Every time you fall into a funk, you stop enjoying life and nothing is fun. There’s a weight on your chest and you carry dread around like it’s a ball and chain. It permeates everything you do or don’t. It’s a presence in your life, like a ghost following you around.
My ghost was the job I picked. It paid so well but I paid for it with my happiness. It was soul crushing and inspiration killing. What I thought would set me free eventually folded like a paper cage, closing in closer and closer till I had no more room to breathe. Or write. Or create.
I held on so stubbornly because I painted a pretty picture in my head. I could travel without financial constraints or working hours to tie me down. I could be one of those digital nomads working remotely and enjoying a croissant in Paris or sipping a Pina Colada by the beach in Bali.
I’ve been working a year now and none of that has happened and I have lost so much of myself. But paper rips easily and my cage will hold me no longer. We can escape the routine we have built for ourselves, knock our lives down like a sandcastle and take different paths. It is fine to change your mind, it is okay to pick a different life.
The hard part is always making the decision, especially when you’re concerned with the opinion of family. But they would always want what’s best of you, not your title or the size of your paycheck: they will always be proud of you. Ultimately, the ball is in your court. When you cut the rope and let go of what’s holding you back, you’ll find your breath again and soar.
