By Anne-Lyse Wealth
It has been a year and a half since I stepped out on faith and quit my Corporate job. Since that decision, a lot has happened in my life professionally and personally.
Related post: How I Quit My Job
This past year, while I learned to live with more grief than I thought I could handle. I also published my first book, Dream of Legacy (available now in my store and on Amazon), and started working as a personal finance coach.
As the first anniversary of this career change approaches, I can’t help but notice how far I’ve come, yet how much further I would like to go.
As the journey continues, here are the five most important things I have learned.
STRETCH THE FAMILY INCOME FURTHER.
My husband and I have been a two-income family ever since we first got married almost a decade ago. With three young children, we appreciated the extra level of comfort that two incomes provided. As we decided to temporarily transition to one income, while investing in my projects, we cut down our expenses even further than we thought we could. While we still enjoy life, we learned to let go of a few things we didn’t need. Though we were not excited to make those budget cuts, we decided to do so to continue investing at a rate we were comfortable with.
CHOOSE FAITH OVER FEAR.
Making the decision a year ago to quit my job and leave my secure income was not easy. I wondered if my decision to get out of the safe zone was selfish — given my responsibilities as a mother of three young children. I quickly realized how beneficial it would be to be more present for the girls while they are still young. Also, after considering the impact that me taking that chance could have on their future decisions, I realized that it would be a great life lesson for them no matter the outcome.
I was afraid, but I did it anyway. I have accepted that fear comes with the territory if you want to continue to push yourself and evolve. I have learned to let faith guide me while walking towards what scares me. Walking by faith is not easy every day, but I would rather have faith and do it scared than not do it all.
NETWORK MORE EFFECTIVELY
Last year, the world was different. Networking often involved attending live events and meeting people in person. As someone who has been purposely inactive on social media for about ten years, I knew that it could help me build a successful business. I was ready to utilize social media for that purpose. However, with the COVID pandemic, I quickly realized that unless I wanted to push my projects back, I needed to essentially rely on social media and the internet to network for the foreseeable future…so I did. I called a friend for a “crash course” and joined Instagram shortly after. I heavily used the internet and social media to make connections and promote my book.
That’s how five months later, I have written an article for one of the top 10 personal finance blogs, Marriage Kids, and Money, and I have been invited to be a guest on one of the top 10 personal finance podcasts. I have made so many amazing connections, all from the comfort of my home.
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Related post: Dream of Legacy, The Next Chapter
SELF-PUBLISH A BOOK
This time last year, I had no idea how to write a book, let alone become a self-published author. With research, trial, and error, I was able to get that done in 9 months. I networked with published authors, editors, and many others to understand the process. I quickly realized that I wanted to go the self-publishing route. I wanted to remain independent to be able to deliver my message without any input from an agent or publishing company who might not understand my fight.
It seemed overwhelming at first, so I decided to take it step by step. First, I needed to write my manuscript and find an editor. Then I discovered how much more work I had left to do during the editing process.
Finally, I learned the ins and outs of self-publishing and enrolled my family and friends to form my “marketing” team.”
As a self-published author, I didn’t have a big marketing budget. I learned to plan, strategize, and go-to-market on a lean budget, utilizing my “Dreamers” team.
Dream of Legacy Book Announcement
WALKING IN YOUR PURPOSE IS PRICELESS.
I have spent ten years wondering what my purpose on this Earth was. I have looked everywhere, ask God for guidance while trying to find it.
I have never felt more in sync in my life than I do now. The path that I’m on brings me so much joy. Over the past year, every connection that I have made, and every person that told me how encouraged they were by my story has propelled me higher. Once I decided to step out of the safe zone and step into the faith zone, things started unfolding. I know in my heart it is because I’m on the path intended for me. Every door that God has opened lets me know that I’m on the right path. That feeling alone makes the process worth it.
Related post: Finding Purpose
My life has changed tremendously since I quit my job. I have switched careers, experienced devasting loss, as well as exhilarating joy. My sister’s passing made me realize that I needed to live life with a sense of urgency. That excruciating pain became the fuel that gave me the determination to leave behind something that would outlive me and to complete the most important project of my career thus far. I released my book in October, and I was blessed to have the opportunity to virtually celebrate this milestone with my family, who logged in from six different countries. Seeing them all come together for this moment was priceless.
I have launched The Dreamers Podcast to inspire and empower more people to pursue their dreams and live life on their terms.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that no matter how hard it gets, as long as I continue to believe and show up, God will provide all the tools that I need to get to my destination.
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin,” Tony Robbins