NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES

NYC skyline taken on one of countless Amtrak trips to Boston

If I asked my 21-year old self on November 7, 2009 where I will be in 5 years exactly, never would I ever imagine that I'd be quitting my Corporate job today to pursue an idea of establishing my own Wedding Planning business. But isn't that what makes life so ridiculously interesting? In pursuit of happiness, I asked myself some hard questions:

1. What's MOST important to me right now?
Mike and I being together... I mean physically, same place at the same time. After practically 7 years of long distance, our friends know that we've had our fair shares of ups and downs - mainly driven by the fact that we are SO different from each other. With time, we have worked on both ourselves and our relationship like no other. The distance was truly a blessing in disguise - let's just say the words 'Trust', 'Patience', and 'Respect' hold immense weight. And the best part of being with Mike is that he's opened my eyes to all the relationships around me, including the one I have with myself.

2. What am I inspired by?
Art. Dance. Raunchy jokes and spotting innuendo. Photographers. Amazing friends that are there for you when the rain starts to pour. White Space. Beautiful yet unexpected decor. Celebrations. Positive Energy. People and the decisions they make. Accents (although I am horrible at impersonating them). Fashion, clothes, make-up and how they make you feel. Food. The world and the universe. Love, true love. And of course, Beyonce.

3. What am I good at?
My friends might agree when I say that I am the most alive when doing one or all of these things: checklists, planning, spreadsheets, color-coding everything, acts of service, and lending an ear when people are struggling with relationship problems.

4. How do I better myself?
As simple as I want to help people and learn HOW to do it in the best way that I can offer.

And eventually...

5. Am I ready to leave behind a job without an exact recipe of 'what's next'?
I've thought about this one a lot. There are so many things about P&G that I appreciate, but there just wasn't enough to make keep me hungry in this moment. Like so many of my friends, a feeling of deflation and complacency caught up to me. Despite it, I've learned so much about what I am capable of, how I define success, and what type of person and leader I wish to become. I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't experiment with this single life I have to live. I also searched for other jobs in NYC, but not much resonated with me at the level of passion I have for event planning. There is so much fear in quitting without another job lined up perfectly - and so many people will have opinions about it. But you know what? I'm okay with that. To change my career and start something like this, I need to jump into the deep end and not just dip my toes wet. I am beyond scared and liberated to see what else life has in store for me and what more I can give back to this beautiful world. So when the time came, I sold my furniture on Craigslist, informed my manager and colleagues that I've made what seems like a ridiculous decision, and tomorrow I will be moving from Boston to New York with a sparkle in my eye and anticipation of hard work like I've never seen it before.