Uncharted Territory

On Friday, April 24th, 2015 … I put my two weeks notice in at my current part-time job. It had been on my mind rather heavily for the few days prior. Should I, should I not? Back and forth I went until I finally decided to pull the trigger. My last day at my current job will be on May 8th, 2015 and will mark the beginning of something truly new and adventurous. The difference between this year and the last is impressive; I feel like I’m on to something and I need to make sure I keep it going!

A post I read over at AOM made me think rather heavily about the decision.

Am I running AWAY from something or running TO something?

With enough contemplation and a realignment of my thoughts, I decided that what I’m running TO greatly overshadows that which I’m running away FROM. A new opportunity and the pursuit of that which excites me.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

– Albert Einstein

Change is needed. Whether or not THIS is the change that makes a difference, it’s a chance I must take if I want to truly see where my limits are. It’s a step in the right direction for me, even if I fail.

I have no idea if what I’m diving into is going to work, but I feel that it’s less important than giving it a try. I think that if I really want to have the best shot at making it work, I have to go all in. All of my current “idols” in entrepreneurship have gone all in. While I -could- have continued to work part-time while moonlighting my freelancing project, it’s not what I want to do anymore. I believe that I’m better off converting my part-time hours into MY hours. I need to reclaim my time so that I can devote very specific parts of the day to my pursuits.

Moonlighting the project so far has shown that it’s a feasible opportunity for me, even at the preliminary stages. Once I can scale it up… the sky is the limit. I’m only at the beginning of this venture and I’m already incredibly excited.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

This quote has stared at me every day for the past month that I’ve turned the computer on (let’s be real: that’s literally every day). It sits on the desktop background of my PC and laptop and has been incredibly instrumental for keeping me grounded in pursuing the Venture 15 project. Being “in the arena” sums up the premise of this entire year so far. I’ve been challenging myself far more than I ever have. Even at the risk of failing miserably, at least I will have been in the arena and dared to make some changes in my life.

Leaping out of my comfort zone and straight into the ARENA is what I’m daring to do. My plan is to spend the next three months learning how to run a business and other facets of entrepreneurship. I’m not looking any further into the future as I don’t want to overwhelm myself with the possibility of it not working out. I’ve learned that things can change in the blink of an eye; if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll figure it out then. But, that’s three months away.

May 8th, may you be a day I dare not back down.