WEEK ONE is in the books and it has been quite an experience thus far! My last day in my "cubicle" was exactly one week ago. That is the same day I was told that the medical benefits for my family and myself would expire within 24 hours! Prior to leaving, I had been told we had until the end of the month. Blow number 1!
 
My husband and I then received the news that the full-time position he would be working to replace my income would not start until May 8th! Blow number 2! And so began the weekend following my freedom and I was not feeling so free. In fact I found myself scrambling a bit! "What other medical billing jobs are out there? Surely I can find something within a few days!" But then it hit me.
 
THIS IS PART OF MY STORY.
 
I chose to leave my career knowing it would not be easy. Knowing there would be moments of uncertainty. Moments where I would regret everything and want to turn back. Eventually the hiccups began to feel more like heartbeats...proof that I was living a different life. A scarier path but with endless possibilities for my family and me. Why was I already freaking out? After all, "nobody said it was easy..." Every great story has many moments that are not so great. Especially in the beginning. And so I was exactly where I needed to be. 
 
One week later and doors have already opened! I landed an amazing part-time job that allows me to grow as a writer and business owner! I will be working primarily from home AND the income is exactly what we needed! The fit could not be better and the experience felt like a divine reminder that my husband and I made the right decision. I was then connected with a good friend who was looking to start a new venture, yet was missing a partner. And so we will be meeting this week to discuss a possible partnership moving forward. These are two opportunities that would have been missed had I been too afraid to leave my safe place! 
 
I still have a long way to go on this new journey but am already amazed at the opportunities coming our way. By finally closing the door that made me unhappy, I have found that there are so many more open doors. Doors that lead to places I could not have imagined. I simply needed to take that chance. 

The difference between those that fail and those that succeed often lies in the plan. 

For years I dreamed of having a different career in which I found meaning and purpose. I found myself walking through the bare hallways of my quiet and mundane workplace pretending I was actually in a different career field. Coworkers admired my confidence and optimism, but truly they were a result of working in a career that was still only a dream. And therefore my moments of confidence and optimism were disingenuous.
 
It is not that the career I was in was beneath me, but rather it was untrue to my heart. I was unhappy and longed to be elsewhere. It was a personal experience that I alone was battling. What made the experience more disheartening was that I had dreams, but no way of reaching them. Or so I thought...
 
I began introducing uplifting and motivational speeches and readings into my routine. Many times, just a few minutes of reading or listening to someone who had found success forced me to think differently. And in time I came to realize that the key to changing my reality was creating and following a plan. 
 
The plan that I came to realize I needed was different from the plans that many of us currently follow. It was not as simple as: 
 
-Find a new job. 
- Make a lot of money. 
- Be successful. 
 
This plan had to be different. It had to answer the question of how and why. It had to include a step-by-step process. It had to include realistic goals. It had to be focused. It had to include timeframes and deadlines. And it had to include a detailed end goal. 
 
My plan of "be successful" became a blueprint. A physical and detailed plan that I laid out before me. Today, I have checklists that I carry with me in my phone and deadlines that are on each calendar I own. I have chosen a career field that makes me happy and I am learning as much as I can about it, as I am once again a student. I discuss my plan with my husband and communicate to him what I need in order to achieve each goal. And I am always conscious of the end goal.  For this is what I turn to when discouragement and a lack of confidence set in. 
 
While I am currently in the preliminary steps of the process, my bridge is being built and each dream is in sight. The process will be long and I will likely need to adjust along the way, but by having a plan before me, I will eventually take hold of my dreams.
 
It is simply a matter of time, hard work, and following the plan.