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Y’all know I’ve been…..a hot mess lately lol. And although that’s kind of my normal MO, the last month or so I’ve really been at next level “hot mess” and now I can FINALLY reveal why!

I quit my full time job.

No I am not blogging and/or running Fiercely full time. But for the last year, I’ve been working full time, working part time for another company, AND I’ve been juggling my own stuff. Plus add in there keeping my marriage afloat, trying to maintain relationships with all my Dallas friends, visiting friends and family, trying to make Denver feel more like home, meeting new people here…..you get it.

Something had to give. So I quit my full time job and I will be working part time (remotely, three days a week) for a marketing firm based in Irving, Texas. I actually used to work there full time and have been helping out with their social media the last year! Then 2 days a week, I’ll be working on my blog and shop – get ready for things to ramp back up! And then….I’ll have two days a week where I DO NOT WORK. This is such a foreign concept to me.

Before I go any further, let me say I am SO thankful that my (former) full time job allowed me the freedoms it did. I have worked remotely the last three years and I know most would consider that a luxury. Yes it comes with it’s own set of challenges, but it is AMAZING and I’m sooooo thankful I was introduced to remote work life. I worked for a solid company with some amazing humans, but I haven’t felt fulfilled in quite a while.

You see, my job was fine, but it was too easy. I was a customer service rep but it required almost no critical thinking, no creativity, I just read from a script and occasionally answered some questions that weren’t on the script. Which was great at first – I got to do semi mindless work for my 9-5, and focused all my creativity on my outside projects. But eventually, it started to take it’s toll on me and things took a turn. My anxiety increased, my productivity in ALL aspects of life decreased and I was constantly frustrated with myself. I wasn’t “me” anymore and it was reflecting in my work, which made it worse because I find a LOT of my identity in my work.

I’m an ENFP, and after revisiting 16personalities.com, it all started to make sense:

“Repetition, predictability, boredom… while some Sentinel types may appreciate predictability and clear hierarchies, these are not selling points for ENFPs. People with the ENFP personality type need to feel like they’re pushing boundaries and exploring ideas, and should focus on interests and careers that encourage that.”

….oh. I literally wasn’t made for this life. It has nothing to do with the job, there’s just nothing I can do. I’ve been in the same position for three years and it’s not fitting anymore. My heart was telling me I needed something new, but so was my BRAIN.

And guess what y’all, that’s totally okay! I would NEVER tell you to just straight up quit your job, but if you’re feeling like something isn’t fitting, start to think about an exit plan. What would it take for your life to improve? What do you like about your current job? What do you dislike? These are questions you can start to ask yourself if you’re feeling the panic of “omg what do I do now?!”

For me, I LOVED my coworkers, I loved getting to help people on a daily basis, and I loved working remotely. So I needed a solution that kept those pros, but also allowed me to be more creative and left more time for my own work. I have also learned that I prefer positions where I get to form more long-term relationships with clients – that’s important to me.

So what do these things look like with my new situation? Now I’ll be working three days a week (remotely) for a marketing firm, doing social media, SEO and whatever else they need. It’s a small firm, so everyone wears lots of hats (another thing that I love!)

• Coworkers: I LOVE the people who work at the firm, we get along SO well! As I mentioned above, I used to work for them back when I lived in Dallas and it was a blast.
• Helping people: I know some people don’t think of marketing as a “helping” job, but I really do! I love helping others grow their businesses and I get a lot out of it!
• Creativity: Marketing is SUCH a creative field and the firm I’m working for is smaller so there’s more need for flexibility, learning new skills and trying out new ideas. All things that Iove! Also most of our clients are arts-based so sometimes I get to market shows for some of my favorite artists, which is REALLY cool.
• Remote: I’ll still be working remotely, but since the firm is based in Dallas (and my friends and family are all in DFW), I can still visit and spend a few days working in the office to make sure I’m up to date on all projects and just to get some face time in with real humans lol. Working remotely can be LOVELY but it can also be LONELY.
• Time: This is going to free up SO much time for me so that I can work on my businesses during normal business hours. I’m looking forward to having a more normal work/life balance, something I haven’t had for ages. Also, I literally don’t have any hobbies except watching tv so I’m really excited to explore that more (this is very sad to admit but it is what it is and I know a lot of other entrepreneurs feel the same way).

A few weeks ago, I went to a brunch with a Meyers-Briggs specialist and one thing she focused on was not to use your type as a crutch. This is suuuuper important. Don’t make excuses for bad behavior or habits because of your type. However, I think it can be helpful in seeing WHY you’re reacting to certain things a certain way. It definitely was for me. I felt like I was failing and couldn’t do any better, no matter what I changed. Turns out, I was just in the wrong job for my brain.

I don’t really know what else to say other than the fact that I’m really excited to see what the future holds. I’m grateful for my past opportunities, and I’m thrilled to have some new things on the horizon. My word for 2018 is Flourish and I’m fighting like hell to make sure that’s what happens. For now, I’m spending the next week and a half in celebration mode. I’m heading to Memphis with two of my besties to see Justin Timberlake, and party with a bunch of diehard fans on the floor. After that, I’m going back to Texas where I’ll be spending a few days in the office to get “settled” into my new position.

Fight for the life you deserve. Because you really do deserve it.

xoxo
Valery

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