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7 years ago

I’ve been reading, hearing, witnessing a lot of discussion regarding the thinking, wishing, hoping involved with ripping off the band-aid to leave your well-worn path (job, relationship, home), whatever that is. Some people dream about quitting their job every day, for years. A dream that never gets realized. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing a new Broadway production, called In Transit, a love story to New York, and just what the doctor ordered to refresh the reasons I started my company, and moved to this magical city.

In 2008, after almost 10 years as a corporate tax attorney in public accounting (Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, KPMG) and Shell Oil Company I woke up, went to work, midday Ash Wednesday mass, and quit my fancy high powered tax-attorney job that afternoon. Impulsive, some would say, or foolish, or worse. But I knew that was exactly what I needed to do. No hesitation, no floundering, no questions. Did I have a plan? No. So what would possess an A-type, hyper-organized, tax attorney nerd to throw caution into the wind and quit my job?

The answer: my gut was so clear, so strong, that I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.

So, as the characters and story of In Transit reminded me of that transition almost a decade ago, I started thinking, how can I help others make the leap?

It’s not about taking a course, or searching for real estate, or saving more money. Making a move in life, whether its career wise, geographically, or any other change, always starts in your gut. You get that feeling, that whisper, that thought. You ignore it, brush it off, until that feeling becomes a compulsion, that whisper becomes a shout, and that thought becomes an obsession.

But you see, the shouts of our gut is what we all miss, far too often. We run around saying “listen to your gut.” But, what if you can’t hear anything? What if you are so distracted by the money, the motions, the monotony that you can’t hear a damn thing? How do you hear it, hone it, and perfect it so that it’s loud, clear, and timely? EVERY SINGLE TIME?

The answer, so simple, yet so elusive: Sleep. Water. Nutrition. Exercise. Meditation. Prayer. Yoga. Being still. Self-care. Back to basics.

You see, the answer to what to do with your work is to quit working. Ironic? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.

I have strived to care for my mind, body, and soul, first – knowing that the remainder will fall into place. So, instead of dreaming, hoping, wishing your life was different; Get up, turn off the TV, get off your phone, and get into bed. Sleep 8 hours. Drink a lot of water. Eat healthy – real – food. Sweat profusely a few times a week. Meditate, pray, yoga, walk in the park, do whatever you need to be still, to connect, to listen. Then, and only then, can you really hear your gut.

And your gut knows, it always has, and always will. You just have to sit still and quiet so you can hear it and move.

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