Becoming The Author Of My Own Destiny
May

This is a guest submission by Gwen from EnduranceMktg.com
Escape From Cubicle World
I’m not sure I can pinpoint the exact moment that I knew I was living the wrong life. The wrong “work life,” that is. It wasn’t one specific event that triggered my realization that I was not meant to spend the rest of my days on earth holed up behind the gray walls of an 8 x 6 cubicle.
It was more of a “I can’t breathe in here,” feeling I got every time I set my laptop on the docking station and parked my ass in the black swivel chair.
Some days I wish I were more like those “other” people–the ones who appear to be completely comfortable with the sameness of their day job.
Those people who appreciate the stability (or perceived stability) of having a place to go every day, who park their car in the same parking spot, have an “office coffee cup,” and don’t have that urge to look beyond their compartmentalized work life and wonder what else might be out there for them. Or do they?
Well, somewhere along the way, I knew that I was never going to be one of those people. I like change. I like fluidity. I don’t do well in environments where the windows don’t open (aka…no way to escape). I felt a little like the life was being sucked out of me, that there had to be more.
I knew I had to flee. (And I’m ever thankful to my husband who continues to be the rock that has kept groceries in the house all these years. Thank you honey.)
And So It Began
I was working for a large corporation, in an online marketing role, and I was miserable. Physically and emotionally, I was drained at the end of every day. It affected my health. It affected my mood. It affected my family. I was not a happy person. I didn’t even want to be around me.
Something had to give.
About 8 months ago, I started working on what I knew would be my future. I started working with small businesses, helping them with their social media. And I found myself having a blast. Over the course of those months, I built my business—working nights and weekends to support the clients I had already signed on, while building my own website and social media strategy.
Before I quit my “day job,” I made a list of the things I needed to accomplish. Pay off car. Put X amount of cash in my savings account. Set up my accounting. Get organized. Build website. And the list went on.
If you’re thinking of quitting, I suggest you create this kind of list. As exciting as it seems to just up and quit, the fact that I planned ahead, built up a few regular clients and socked away some rainy day money, made it a little easier when the time came to take the plunge.
Now, having urged you to create a plan, I can also tell you that I wish I had quit two months earlier. What I realized while I waited for the “perfect” time to quit was this: There won’t ever be a perfect time.
So when you DO create your list of things to do before you quit, add a target date. Having a date would have helped me move faster with my plan, and it would have granted me my freedom all the sooner.
Today, I am free from corporate America. It’s just not for me. Not now, and likely not ever. I enjoy meeting small business owners – helping them develop marketing strategies that will help them compete in their market.
There’s a sense of ownership that I feel today, with my clients. I am a partner in their success, and it matters.
As scary as it was to finally take the leap into my future, it was much scarier to me to think of myself hidden behind the walls of a cubicle 10 years from now.
In the words of Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.”
So, here I go….
Gwen Morrison is a social media strategist and owner of Endurance Marketing. She’s a Canadian gal who has a wicked sense of humor (at least SHE thinks she does), and is happily living a less ordinary life in the Atlanta area.
You can find out more about her on her website EnduranceMktg.com, and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

David
Short and sweet! Good work with the site Gwen keep it up! Are you a full time marketing consulting now? or do you have other endeavors?
Gwen
Hi David! Thanks for visiting the site! Yes, I’m definitely a full time marketing consultant now. I work with small businesses, helping them develop their online footprint — SEO, social media, content creation and marketing, etc. I’ve been doing this part-time for over a year now and it’s so great to have the time now to take the business to the next level.
David
Cool Gwen. Yet another person that proves it can be done!
Randy Cantrell
Well done, Gwen. A life of dread is no life at all.
Gwen
Randy, so true! I did indeed dread opening my email each morning. Very negative. And eventually that wears on you.
When I left, not one person noticed I was leaving. I cleaned out my cubicle over the course of 4 days and not one person noticed that something was different in my gray corner of the world. Weird, eh?
I want to make an impact. Isn’t that why we’re here?
Dino Dogan
wow…does this sound familiar. Been there, done that Gwen. I was getting chills reading it because it could have easily been written by a fly on the wall watching me a year ago.
Here’s to the future.
Gwen
Thanks for reading! The more I talk to people, the more I realize there are so many of us — those people who want more out of life than being trapped in a corporate environment doing the 9-5 thing. Nothing wrong with it, if it fits for you, but for me, I need light and creativity. And I’m sooo enjoying the journey so far!
Congrats to you, as well! Great website btw!
Steve
Gwen,
Thanks for sharing your story, I know it hots close to home for soooo many people. Your point about there never being the right time to make “the” change, is spot on. We just have to do it (with planning hopefully) 🙂
Gwen
Thanks Steve!
Benny
I read your story and can understand that feeling of dread! I have wondered too why I can’t enjoy my job like everyone else who does this job. But thats like fitting a square into a round shaped hole.
Congrats on freeing yourself and sharing your story.
Gwen
Benny, I think I actually said nearly those exact words over the years: “It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.” It just didn’t feel right. I loved the work — online marketing, social media — but the culture just wasn’t a fit for me. I think that there are just people who do better with change. And as scary as it was, I knew that I had to take a leap of faith — so far so good!
Colleen Friesen
I truly believe that we have an obligation to live our best and most authentic life – whatever that looks like.
We all know what it isn’t…we know it isn’t feeling dread about our day or feeling exhausted before we start.
We’re on the right path when we’re excited and energized by the tasks we’ve set for ourselves.
Way to go Gwen. I can hear the excitement 🙂
Gwen
Thanks Colleen! I do feel re-energized! It’s just the beginning and I know it will unfold in ways that might surprise me, but I’m ready. I’ve met such wonderful people already, and know that there are great things ahead!
Thank you for your support this past year. It means a lot to me to have friends who believe in you. 🙂
Riley Harrison
The last-straw-moment came for me when one day I had to make a somewhat personal phone and couldn’t. We need space and the access to solitude to renew our energies to be at our best.
Riley
Gwen
Agreed, Riley. I didn’t have that issue at my “day job,” not in the physical sense, but I think that the space I have now is more about freedom of choice. It all depends on what motivates you, though. If money if your prime reason for working, it’s tougher to make this kind of change. It’s definitely not for everyone. I’m glad you discovered your own “space”!
Anthony
I couldn’t agree with you more! We have also done the same thing and life will never be the same for us now. We are in the process of creating a few businesses that will sustain us in the future when we return back home. Travelling has opened my eyes to a endless possibility of opportunities that I thought didn’t exist.
Gwen
Anthony, how exciting! I love to hear stories like yours. I think diversity is a great way to do it. And it keeps things interesting! Wishing you the best of luck!
Justin | Mazzastick
Gwen,
I had my experience in cubicle world as well. I’m glad that you got out of there and created your own life and career.
I believe that some people like the comfort and security of steadiness. I never have and I love variety and working on my own terms.
Gwen
Justin, I agree with your comment about how some people enjoy that comfort and security…but in today’s world, is there any such thing as security? I think that there is often a mis-belief that having a day job is secure. I can tell you from experience within the company I worked for, it doesn’t exist any longer.
Marco Lee
Hell Gwen! It was nice for you to stumble and share the listing part. Listing down the things that we want to achieve entails a lot of effort and focus. I admire you for that.
p.s. Props to the other solopreneurs who are reading this. Break it Free! 🙂
Gwen
Thanks Marco!