If you are reading this, it is likely because you found me somewhere on the internet (most likely Instagram or Pinterest), and you followed me because you found comfort and/or inspiration in my posts. I hope that especially in this moment, you see this blog post as the sign you perhaps have been looking for to take that scary, uncomfortable leap that you’ve been pondering for so long but have not yet acted upon. Before we get into why I think you should bet on yourself, I’d like to share a little bit about my current life transition, and why I decided to write about this topic.
I recently chose to bet on myself in more ways than one, and let me tell you, the feeling is scary as hell. I’m currently in the middle of a career change and quite honestly, a midlife crisis course correction. Yes, let’s call it “course correcting,” that language seems more promising than crisis???
I served as a high school counselor for the past seven years and decided to resign from my position to pursue other goals, which include earning my LPC to practice clinical mental health therapy and starting my own business as an entrepreneur. (More on the specifics later; I’m not quite ready to dive into those details yet!)
Let me be crystal clear: Historically, I have NOT been one to take risks. In fact, I am the opposite of a risk-taker. I have played it safe my whole life. I literally am that girl who came out of the womb and followed the rules from day one, always playing it safe and sticking to the status quo. Yet, I found myself increasingly unhappy in my educator position because I knew I wasn’t reaching my full potential. I had a yearning in my soul to pivot and pursue other dreams.
I contemplated leaving education for the past few years, but wasn’t quite ready to take the scary leap. How did I arrive at that point? Something in me just kind of internally…. broke. I just got so sick of my own bullshit that I knew I had to make a change, or I didn’t feel as if I had a right to complain and feel sorry for myself.
I truly believe that we, and we alone, are responsible for our happiness and for the direction of our live. Hence why I decided that it was time to course-correct.
Betting on myself has been extremely scary. I’m currently staying home with my toddler and working on my grad school courses. Once the summer is over, my contract with my school district expires, which means I will no longer be contributing to our household income. (The process for me becoming a licensed therapist will take about a year with my courses.) I’ve literally worked my entire life since I was 14 years old and I kinda LOVE money (lol), so not having a personal income is terrifying to me. And if I’m being 100% transparent, my husband and I don’t even have a crystal clear plan on what this next stage of our lives looks like for us financially. We are just sort of winging it and having faith in each other. I know that probably isn’t the smartest logic, but I’m actually insanely proud of myself that I have chosen to ‘wing it’ instead of micromanaging, planning, and obsessing over the next step. It’s hard to explain, but I have this gut intuition that it’s all going to work out.
Here are a few reasons why I am choosing to bet on myself…
– The universe has always had my back.
– I know that I am competent and capable of working through all of life’s challenges.
– I have survived everything in my life thus far.
– I truly believe that in order to find my greatest calling in life, I need to step out of my comfort zone.
– I understand that at any point in my journey, I have the power of choice. I can choose to course-correct at any point. Every day is a new opportunity and we have the freedom to pivot when needed.
I encourage you to bet on yourself. Think of it as an experiment. What is the absolute worst that can happen?
So maybe we fail.
Maybe we are broke.
Maybe we fall flat on our faces.
Wouldn’t you rather have the latter happen than be on your death bed and regret not taking that one chance?
So many of us choose to settle for a life that is mediocre because we can’t fathom the thought of walking away from what we know – stability, comfort, routine. The moment in which our deepest yearning to not settle is greater than our fear of leaving our comfort zone is the very moment we find the courage to break free.
Please know that I deeply understand your discomfort and fear with creating change in your life.
Change is HARD and not meant to be easy.
We can only grow from the stretching and molding that occurs from leaving our comfort zone.
Bet on yourself, babes. And please know that I so very much appreciate you following along on my journey while I bet on myself.
Xo,
Chels