How I Took a Leap of Faith and Left the 9 to 5 lifestyle

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Do what you love and you will never work another day of your life again.”?
When you’re passionate about what you do for a living, so passionate to the point where you cannot imagine any moment of the day without thinking about it. Your passion becomes part of who you are as a whole. You see yourself transforming into the prettiest person on earth while talking about it, the sparkles in your eyes, the smile on your face, the excitement in your voice exudes happiness that the world can’t help but notice you are, living what you love!

You see, like many out there, I once believed that the 9-to-5 is what I needed to survive. For many years, I worked jobs that were helping me pay the bills. I was doing OK, but OK wasn’t good enough for me! I didn’t want to survive. I didn’t want to get by. I wanted to live! I wanted to thrive! Better yet, I wanted to thrive while doing
what I love! I wanted to live a fulfilling and successful life.

Despite the many and wonderful connections I have made along with the opportunities of growth that I have experienced within the companies I have worked for, which of course I’m forever grateful for, the 9-to-5
reality wasn’t what I believe my life should sum up to. My dreams were bigger and my goals were beyond measure, but they were not out of reach. I had to make it happen. If you don’t love the way you live, you have to do something different about it. I know that the majority, if not all of you reading this would agree with my statement. However, I think that for many of us, we are not dissatisfied with our jobs because we don’t like them. Having been there, I would say the dissatisfaction comes from the simple fact that our jobs are not sufficient for us to fully enjoy the rest of our life. Don’t get me wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a 9-to-5. In fact, I know
people who, not only love their Jobs, but are doing quite well. If you are one those people and your dream is to move up the corporate ladder, you go for it! More power to you. However, in my humble opinion, I think these people represent the minority of the corporate world.

So what’s stopping us from making a change?

Stepping out in faith, following your heart, and pursuing your passion isn’t always easy. It’s actually terrifying! The reality is that the uncertainty of life is most frightening, but you often can’t make a change unless you take a leap of faith.

Here’s my story.

When I tell people that I have left the corporate world and have turned my passion into a career, their eyes light up! They could hardly believe it. The questions were almost the same: “Why?” – “What if?” – “What about the perks, the security, and the benefits?” I was once there, and I would have had the same reaction, but I had to tell them that the end results for me are so much more than those perks. I knew I had so much in me that needed to be transparent. I had a vision and I had to see past that vision and believe in the blessings.

After welcoming a new bundle of joy in 2013, I took a longer maternity leave than expected. Where I come from, they say the third child is usually the hardest; and in my case, it was definitely true. I was physically and emotionally drained. I had a lot of sleepless nights and I could hardly leave the house. Baby Charisma-Love was and still is one of a kind. She was addicted to me… and I was addicted to her. As a mom, it’s a good feeling to know that your baby loves you and needs you, but at the same time, I was lacking the energy to keep up with everything even with the help of my wonderful husband and my adorable older daughters. I have just been blessed with another human
being, and I wasn’t going to complain. Instead, I decided to count my blessings and see the other side of the coin. I love spending time with my family, being a devoted wife and a good mother to my kids. I have realized how much more connected I was being with them. I loved been more involved in their after-school activities, having breakfast
with them before school, making sure they look their best before hopping in their school bus, fixing my husband’s lunch before he leaves for work, and just being able to be there when I wanted to and when my family needs me to. The little things that make life so much happier! The only thing is, even though I was cherishing the quality
time spent with my family, I still wanted to be able to work. Blame my parents. I was raised in a family where there’s no particular reason for a wife not to work. unless otherwise agreed upon by the wife and the husband.

I knew it wasn’t impossible to live the best of both worlds.

“We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us ” Phil.4:13

I have started connecting more with God. I prayed and meditated more. I have asked for guidance, wisdom and clarity! The truth is I had many doubts too. I vibrated in fear and have changed my minds more than a few times. I have thought about the many perks. These undeniable yet very debatable perks that I will be leaving behind… Yes, I’ve thought about it all! It would be a lie if I tell you that I had it all figured out. It wasn’t an easy transition; far from it. My family and I had to rely on only one steady income for a while. Sacrifices and adjustments needed to be made. This has to be one of the hardest decisions I had ever made. In my deepest fear, I realized one day that I will never know how far I can go if I don’t push myself or how successful I can be if I actually don’t try. I have told myself that in the worst case scenario, I can always go back to working the 9-to-5. A decision needed to be made. Actions needed to be taken! I had to believe in my God and face my fear. I had to dominate my fear! I did, and I finally took that leap of faith. I left my 9 to 5 and started investing in my passion and unfolding my dreams one day at the time. There’s something amazing about having an intimate and selfless relationship with God! I call it the real faith. The real faith is, when you let go and you let God. When even in the midst of all confusions, fear and uncertainty, you still believe in the blessings. Along my journey in discovering myself again and living a life of purpose, I have known and discovered a lot about myself and my callings more than I have had in my 35 years of living. Something unexpected happened and it had made a great impact on my life; but first thing first.

In 2014, I started my own Fashion, Decor and Lifestyle blog. Since I was a little girl, my keen sense of style, my interest and passion for art, beauty and aesthetic had been noticed – despite my status of little nerd, yeah I was one of those- and I grew up having an obvious creative mind. Along the way, I developed a great passion for writing. One of my dearest dreams is to become a famous author. So for me, it’s the best of both world to have a creative outlet where I can share the things I love to do with so many all the while inspiring them and monetizing my blog; something I did along with starting up my Interior Design and Event Planning journey. You can say that my dreams were coming along. I started living a happier and more fulfilling life.

The amazingly unexpected thing that happened, something I didn’t see coming in the midst of everything, is the gift of speaking unfolding in front of me. I have always believed in my aspiration to inspire and to bless healing and searching souls through inspirational speaking and coaching!

“Magic happens when you follow the call of your soul. Absolute magic.”

The perks of living my life with purpose – The freedom to work on my own terms and my own schedule – The possibility of being a blessing to others – The ability of spending quality time with my family – The everlasting drive to build a legacy for my children… The list is long, but these are my “WHYs” and they are important enough for me to take the risk and not look back. I know most people can relate to this, and they would leave their job if only they could. As I mentioned earlier, what frightens us as human beings is not knowing of what the future holds. The fear of being on our own and taking control of our own life. That internal fear – the silent killer – destroys our dreams and potentials. We have to overcome that fear! We have to embrace the talents in us and “unleash the power within us”. We have to live in faith!

“We can only accomplish as much and as far as we think we can. Let’s rid ourselves of that fear of failure and embrace the desire of fulfillment and success. Believe To Achieve.”

I’m a very passionate woman. I love to bring the inner beauty, self-love, self-confidence, and positivity out of people. As a fashion stylist and blogger, a speaker, a writer and an Interior Designer and Decorator, I empower people in designing their best life while assisting them in stylishly presenting themselves and beautifully
decorating their spaces. I inspire women in living brilliantly, beautifully and boldly! These are my passions and I strive to LIVE and so CAN YOU!

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Edwige Amaizo Foltek is a blessed and highly favored wife and mom, making her mark on the world one day at the time. She’s the editor-in-style of the blog Hypnoz Glam – www.hypnozglam.com , owner and CEO of Aspire To Inspire. – www.edwigefoltek.com.