to others is sometimes a necessity. Conversations have been invaluable in helping me find the right way forward.
It hasn’t been easy for me to open up to others about what I am going through, because doing so requires me to show my weaknesses and uncertainty. Yet, every time that I do I come a bit closer to understanding what I need to do next.
Whenever I tell someone about what I am planning, they ask questions that I don’t have the answers to. At the beginning I found it overwhelming, but over time I have learned to embrace it. It’s taken around 6 weeks, but I am no longer afraid to say “I don’t know.” It’s okay to not have the answers sometimes.
What's next? Your guess is as good as mine
Generally when you take an extreme step like quitting your job you have some kind of plan about what’s next. So, when I told people that I quit my day job, they generally excitedly told me that they can’t wait to find out what I had planned. The problem? I didn’t have anything other than figuring out for myself what I wanted to do next.
I’m getting closer daily, but there are so many questions that I don’t have answers to that it can be quite unnerving. The main reason that I’ve been able to stay on the path is the talks that I’ve had with people I trust:
- my husband, who said that he supports my desire to change, but let me know what things about our life he would prefer not to change if possible
- my daughter, who told me that she could see that I am much happier since I quit my job
- my former colleague, who told me that she knows that I will succeed no matter what I chose
- another woman that I respect very much, who I found out is in a similar situation and is taking the same step as me
- my best friend, who told me she admires my courage to follow my heart and offered her help
- a former customer who would like to work with me but wants to know first what exactly I plan on focusing on
Whether is was the supportive words or the tough comments like “I would like to help you, but I can’t if you don’t even know what you want, I can’t.”
If I learn to accept their support, others will help me find my way
It may not always be easy to open up to them, but I have to admit that others help me find my way. I need to learn to accept and lean into that.