I recently had a milestone birthday. That’s right, I turned 30.
Thirty always seemed to me an age where I’d finally be an adult and I’d have it all figured out.
Well, I don’t have it all figured out – not even close. In fact, I’m less sure of everything now than I was when I finished college. It turns out, many of my friends and colleagues share a similar sentiment. We have found ourselves in vocations we never imagined or on paths that veered in an unexpected direction. The lives we envisioned for ourselves are far from the lives we are living and in some cases our goals or dreams seem further away and more unattainable than ever.
So what is one to do when life is not going as planned? I’ll tell you what I did. I quit my job.
I left a full-time, nine-to-five job with a steady paycheck. Why, you ask? Some might say I should be happy to have a job at all. Some might call me ungrateful or selfish or even a little crazy.
I had to take a step back. I noticed what differentiated me from those I worked with was passion. Every day I saw people who were passionate about their careers and their passion had led them to great success. I just wasn’t passionate about my job.
Sometimes the path to finding what you want to do begins with finding what you don’t want to do.
The good news is, although some people may really seem to have their lives put together, almost nobody really has it all figured out. Even that girl in your yoga class with her impossibly white teeth and her toned-tush who always has the cutest yoga pants – even she doesn’t have it all figured out. We’re all just making it up as we go along.
So for now, I’m going to take some time to decide what’s next. I’m going to get back to blogging, focus on writing, maybe take a class or two and see what opportunities are out there.
There’s a chance that this will be the best decision I ever made. This new beginning will give me the opportunity to figure that out.
Now let’s hear from you: When you were younger, what age did you see as being “an adult?” In what ways has reality contrasted with your idea of what you imagined your life would be like at this stage?
The Happy Elephant Blog 
Here it is from the perch of 53: at 30 I was climbing the career ladder in my first chosen profession. At 42 I chucked it all out to become a chef. Which I did. Successfully. When I turned 50, I left my full time job, started blogging and cooked part-time. Somehow, it has all worked out. At 30, I imagined 50 dreary and boring, life almost over. Now I feel exactly as I did at 30, with a bit less energy maybe (just maybe) but a lot more wisdom. You will find what you are looking for or, at least, will write your way to it!