Well folks, this is going to be a long one, so get comfortable. In January, I set a mantra for my life in 2015: Live less out of habit and more out of intent.  I’ve strived to be intentional about the moves I make and the way in which I approach the different parts of my life. I’ve been determined to push fear to the back of my mind and pursue the things that make my life better.  And today, I’ve got some crazy news to share with you…I’m quitting my day job to be self-employed!

Say what?! If you would have told me 5 years ago that before my 28^th birthday I would be quitting my day job as an accountant and starting a pseudo-creative business of my own, I would have politely looked up the number of a great therapist for you. But as of August 27, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Let’s go back to the beginning…

It all started with a house.  The truth is, I think if we had never bought this house (and the project that came with it), I never would have started a blog, and I never would have found my creative side. And I’d probably be content to be an accountant 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. But we did buy the house and I did start the blog, and now everything is different. The world isn’t all black and white; it’s not all right angles.

Over the past year, I have felt less and less fulfilled in my chosen career path. It has nothing to do with where I work or the people I work with. In fact, those two things have been pretty great and are the reasons I’ve stayed as long as I have. But it’s become apparent to me that sitting at a desk crunching numbers is not the path for me. I need that human interaction. I need a creative outlet. And trying to “fill my creative cup” on nights and weekends is just not cutting it anymore.

So with that in mind, I officially started Milly Media, Inc. on January 1^st. Milly Media is a content management firm that specializes in building and growing an online presence for businesses. My services include creating, implementing, and managing social media strategies, developing and managing websites, designing logos and other marketing materials, creating and managing email blasts and newsletters, and overall brand consulting. You can learn a lot more here!

Along with Milly Media, I will continue to grow the blog and my Etsy shop as revenue streams. You may have noticed that the Etsy shop is “on vacation” right now…I have some big plans for that little shop and will be re-debuting that soon.

I’ve been humbled by the genuine excitement from friends, family, and colleagues regarding this new adventure, but I’ve also gotten a few sideways looks too.  Some people have made the comment, “You’re so lucky.” And to be honest, it drives me crazy. Yes, I am SO fortunate to be married to someone who is not only supportive of my dreams, but also brings home enough bacon that I can be flexible with my earnings for a month or two.  But I didn’t just stumble into this and decide to make a major career (and life) change on a whim. I’ve worked towards this for over 2 years. Five days a week, I would commute an hour to work, work a full time job, commute the hour back, and then work at home until late at night.  And my weekends have been made up of full work days for several months now.  I spend my daily commute (that’s 10 hours per week!) listening to podcasts or audiobooks about entrepreneurship and starting your own business. So yeah, I’m lucky. But I’ve also worked really hard for it.

Here are a few other misconceptions that people have when I tell them I’m quitting my very comfortable, stable, secure job to work from home.

1. You are going to have so much more free time! I sure hope not! More free time means I’m not working, which means I’m not earning. I fully expect to work harder in my new job than in any job I’ve ever had…and that’s saying something after being in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers!
2. The house will be clean, laundry folded and put away, and dinner will be on the table every night when Charles gets home. I’ll let the hubs field this one: “If all of those things are happening, then her ass is getting a job, because she’s not working!” So eloquent, my love.
3. You can work from anywhere. This is (mostly) true. But that can be a double edged sword. Working from the beach sounds wonderful until you realize you’re working…at the beach.
4. This will be the perfect way for you to transition into being a stay-at-home mom when the littles arrive. There’s a huge difference between stay-at-home mom and work-from-home mom. One is not better than the other, but I fully plan to be the latter.

I have to brag on my husband for just a minute. NONE of this would be possible without him. At times, he has been the only person in the world that not only believes I can do this, but that I should. His confidence in me has never wavered. He’s the one person I look to for guidance in my business, and I can always count on him to be truthful. And having a husband that’s an accomplished business consultant and attorney? Well that’s just icing on the cake.

I’m not gonna lie. This move is terrifying. But what’s even more terrifying is the thought of being stuck in a career path that is not for me for the next 30-something years. What’s even scarier is waking up one day to realize I’m 55 and have never taken a leap of faith or pursued my dreams. That I’ve taken the safe route. That the only trail I’ve blazed is the conveyor belt.

I’m a true believer that if you want something to change, you have to change it yourself. You have to be proactive and go after what you want. You cannot expect others to do it for you. Even if I fail miserably, I will never regret my decision to push myself into uncharted territory as I pursue the things that truly make me happy.

If you’re still with me, then bless you. Thank you for letting me ramble. Thank you for supporting me, just by reading this. It may be a little quieter than usual around here for the next couple of weeks while I make the transition and learn what the new normal is going to be.

I’ll leave you with this little tidbit. The Lively Show is one of my very favorite podcasts. (And I just realized I’m going to have to find time for my go-to podcasts now that my commute will be literally walking across the hall.) A few months ago, I listened to Jess’s interview with Jonathan Fields of The Good Life Project and was so inspired. Something Jonathan said really stuck with me: The flipside of uncertainty is opportunity.  How amazing is that? Everything we want is at our fingertips, if we just have the courage to reach out and grab it.

PS- If you’d like to learn more about what Milly Media can do for your business, please contact me! #shamelessplug