Since I Quit My Day Job...

I wrote this on my desk so that I can refer to it every time I think about how miserable I was just a few months ago.  Back then, I had trapped myself in a job I hated and wasn't doing anything that I was passionate about.

BUT

Since I quit my day job...

*I have woken up naturally with no alarm every single day.  This is huge.  I wake up when I am ready - anywhere from 6am to 11am, and being able to create my own sleep and wake schedule has been seriously life changing.  I always feel rested, fully present, and ready to work when I am awake.

*I am getting used to the ups and downs of having a pieced together income, rather than getting a steady paycheck.  For me, this is mostly about learning to save money rather than spend it as soon as I get it.  Big changes, but they are good  for me.

*I am spending more time with the people (and doggy) who matter to me, and this is a wonderful thing.

*I am thinking and learning again!  I feel like I was asleep for the last three years while working my day job, and now my mind has reawakened with a vengeance, wanting to grow and learn as much as possible.

*I am writing and drawing and painting again!  I did always try to do a bit of writing/drawing/painting while I was working the day job, but now I can really focus on it, and that kind of focus has brought better work to the surface, in my opinion.

*I have learned a lot about adaptability.  I can plan out my whole week on Monday, then by Monday afternoon, I'll get an illustration assignment or something to do, and my whole schedule will change.  I am learning to be okay with that and am getting used to it.

*I have added exercise into my daily routine, now that I have time for it, and I feel more energized than ever!  I think the last time I worked out was in high school gym class, ha ha.  I have already lost ten pounds since starting to exercise 3 months ago.

*I have been thinking more about food and what I put into my body.  Rather than jamming fast food at my lunch breaks - like I usually did during my previous job - I cook at home, eat slowly, make healthier choices, enjoy the act of nourishing myself.  Between that and the exercise, I feel totally different in my body, and it's a great feeling!  I have been reading Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet and wholeheartedly recommend it.

*As I said in my previous post, I am currently working on changing my relationship with STUFF and THINGS.  I think this is due not only to the reoccurring dream I have about clutter but also to the fact that I am at home so much now and am around my things a whole lot.  I feel like I want to have less, downside, simplify.  I started a new tumblr about this yesterday, tracking everything I get rid of with a photograph.  It's called Things I Used to Own.

*I still feel regret that I did not leave my previous job sooner, but I am working on forgiving myself for that.  Maybe I wasn't ready and the timing wasn't right until now.  All I know is that I feel more and more like myself every day that I have been self-employed, and I love this feeling.

I hope you are in the middle of a fun and creative weekend.