A health issue rocked my world so much that I quit my job, and likely the career path I had been on. For years I often had debilitating inflammation in my body; at times not being able to walk, being on crutches, unable to bend my knee, or unable to straighten my arm. It impacted not only my joints but my focus, my mental health, and it was on my mind every minute of the day. When I realized how much stress and toxic emotions played a part in my health issue, I decided to resign to heal my body.
I worked in HR. Not only in HR, but I was HR. There was no back-up, I was the department. And as the saying goes, there’s no HR for HR. We are there for the employees and for the company, at all hours of the day, night, and weekends; you quite literally take the job home with you. There are no sick days for a department of one, and holidays fall during the busy year-end period of reviews, bonuses, and tax deadlines, as well as benefit renewals and open enrollment; you just try to catch your breath in the summer.
Not only was I in the role that your job is to be there for everyone else, but I was a pleaser from childhood trauma and a life learned to live in survival mode; I was always there for everyone else in my life, but not ever there for myself. I lived in the rushing, busy, and racing, to ensure I could be a supportive friend and great employee, but I kept making withdrawals from the bank of myself, my health, my sleep, and my physical and mental well-being daily. I had finally run out of withdrawals.
I had dreamed about having a year to sleep – who dreams about that? But that was my dream. I was so depleted and utterly exhausted that it was what I knew I needed. I needed to heal and was utterly and completely exhausted. I spent a year rebalancing and healing my body, then wrote a book about all things healing that I learned when I stopped the inflammation on the spot the moment I quit my job and said yes to myself. Which brings me to the present, healed me, venturing on a new path of living a balanced, healthy life, and working towards bringing my book to light and sharing it with the world.
This healed version of me wants to continue to work towards placing herself first, living a life in balance, pursuing things she’s passionate about, showing others how they can heal and return to balance, but also needs to make a living in the process. While I learn to build the writing and speaking career I’ve always dreamt of, building a following, and embarking on a new public path, I still need to have income coming in. I needed to tiptoe back to the waters of earning an income and ensuring my body stayed in balance and healthy. With these goals in mind, I made the conscious decision to pursue jobs I wouldn’t normally have pursued. Enter, my hustle era.
At first I was embarrassed of taking a job like one I held in my twenties; I am a 40-something-year-old accomplished executive with a college degree and loads of connections and accolades. But this was about my health, my happiness, and my future. This was my life at stake. It’s venture capital money towards my future while maintaining my health, happiness, and building connections and community. When I really thought about the jobs that made me the happiest, fashion was up near the top of that list.
As it turns out, I am great at it, I have met wonderful people there, I look forward to work, and know that I’m doing it for my future with a goal in mind. If life is about the journey and not the destination, I am enjoying the journey towards my new career. In fact, part of the healing path is to pursue one’s passions and not feel as though life is passing you by. No matter your career, a side hustle or passion project is something everyone could benefit from, provided it’s not a conflict of interest with your current position. At a time when our health is paramount and companies are understanding the importance of mental health, these hustles could help alleviate financial stress, improve your mental or physical health, and increase your overall happiness and joy.
I healed myself when I listened to my own needs and made myself a priority. I’m no longer embarrassed by my hustle jobs, especially having ones that I not only enjoy, but know that they are allowing me to help build a business to help others learn how to heal themselves. I’ve met amazing people, made new friendships, rekindled an old passion that had been dormant, and I’m far more empathetic to people in any retail and public facing positions. We don’t know their stories, their traumas, what they may be overcoming, where they may have been, or what they may be doing on the side. There’s a person on the other side that has a story to share or might be building a business to help others heal; you just need to slow down to acknowledge them and their unique paths.
I now love my hustle, I’m good at it, and I’ve released the embarrassment. I’m happy, balanced, booked, busy, and building. To quote Jay-Z, “You can’t knock the hustle.” I know I’ve gotten a lot out of mine.