“I thought, what am I doing here?  I’m not supposed to be here. But I didn’t know where else I was supposed to be.”

Breaking out of a period of inaction is hard. Harder than we generally talk about. We romanticize quitting a job. Who hasn’t dreamed of storming into their boss’s office and tendering their resignation with dramatic flair? But the reality is, that’s easier said than done.

Liz was stuck in a job that she knew wasn’t right for her. However, the security of a steady paycheck was hard to give up.

She had the idea for a business. That idea felt so right, but it also felt exhausting and overwhelming. In the moment, the idea felt much bigger than she had capacity for given that she was working full time.

She could have gotten hung up there. Not being able to jump into her idea fully, she could have just stayed in a period of inaction indefinitely. But, she didn’t.

Rochelle is one half of Cry if I Want To, a boutique design house. While today she considers herself a creative professional, that wasn’t always the case.  For years, Rochelle worked in the education world, where she quite successfully climbed the corporate ladder.

A reflection exercise during a professional development workshop, provided Rochelle with a moment of sudden revelation. Rochelle was in the wrong job.  It just didn’t feed her soul. 

This moment of inspiration continues into the evening, when Rochelle meets her sister for drinks.  As many of us have done while out with a loved one, the two recount the challenges of their day and cathartically lament some of the unfulfilling aspects of their 9-to-5s. But, the conversation continues beyond simple venting and they two women start to brainstorm the things they were passionate about and would want more of in their life. 

A napkin becomes the repository of the initial concept for their business.

Kelly started her working life in a pretty standard office environment.  She wanted to succeed and so she did her best to fit in.  In reality, there’s nothing standard about Kelly. So fitting in meant trying to hide her true self.

She felt she was good at her job and sought to climb the corporate ladder.  When a role opened up that seemed like a natural next step for her, Kelly was hopeful.  Those hopes were quickly squashed when she didn’t even get an interview.  The rejection causes Kelly to look at herself critically. 

“I thought it was about my whole package -- the way I look, the way I dress,” she remembers.  “I felt like I had to hide myself even more.”