a big step in the right direction

Today is a big day for me. Today is my last day in PR. I’m leaving the company where I’ve worked only few short months because I’ve decided that a) agency life is not for me and b) I’m done with PR. I quit before the wedding because I need time to decompress and really focus on the fact that I’m getting married. (Holy crap!) I’ll have a 2.5 days next week to relax and take it all in before J and I fly back East on Wednesday. (Relax? Who am I kidding? We still have so many little things to take care of! Though I am planning on getting a massage before we go…)

The bigger news is that I don’t plan to jump back into work right after the wedding. I don’t want another cubicle job. I want a job that allows me to be creative, to work directly with other people, to make a difference in their lives. I’ve had some ideas as to what I might want to do floating around my mind for the last couple of years, but I’ve been afraid to pursue any of them. Fear of failure, maybe? But the wedding has been the impetus to get over my fear and find what I truly love to do. I’m starting a new life — a new husband, a new last name, a new extended family — so why not take a chance and start a new career.

So what do I want to do? Be a wedding planner. Own a small stationery store. Go back to school. Open a franchise. Be a freelance writer. Be an interior designer. The truth is that I’m still in the discovery phase. I want to learn not only what I’m good at but also what I’m truly passionate about. I’m going to spend the summer networking (meeting wedding planners in the area, talking to small business owners) and researching (reading business books, perhaps seeing a career counselor).

All I know is that I want to be happy. I want a job that I love and that challenges me. I want to work hard everyday. While I’ve enjoyed all of the jobs I’ve had since college (more or less), none of them were my dream job. While I’m still not sure what my dream job would be, I intend to start figuring it out this June.

Have you found your calling? Are you doing what you love to do? Have you started your own business? If you have any advice or words of wisdom, please share!

(image source)