Leap of Faith...

[kea]

So...wish me luck. I'm about to do something completely risky, perhaps utterly stupid. I'm quitting my part-time job today...or at least requesting that they start phasing me out. If everything was hunky-dory there, I wouldn't be doing it just yet. I don't have sales numbers to come anywhere close to warranting quitting the day job. Lots of factors have come into play for this decision. I work at a karate school. I do desk work, return calls, create ads and flyers, keep track of stuff, teach, and I'm supposed to be training toward my black...currently I'm at brown 1. Well, my boss's personal stress is affecting work, and I can't seem to do anything right there anymore for the past 2 years. I'm supposed to test for my next rank in March, but between my kids, my husband's new work schedule, etc....I can't train like I need to. Plus, there's my writing. I'm miserable, stressed out, and while I do need the money, it's not so much that it's going to break us much more than we already are. So I've made a decision: I'm going to focus more on getting my son's suddenly falling grades back up and on writing and promotion. I may not be doing great yet, but I love this whole indie process. I've only had great reviews so far and I know my next book in the series can only go up with the story. So I'm taking a leap of faith and if I can't make this work by the middle of summer, then I will be job hunting for fall.

This is going to be a REALLY bad day with a nasty argument at the office this morning. I used to love the place, but all signs point to me moving on and my boss is not going to understand. But this decision, if I work it right, can result in calmer kids, more time to become the indie I want to be, and believe it or not...more time to get some exercise and feel better. I find it funny that the working title of book 2 in my series was named, "Risktaker" a couple of years ago! 

[KayBratt]

Be strong. While responsibilities have for years bogged you down, the truth is you are not meant to continue in an environment that crushes your spirit. I'm a firm believer in grabbing hold of your dreams and fighting to make them come true. It will be hard! But can it be harder than what you are leaving behind? Probably not. Eyes on the prize....

[Wren Emerson]

Good luck with this transition. I hope you can earn enough to justify not going back to work in the fall.

[angelamcconnell]

Good luck, Kea. Sounds to me like you've got all the reasons in the world to quit: your kids and your dream. Go for it!

[Millard]

I always believed the best way to make a go of your dream is to not have a fall-back plan. All or nothing. Good luck.

[Lyndawrites]

Wow, Kea! I can't decide whether that's madness or genius  

Go for it, girl, and the very best of luck to you. I admire your spirit and your courage.

[Beth Dolgner]

Kea, I think that you'll feel an immense weight lift from your shoulders as soon as you quite Life is too short to work a job you don't like, and I am a firm believer that things will work out.

[Carolyn J. Rose, Mystery Writer]

You won't know how it works until you do it. So . . . do it!

[J Dean]

Best to you in taking the step that many only dream of!

[Jon Olson]

Best wishes.

[Sheila_Guthrie]

Sometimes you just have to go. It could be that your stress from work is causing turmoil at home, and no job or amount of money is worth it. If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

It's scary, but it can be freeing.

[JerriLincoln]

Visualize success!

[Sean Patrick Fox]

Best of luck to you, Kea. I hope everything turns out alright for you.

[cegesmith]

Good luck with your transition. It's gutsy, but if it's what you truly want to do I have no doubt you'll end up successful!

[Chrystalla]

Luck! I also quit my job after it stressed me so much I started having serious health problems... Now I do freelance jobs (translation and text editing) and working on my writing. 

[D a l y a]

Good luck!

Happiness is never having to update your resume.

[smreine]

Do what you gotta do. Life is finite and it shouldn't be spent doing things we hate. And whether or not writing turns out to be a fabulously successful new job, I can definitely say you will never regret spending more time with your children.

[ColinFBarnes]

Often risks motivate you to great things. When I quit my job during an argument with the boss, it was the day after I decided I wasn't going to work for 'the man' again and start my own business. It was the best decision I could have made, the time and pressure/risk drove me on to get things done and make it work.

Good luck!