A year and a half ago I was mindlessly scrolling through various social media sites when I stumbled across the quote that changed my life. There are probably not many people out there that can say social media changed their life, but I can. I was avoiding facing the truths staring me in the face and when I finally accepted them, a whole new outlook and world opened up before me. Dramatic and cheesy, but so true. Here’s a little backstory…
The Quote that Changed My Life and How it Can Change Yours
I was at a company I loved and worked at for 10 years, under a new boss I hated. At least once a week I would call my husband on my lunch break crying. I was also pregnant so my job options were limited. I felt stuck and sad for hating a job I wanted to love. The owners and my coworkers were my second family so I decided to stick it out hoping with all my heart that it would get better.
A few months later I went on maternity leave and gave birth to my son. He’s all the clichés – a twinkle in our eye, the light of my life, he makes everyday better… you get the gist.
Then, a month after that, my dad went in the hospital with complications from the Leukemia he’d been diagnosed with 5 years prior. When he went in we thought it was just a usual get-him-back-on-track visit. It turned out the cancer had taken a turn for the worse and he had a big battle ahead of him.
I spent most of my 12-week maternity leave at the hospital with my family praying for things to get better as we watched them progressively get worse.
When I was at home I was struggling with how I was supposed to leave my son to go back to a work environment that gave me anxiety just thinking about it.
It was around that time that I saw the quote that changed my life while scrolling through social media.
“We all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize we only have one.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
Not only was I watching my amazing, much-too-young father deteriorate every day before my eyes (15 years sooner than the doctors had originally guessed), but I was wasting away at a job that MADE ME CRY (writing this makes me realize even more how ridiculous that is).
Why was I letting myself feel miserable? Because, really, it was my fault for staying somewhere that made me so unhappy. There is no amount of money a job can provide that would make me want to spend my days unhappy. We only get to live this life once and I wanted to spend mine happy, less stressed, and with the people I care about.
I told my husband something had to change for me so we sat down and started breaking down my options. Find a new job somewhere else, do freelance work, or start my own business. All would be huge steps after 10 years with a company. We went over and over our finances and decided to take the leap and start a business which would also allow me to stay home with our son. So, with 4 weeks left on my maternity leave, I quit my job, made a freelance profile, and started a blog.
Just a couple weeks later, my dad passed away. It was by far the hardest thing I have gone through in my life and I miss him every day. I know he would have been right here by my side cheering me on. And he still is, just not in the way we all hoped. Nothing good comes of losing a person you love but it did solidify my decision. We don’t know how much time we have, everything in life can change in an instant.
So, the reason I’m sharing this story with you.
“We all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize we only have one.” The quote that changed my life.
I don’t want you to stay in a job you hate. I don’t want you to surround yourself with toxic people. I don’t want you to wait until you lose someone you love to realize that life is short. I don’t want you to wait to be happy.
If you have people, or a job, or anything in your life that’s causing you stress, work towards a way to change it. Cut the toxic people from your life. Update your resume and start interviewing for new jobs. Find a job that makes you happy whether it be at home or in the field.
It all takes time, but start moving in the direction you want to go and you will already feel 1000% better for knowing you have a plan. I’m not saying it’s going to be fast or easy but it will be worth it.
I hope with all my heart that the quote that changed my life will give you the motivation to help you change yours.
Find the things and people in your life that make you the happiest and hold on to, cherish, and nurture them.
I can’t get my dad back but I can be a better mom, wife, daughter, and friend to the people I love that are here. I can’t get back the year of my life I spent stressed and unhappy but I can learn from it.
You can’t change your past but you can change your future.
Put your heart and soul into what and who you love and you will surely live your best life.
XO,
Meg
