I’m taking a leap of faith and I wanted to tell you how and why.
I recently left my corporate job in California and I’ve moved across the country. I grew up on the east coast, in Philadelphia to be exact, and since then I have lived in Jersey City, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Los Angeles. I’ve always been an east coast girl at heart and that is where I’m leaping.
Am I Crazy?
Some of my L.A. friends think I’m crazy, going back to east coast winters, leaving my corporate paycheck, and my prestigious title. But I’ve always been willing to take a leap of faith. I moved to New York City to start a new life in my twenties. When I learned everything NYC had to teach me, I moved to Los Angeles to start over in my thirties. I learned a lot in L.A. too, but now in my forties I am moving back east for a new chapter.
What if I didn’t? What if I never moved out on my own and went to acting school? There are so many friends and experiences I never would have had. What if I never moved to L.A.? I would never have written professionally. I wouldn’t have learned so much about writing and editing and cars. I would never have driven a Nissan GT-R or a Formula Dodge racecar at Laguna Seca.
Leaps of faith don’t have to be about moving to a new city. What if I never pushed “Publish” on my first blog post? What if I never self-published my book on Amazon Kindle? What if I never stepped foot on a stage in Manhattan? Where would I be? Would I be happy? Would I be me or someone else’s idea of me?
How I Handle It
There is always going to be a fear of failure, but you can’t let fear keep you from trying new things. It’s difficult to leave friends, people I’ve seen every day, people who have supported me and helped me in more ways than they know. It’s not easy leaving a steady paycheck, especially because I didn’t dislike my job, I loved the people I worked with, and the company I worked for was wonderful.
I needed to listen to my inner voice that was telling me it was time.
One of the Reasons Why
I talk a lot about core values. They change from time to time. Right now I’m feeling an overwhelming desire for connection. And that is leading me back to the east coast where I grew up, where my family is, where some of my long-term friends are living.
My mother passed away last year which had a profound effect on me. So many people came to her funeral. She hadn’t even lived in that area for a long time. But people traveled far to come and pay their respects. My parents owned a neighborhood sandwich shop when I was growing up. Seeing how much my parents meant to the community, decades after their store had closed, was very moving. Because of social media, hundreds of people wrote beautiful comments about her and my family on a Facebook page dedicated to our old neighborhood. My parents had connected with them, fed them, shared their triumphs, helped them in hard times, looked after their kids, coached the baseball team, volunteered at the summer carnival. They were involved. And people loved them for that, remembered them, and looked to them.
While I helped people in my corporate job, I feel there is so much more I can do on my own.
It’s Not Easy
Moving is very stressful. Moving across the country is not cheap. Packing and purging is not fun. The stress takes its toll, and I found I needed to end each day with meditation to calm my mind before bed. I think positive thoughts about what is to come.
I look forward to living simpler. How much do you really need to be happy? It felt good to donate a lot of my furniture, clothes, and books to charities.
Be Prepared
I’m not doing this blindly. I’ve prepared for it. There are factors that allowed me to do this with less risk. I have no debt and I’ve accumulated some cash savings to allow me a certain amount of time to figure it all out.
I could write a bunch of clichés here like if you never take the leap you’ll never get off the ground, or take the leap and the universe will catch you. And maybe those clichés are true for a reason. The truth is that I’m nervous about my next move but I’m excited. I don’t know if there will be a safety net but I don’t care.
I’m ready for another leap. Wish me luck.
Tell me about your leaps of faith.
I think leaps of faith are necessary for growth. I never leaped in my youth and I find now as I get older I am starting. Now, I try to do something everyday that scares me. It could be as easy as saying hello to a stranger in a coffee shop or as difficult as flying to Haiti to teach soap making. I like pushing out my comfort zone. Once in a while it pushes back but usually it stretches and I grow. I’m on the east coast too Donna, I hope we can meet up one day.
Hi Angela, I’ll be at the IBN meet-up in NYC in September. I’ll see you then!
Wonderful! I’m looking forward to finally meeting you in person.
Donna,
I admire your courage and know how hard this is to do. Right after my high school graduation my family and I left Toronto, Ontario where we were born and moved to Hawaii to work with a humanitarian organization. It was tough and we left a lot of our securities. Then we moved back to Toronto years later and then moved across to the West Coast to Vancouver Island, BC where we now live. Change is never easy but you grow in the process.
Hope it all goes smoothly.
Thanks, Michelle. Sounds like you had some interesting travels.
Donna, I admire your strength and your courage. I love that you seem to continuously keep moving forward with little fear. Best of luck as you join us on the east coast. See you in September, fellow New Yorker!
Thanks, Roslyne, you’ll be at the Indie meet-up too? Terrific. Can’t wait to meet you.