A friend asked me what I was doing over the holiday weekend. When I responded that I would be working, she exclaimed, “Working?!” in a tone that implied it was a bad thing. Five years ago, it would have been.

I had a bad case of burnout. I was two years from official retirement from a long and successful career, but was struggling mightily to keep going. Crying jags before I walked in the building. Weekly Sunday evening descents into a funk, which my husband tagged as ‘raining in the house’. Continuous prayer and petition to God asking for the motivation to keep going. The temporary salve of trips and shopping sprees that were just that..temporary.

The short version of how I worked through all of that drama:

I quit.

My final epiphany came to me sitting in my office and realizing that it wasn’t the company, it was me. Something else my husband told me(such a smart man!) was true…God was packing my bags. There were at least a hundred people who would gladly sit in my seat. The job wasn’t bad. It was simply(or not so simply) time for a new life chapter. And while the timing didn’t seem right (who can’t hold out two more years??), it was a huge trust and believe lesson.

I trusted that God had a different and better plan for me.

I believed in myself enough to know that writing that new chapter as I go is plan enough.

“God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.” ~ Georgia O’Keefe on her obsession with painting Pedernal Mountain

Freedom is my obsession. I will paint it over and over to experience its many manifestations. Has it been all tiptoeing through tulips? Nope! Thorns and briars snag me. They teach me but never stop me. And I’m in the midst of an incredible adventure figuring it all out. Haven’t had one day of regret over leaving.

This is American Independence Day. I’m admittedly conflicted about what and who it represents, but I have no conflict re PERSONAL independence. Faith and Freedom fuel everything I do. Shackles off!

Yes, I’m working over the holiday, but it’s MY choice and I’m enjoying it, not obligating it.

If work feels like bondage for you, another great coach, Gwen Hall, and I have partnered to guide you through FREEING YOURSELF during a six week teleclass, Your Next Move. Not only is Gwen an incredible coach, she’s also my former boss. See, I was smart enough to jump off the bridge before I blew it up! If you’re operating on fumes, be smart enough to do the same.

Check out the details here, Your Next Move. https://crenecoach.com/your-next-move/

And whether you opt-in or not…take one small step towards the life you really want to be living. Then take another.

Stop ditherin’.

P.S. If freedom is your jam too, I started a book club and the first book, Freedom Seeker is a wonderful exploration on 8 Keys to freedom that help you get clear on what really matters to you and how you can have it. Online book discussion July 27th. Sign-up here, https://crenecoach.com/the-l-t-s-g-book-cluba-crenecoach-jam/