The Most Important Investment: How I Changed My Life’s Trajectory

I’ve been doing a lot of contemplating recently about this past year of my life. It’s been a time full of tremendous change, and in no small part, I owe that to the time I finally took to focus on myself. I want to share my journey with you and what I learned, so you can better understand why it is so important to invest in yourself.

Why is it so hard to take the time to invest in ourselves?

It all started last August when I decided to take time off from my career as a TV producer and director. I work mostly as a freelancer, so a couple of weeks, or even a month or two down between jobs, is not uncommon. But this was the first time in twenty-plus years that I actively chose to take time off from my career. This wasn’t an easy thing to do, especially living in New York City where people constantly say, “I’m so busy right now,” as if it’s a good thing.

Why do we live in a culture that is relentless about work, where we seem to place more value on our jobs and careers than our personal journeys? How do we take a year off from work to explore other endeavors when it’s still considered taboo?  And why do we celebrate busyness and overwhelm as if they are the only markers of success?

When my voluntary ‘sabbatical’ started, these were the questions that kept me up at night, because I had guilt about not working. Suddenly I had all of this time on my hands, and I felt like an interloper. I was consumed with self-doubt. Who was I to take time off to ‘find myself’ and dabble in passions that might have nothing to do with my livelihood?

Shortly after, the paranoia set in: Would I ever find a job again? Was I completely derailing my career? Would people judge me and call me lazy and spoiled behind my back? Would I waste the time I had given myself to explore new endeavors? And most worrisome, would I look back on the time I took off and regret it?

Why it’s so important to invest in yourself.

Having experienced a break in my working life, I can safely say that despite a culture that says otherwise, taking time off was one of the best decisions of my life. Investing in myself and pursuing a journey of self-discovery has been life-changing. I now have a much better connection to my intuition. I’ve discovered my internal compass, and I am finally allowing it to guide me, rather than following what our society and culture deem the right choices.

Once I got over my fears, I wholeheartedly took time to learn, grow and explore. I nurtured my passions and opened myself up to new opportunities. Did I feel vulnerable? Was I scared? Hell yes. But the new possibilities in my life now have made all of this worth it.

What I learned during my time off.

Without a job to worry about, I finally pursued a dream I’ve had for a long time. At first, I only had a germ of an idea. I wanted to connect with others and share everything from travel tips and recommendations – one of my passions – to health and wellness tips and life lessons I’ve gleaned from my personal journey. But it was only when I gave myself time to daydream and dabble that I came up with the concrete idea for my blog, Let’s Be Merry. As corny and trite as it sounds,  I realize now that I needed time and space for my creative juices to flow.

This year has been one of extraordinary learning. I am not a very technical person, but I taught myself how to build a website. I’ve gained photo editing and computer programming skills. I’ve connected with completely new communities in the blogging, travel and personal development worlds. Whether it was signing up for a conference, reaching out to people online, or meeting with acquaintances in the blogging world over a cup of coffee, I took a leap of faith. I pushed through any fears I had to learn, grow and connect. And now on the flip side, I am nurturing a new business.

I am so grateful that with my blog, I now have a creative outlet for my passions and another avenue for my career. My biggest hope is that what I write about resonates with you and helps you in some small way. If that’s the case, then my purpose with this blog has been fulfilled.

Trust the process and your intuition.

And that fear about never finding work again? Well, after about 6 months off, I was ready to get back into the TV industry, in addition to publishing my blog. After patiently hunting for my next gig, I got rewarded with one of my best opportunities yet. I just wrapped production on a new home design show for Bravo with Thom Filicia and Carson Kressley, two of the cast members from the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. To paraphrase the words of Gabby Bernstein, I can only think that during this past year, the universe has indeed had my back.

What about you? Are you contemplating taking time off? As long as you are financially sound and can support yourself for a few months to a year without an income, I highly recommend it. Forget about what our culture says, and do what feels right for you, because there is nothing more important than taking the time to invest in yourself. And if you’re scared about what you will do with all of that free time, here are some tips on setting goals.

Remember, this is your life. Live it fully and wholeheartedly. Be kind to yourself but also push yourself to do the things you’re afraid to do. Don’t play by the rules. Be brave. And never let society dictate what you should be doing. Do the things that you dream about and follow what’s in your heart. I promise you won’t regret it.