An event whether happy, like the birth of a child or tragically sad is often the catalyst for professional women to leave Corporate America.
It was years ago that my daughter Serena died in a drowning accident yet the memories of that day are as vivid as if it happened yesterday.
Serena for years had been my silent secret child because the memory of her death was so painful that it seemed easier to try and bury the thoughts of her death deep inside some hidden untouchable part of me. I thought that if I didn’t talk about it, it would hurt less.
No matter how we cope with these tragedies in our lives the one thing that is true for us all, these become life-changing events.
My life has forever changed because Serena was a part of it.
Her life has been a huge lesson that changed how I live and the things I value the most in my life. Like many professional women, I thought the corporate world was my dream job. But for many women, these life-changing events are what brings us to a place in our lives where we come to realize the corporate world no longer matches our core values or meets our needs.
My core values.
Time, freedom, and the ability to spend time with the people I love was a core value that didn’t match the job. The further up the corporate ladder I climbed, the less control over the time I had, and the more I felt I was trapped trading time for money.
Leaving it all behind.
It became obvious the corporate job wasn’t working but making a change seemed scary as heck. I wish I could say I had some magic potion or way of finding the courage it took to make the change, but the truth is the frustration just got to the point that it outweighed the fear.
The day I turned in my resignation letter, I became a part of a huge movement. Now, for the first time in history more women than men, are starting their own business. The reality is corporate jobs are just not suited to a women’s lifestyle.
Related Content: How to Make a Midlife Career Change to a Work-at-Home Business
The transition.
The transition from a corporate job to entrepreneur has had its own challenges. One challenge I hadn’t anticipated was my own “identity crisis.”
From the time we are children we pick up other peoples values of what a “successful person” is and adapt them to be our own. As professional women our identity many times is tied to a job title or the success that the job signifies. When this identity is gone, it can be a real shock to our sense of self.
I needed to search within myself to find the core values that were true to me and then match them to my entrepreneurial journey and lifestyle. For me, it meant finding tools and strategies to maintain my freedom while building my business. I found that when our core values match our daily life habits, you are achieving a whole new level of happiness and success.
Conclusion.
The day I turned in my resignation letter was a day combined with fear and excitement. It was, by far the best career decision I have ever made.
Once you get a taste of freedom, believe me, there’s no turning back!
Ready to start your own business, but you’re not sure what type of business to start? This post has some great ideas!
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We are Jeanmarie Bills, and Elena J Forbes, your mother-daughter, Female Entrepreneur Coaching Team. We believe that every one of us has unique gifts and talents to share with the world. We help you to bring out your own unique self and create the lifestyle you desire, “A Life Without Limits.” We start by discovering your goals and passions, and then we lead you to your niche market. From there we guide you through building your lifestyle the “right” way. We will help you have the life you dream of in an extraordinary way, not only by making money but also by living the lifestyle of your dreams.
I know this is an old post, but it’s exactly what I’m going through right now. I’m so sorry for your loss and completely agree that corporate jobs are not suited for a woman’s lifestyle. I’m currently going through my “identity crisis” but I know that in the end I still made the right decision by leaving my corporate job.
Hi Suzanne, Congrats on making the leap! While the process, especially in the beginning is scary, it is the ultimate freedom! Keep us posted on your entrepreneurial journey!
I didn’t “choose” to leave corporate America, but after being laid off from a company at which I had worked for 15 years, I felt as if I had been asked for a divorce! I had given so much to the company — trips away from my family, working until all hours of the night, putting their needs before my own and my family’s. After the first 2 weeks, which were a very dark period for me, I began to ask myself what it was I wanted to do. Everyone kept telling me, “Now you can write your book,” or “Now you can dedicate yourself full-time to Heart’s Desire International and the relationship coaching!” I didn’t want to hear them at first, but after those two weeks, I realized that this was EXACTLY what I wanted to do but had been afraid to take the step and let go of a very comfortable salary and lifetime. It hasn’t been an “easy” year, but I love what I do, I feel like I am living my life’s purpose, and THAT is what living life is all about! :)
Thanks so much for sharing your story Jean! It exemplifies the beauty of living your passion and that even if you do, it’s not always easy and even scary at times – but well worth it!
I can so relate to all of it. Things had to get really bad in corporate for me before I finally left and although I have had my challenges in figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I love my life now and would not go back to corporate unless it offered me something I just couldn’t have being my own boss.
This post serves as a wonderful reminder! Sometimes you have to get through the scary to get to the wonderful!
Thanks for your comments. It’s amazing that the first steps out of corporate america were so difficult and yet all of us are so much happier now and would never go back. I think this is such an exciting time to be a female entrepreneur. Gladys I can totally relate to how it would feel like a “divorce.” I think that is such a great comparison.
Thanks for sharing your story Jeanmarie. It might inspire others to follow their passions in favor of what they authentically were meant to do in this life!
Thanks for stopping by Carol! I’m glad you enjoyed Jean’s post!
Thanks Holly For including us on your blog.
Thanks for sharing your heartfelt story with us! This post really resonated with me, for if it hadn’t been for the birth of my daughter, I would still be working in Corporate America.