Don't quit your day job...yet!
Tracy Wendroff-Rawnicki
I love working for myself. Almost 14.5 years ago, I left my career in the entertainment business to devote my life to the study and teaching of all things yoga.
Everyday I get to do what I love, work with amazing clients, provide a meaningful & powerful service that is helping to make the world a better place. I have time freedom and get to be creative and get to spend time with my husband, my nephews, my family & friends. I have the opportunity to travel where and when I choose. I have money for what I need and desire. My life is abundant AND it is constantly getting better, just as I imagined it could. I am filled with gratitude.
But it didn't just happen over night. I didn't just wake up one morning and say - that's it. I'm outta here.
Well, not exactly.
Back in 1997, I was working at Jive Records in NYC as their Production Manager - making records for artists like the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears & R.Kelly. I truly enjoyed my job, and I was really good at it. I liked the people I worked with & I even liked some of the music. ;) - Yes I LOVED BSB (don't be a hater)!
Yep. That's me with Brian from Backstreet Boys.- March 1997, Montreal, Canada.
Me with Nick Carter & Howie D from Backstreet Boys. - March 1997, Montreal, Canada.
But the stress of the job, the commute & my decreasing enthusiasm for working such long hours began to take its toll. I started to formally practice yoga, 4 times per week, no matter what, and I became increasingly aware of how depleted & unhappy I actually was at work. I began experiencing a variety of physical symptoms, until finally, I realized that continuing down the path I was heading was bad for my health and was basically killing me. Slowly & Painfully.
But did I leave? Hell no! Not right away at least. I'm not a quitter!
That and let's be honest, I needed the money. I liked having the steady income, the health benefits, etc... Plus, climbing the corporate ladder was what was "expected" of me, it was what I "should" be doing. So for a couple extra few grand every year & the 'security of a paycheck' & 401K, somehow I convinced myself that everyone else must know better than what my own gut was telling me.
Talk about self-abandonment.
If you've read my most recent mailer, entitled: "A Steady Paycheck: What's it really costing you?" you might think I am suggesting that you simply walk away from your job, if you hate it, and then voila! You'll magically have your happy blissful life. To clarify, that is NOT what I am suggesting NOR is it what I did. Nor is that how it works. There is no magic bullet. As we say in yoga, the only way through it, is through it.
A burning desire, clarity of purpose, a plan of action & guidance to see it through. That's what you need. At least to get you started.
I am not advocating for you to just up and quit your job, unless that is the right decision for you. But if it is what you desire, you can walk away from your job AND you need a plan in order to make that happen in a way that feels safe for you AND joyful. In addition, if you are in your dream job and suddenly it feels like the romance is over, there might be something more to it.
This is what I work on with many of my coaching clients. Together we examine your life & work situations along with your desires, dreams and aspirations so we can create the exact right plan for YOU. There is no magic formula. There are as many solutions as there are people.
I knew I had to get out; that I would get out. Once I made the decision to say YES to THAT desire, everything else started to fall into place. But until you DECIDE, nothing can or will change. The shift begins with you. You must say YES to you & your desires, first & foremost. Any arguments or excuses you use to defend your dis-ease, is actually contributing to it.
Getting to the source of the dis-ease you are experiencing in any area of your life is where to start. Remember: how you do anything is how you do everything. Unless you have the support & guidance of a coach to help you get to the source of what caused you to be unhappy to begin with, you will take it into each job and EVERY situation in your life.