My Big Leap of Faith

So, I did a “thing” that just a few months ago, I was sure was never going to happen.You see, I felt stuck.  Like really freaking STUCK.  I was feeling burnt out + overwhelmed.  I felt like I didn’t have enough time in my life to do everything.  I was continuously making sacrifices in my job, my business, and my family, and I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to keep up with it all.I know from the outside, it might have looked like I was Super Mom.  But, believe me, I was barely keeping my head above water.I knew what I WANTED to do, but from an outsider’s perspective, it didn’t seem like a good idea.I knew that I WANTED to quit my job.  I’ve known for a long time that my purpose in teaching had run it’s course.  I wasn’t passionate about it anymore. I didn’t find passion in going to work everyday, and I certainly didn’t feel like it was my calling anymore.I’ve known since I young age that I was meant to make an impact on people.  I’ve just never really known HOW I wanted to do that. I went to college with no clear plan ahead of me.  While I had a major that I LOVED, even when I graduated, I had no clue what I wanted to do.I knew I loved kids, I knew I wanted to be a mom, and one of my first jobs was helping young athletes enhance their fitness + athletic ability.  I LOVED it! I found a niche I loved and thought, maybe, just maybe, teaching was my calling. My purpose.However, very shortly after becoming a teacher, I realized there was a big difference between what I had been doing (working with athletes) and what I was doing as a teacher.  I thought I could make an impact on adolescents to help them live healthier lives. But, let’s face it… middle schoolers really don’t want ANYTHING to do with adults or their opinions.At the same time, I was also being a mom, and I certainly wanted to spend more time doing that.  I started missing out on things in MacKenna’s life. I quit coaching because I knew I wanted more time at home with them.  But, I was still missing field trips, getting her on the bus, muffins with mom, all these little things that made me feel guilty for not being there.  (Mom guilt is REAL, y’all.)I started in online business 2 years ago as a way out.  I knew, for our family, a single income (Matt’s salary) was not even a slight possibility.  We needed both our incomes to live comfortably. To not be living paycheck to paycheck. So, I knew I needed to find something with flexibility that allowed me to not only support our family, but to also give me that time back that I so desperately needed to be a mom + wife at home.It’s been a long road.  There have been a lot of tears, a lot of prayers, a lot of “what ifs”.  This was not an easy decision, but I knew that it was the next step. It was no longer a WANT, but a NEED for me and my family.So, I can now officially say that I am a full-time entrepreneur…Wow, it’s still slightly scary to even write that out.  But, as I think about it + write about it, I still feel at peace with my decision.  Do I have all the answers? Oh, heck no! I KNOW this is just the beginning of the next chapter and there are still so many unanswered questions + what-ifs, but I also know that this was the right time.I’m excited to GROW my business(es).  I’m excited to be able to put Kenna on the bus everyday.  To take Miles to his preschool classroom instead of dropping him off at before-school care.  I’m excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. I KNOW it is going to take a lot of grit + hard work - and still some sacrifice (goodbye Stitch Fix + Starbucks), but I’m excited about the path in front of me.I’ll be talking more on the things that have helped me get to this point, as I want to share this journey with you, but I hope this inspires you to take action, to live boldly and do something that might leave you a little uncomfortable.