Trust Your Instincts

This weekend I was hanging out with a good friend from Nixa, Missouri (my hometown), and she was telling me about her fabulous time in Costa Rica. She is a very well-respected person moving up the ranks in politics. Right now she handles press for a committee on the Hill. She took a year off of the fast-paced Washington life to travel to Costa Rica and just hang out. She was so unsure if this was a good move for her, but all I could think of was how jealous I was. That takes courage to just follow your heart and take time from your career to go live in a new country.

Last week in a speech to the NAACP, President Obama said, “Your destiny is in your hands, and don’t forget that.” We all get so caught up in details and get afraid to take risk, we forget that we are in control.

Another friend quit her job last week to follow her true passion. She is a very well-respected person in the events industry and finally made the leap. People like this get my respect right away. They don’t care what people think and just do what is right for them. Again, I think we all forget that we don’t have to be stuck in an office doing something we don’t love. If you are not happy in your career, do something risky and make a change. Take a class in something that interests you or join a group where you can get exposure to the thing you love. Just take a step in the direction until you are comfortable with making the leap.