“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.” — Hugh Laurie
Six months ago I left my full time job to head down an entirely different path. As a whole, I was with that company for over seven years. During that time
- I created some of the best memories of my life. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with reliving some of my favorite memories, but the fact that I went to the following locations due to my job can give you a little idea – Atlanta. Santa Monica. Tampa. Amsterdam. Austria. Key West. Nashville. Charleston. Hilton Head. New Orleans. Las Vegas. Charlotte.. I’m sure I’m forgetting some. Honorable Mention: Myrtle Beach, I feel compelled to include you.
- Made life long friends. You all know who you are. I started working for Red Bull during college. I still believe that job is the best job any college student could ever ask for. When you spend time working with one other person driving all around and going on all sorts of adventures, you get to know each other pretty well and get to share some pretty crazy stories. The four positions I had after college didn’t disappoint either.
- Learned so much about myself. The company culture at Red Bull can be definitely be thought of as one big family. I was 19 when I first came on board and left shortly before my 28th birthday. Looking back, the jobs that I had were all held as I really became an adult. So much happened during that time – wins, losses, breakups, marriages, deaths, moves.. I could never recap it all!
- Got amazing experience in Marketing and Sales. Whether you drink Red Bull (or any Energy Drink) or not, it’s quite undeniable that Red Bull is recognized as knowing a thing or two about marketing. Don’t agree? Maybe one of these articles will change your mind. The titles alone are quite the compliment – “Red Bull: Masterminds of New Age Marketing” and “Is This the Top Content Marketing Company in the World?“
- Found out what it meant to “work hard (er), play hard (er)” The majority of the jobs at this great company are lifestyle jobs. The employees work hard and play hard. If you’re awake (and why wouldn’t you be?) you’re probably working or at least dreaming up some new idea. And… These. People. Know. How. To. Party. I like to think of them as Professional Partiers. Can I add that to my resume?
So, sounds pretty amazing, right? You might be asking yourself why would you EVER even think of leaving? Don’t worry, I think a lot of my friends and family members were thinking the exact same thing.
“Making a decision isn’t about knowing every potential consequence. It’s about knowing what you want and chasing a path that takes you in that direction.” — Malinda Lo
We always want what we can’t or don’t have. The grass is always greener on the other side. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
However, there comes a point in your life where you just have to do it. Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk to see if there’s something out there that’s greater what you already have – even if what you have is already great.
HOLD UP! If anyone talks to my boyfriend I never said this and I am by no means encouraging him to go see if he can find someone greater than what he has 😉
Carry on.
Not knowing is scary. We tend to fear the unknown. What if you make the biggest mistake of your life?!
I’ve mentioned this before, but it constantly pops back up into my head. A couple years back a complete stranger asked me, “What is your passion?” I don’t remember this individual’s name nor could I pick him out in a room again. It was a short conversation, yet life changing. I was stumped. What WAS my passion? I knew I was passionate about a lot of things, but I could not provide an answer instantly as to what my passion was. Later in the night, I realized that my passion was helping people and making a positive impact on peoples’ lives. There’s so many ways in which this can be achieved…and I realized that I was already doing this as I was teaching Pure Barre. When I got the opportunity to take on a larger role at the studio I was teaching and get more involved with our Corporate office I knew it was my time. I was risking a lot, but was ready for any consequence that it would bring.
So six months have gone by and how do I feel?
- I’m creating some of the best memories of my life. Before, I had a full time job, taught Pure Barre and would help with trainings when I could. There wasn’t a whole lot of free time. I definitely did not get to spend enough time doing the things that I really wanted to do. Often times, I wasn’t making the best choices – little sleep, bad food choices, over indulging a little too often… Over the past six months I’ve definitely started to change the way I’m living and have a much better mental state. For the most part, I’m usually stress free. Wait, WHAT?
- I’m making life long friends. I meet new people each and every day. I also get the privilege to see friends more often then I used to. For my friends and family that aren’t as close, I have more time to visit and reach out via phone, computer, etc.
- I’m learning so much about myself. I’m much more self aware. I try to SLOW DOWN a bit. “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” – Anaïs Nin I love to write. Years ago, I wanted to start a blog, but never had the time. Now, I do. I hope you’re enjoying it – I sure am!
- I’m getting amazing experience. I am surrounded by empowered women and helping to empower women even more each and every day. How’s that for powerful? Yes, the roles that I have definitely entail more than just that, but I think that’s right at the top of the list.
- I’m working hard and playing hard. I’m working hard, but in a different way. I’m experiencing a new type of “reward” through channeling all of my time and energy into my two roles that I now have. I’m playing hard, but in a much different way. I’m not out 4-5 nights a week until 3am. Hey, don’t get me wrong those nights still happen, just not as often.
I used to get really stressed all the time. Little things that shouldn’t of bothered me always did. Tears were often coming down when they weren’t really necessary. I wouldn’t change one thing about all of the experience I had with my five different roles at Red Bull. But, since we’re focusing on the NOW and the future I will say this. I don’t get stressed out anywhere near as much as I use to. I try not to let the little things bother me, but more importantly I try to appreciate the GOOD little things more (front row parking spots, a night in on the couch with the one you love, an unexpected favor – I could go on forever and might even do a whole post on this!). More often, I find myself crying happy tears. A moving song comes on over the speakers, someone pays you a genuine compliment, a really good hug, a beautiful smile…
So, before I go:
“It was one of the best days of my life, a day during which I lived my life and didn’t think about my life at all.” — Jonathan Safran Foer
This warms my heart and I hope it warms yours too. Imagine if you could feel like this everyday?
What’s holding you back? What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail? What are you waiting for? If not now, when?
Northern Produced, Southern Seduced. 