No, I didn’t have a nest egg, an inheritance (I wish!), an income-producing partner/spouse, a winning lottery ticket…none of those things. I was on my own when I made the decision and I still am today. And I am happier than I have been in years!
I actually had a pretty terrific career in the nonprofit management sector;over 30 years. I didn’t, however, do very well with my retirement savings, planning, etc. in all that time. I had only a small fund going there and it was (is) not accessible without penalty for several more years. Still, I had to come to grips with how BURNED OUT I was, and how it was affecting my work, my attitude about continuing to work, and (this was the deal-breaker) my whole life.
I simply was not having a life of my own and that wasn’t okay with me anymore. The cost of using my self up like that, and missing out on opportunities to do the things I do love like gardening, home rehab, travel, time with grown kids and grandkids, photography, art, was finally was just too great a cost.
I knew that I needed to take matters into my own hands. No one was going to do it for me, and there would never be a better time to take action, because at the rate my burnout was progressing, I was afraid that there would be nothing left of me by the time I reached traditional retirement age.
SO…decision made (gulp), I knew that I still needed to have income coming in. I could live simply, but I had to be realistic too. I had a mortgage, a student loan (from having returned to and completed grad school at midlife), and the usual expenses that go along with being a midlife career person;some social life/entertainment, urban living, occasionally helping young adult children, aging/nursing home mother, etc, etc.
A friend of mine who is very entrepreneurial in real estate, property investment/management, construction company and so forth, had recently joined an mlm/network marketing company and suggested that I take a look at it. I did. It got me thinking a lot about my options as an independent business owner, and creating a very flexible workplace out of my own home. That had a lot of appeal.
I didn’t, however, feel very attracted to the particular company/opportunity that she was doing. I did look at it closely enough to give it serious consideration. It finally just didn’t pass my “gut check.” That is, I didn’t feel confident that, even with hard work and dedication, I could generate the kind of income I needed to live my life without being in a stressed out “survival” mode. And I wasn’t interested in trying to sell or recruit family and friends in order to be successful. No way.
Truth be told, I was ready to make some GOOD money for a change (as opposed to my nonprofit earnings).
What looking at that mlm business opportunity did for me though, was to get me searching online and thinking outside of my usual “boxes.” In that process I came across another opportunity that DID pass my gut check. I took it a step at a time, did due diligence, and made sure that I got all my questions answered, both personally and professionally. The more I looked at it, the stronger my confidence grew. So I joined!
Wow! I had never done anything like this before. But that was the point, right?! It was both exciting and scary. I decided to focus on the exciting part; the adventure of it all!
Am I ever glad I did. There have been ups and downs, of course, but mostly, and steadily UP. I was able to leave my Executive Director job about three months after I joined this entrepreneurial community, and have been enjoying a life of “retirement” from my nonprofit career, and a whole new independent and legitimate business venture, from the comfort of my own home,or wherever I happen to travel with my computer or Blackberry.
I now have both time and money freedom. I have my life back and that is worth more than I can even find words to express.
I am still pinching myself over the extraordinary life changes of this last year. What it really took, was getting to a point where I let the vision of what I wanted my life to be like, take priority over the limiting voice inside me about what was making me miserable. I had to choose to act, because no one was going to do it for me.
I hope that if you are struggling with burnout at your job and dreaming of retirement too (even though it still feels “too far” away), that you will allow yourself to think outside the box of what you “usually” do. If you say, “I can’t”, then, quite simply, you won’t. But if you say, “I can!” then…YOU CAN!
There may be an option right under your nose, that you simply never considered before.
If I can be of any encouragement, or tell you more about what I did, please don’t hesitate to be in touch!
