A New Adventure

I feel like I should start off with a little introduction post of sorts and explain how I find myself in the middle of one of the biggest adventures of my life.

Up until last year I was a stockbroker. Growing up as a child, I never thought I’d be able to say I was a stockbroker. Math was never a strong suit of mine, and I have no real desire for money other than making sure I am fed, sheltered and clothed.

And yet, as a 36 year-old, happily married woman, I found myself working in the financial industry, headed in exactly the opposite direction then I felt I should be going. What on earth had happened?

The morning of that fateful 36th birthday, I woke up from a deep sleep and found myself staring at the ceiling at 3 AM. My life had begun to feel like a runaway train headed in the wrong direction towards a bridge that wasn’t completed.

It scared me to think I would find myself in this same position, thinking these same thoughts when I was in my sixties, regretting the way I had chosen to live my life. It was time to re-assess and choose a different track.

I have to give my husband credit. When I went to him and told him how I was feeling, he didn’t dismiss my fears, or placate me. Instead, he sat down and really listened to the dissatisfaction in my voice. However, being a planner, he cautioned against me quitting my job so quickly.

Rather than jumping into a new direction impulsively (as I’m wont to do) he proposed that we take a year to save our money and pay off all our credit cards. We needed to make sure that we’d be financially stable to take the loss of my salary.

He also knows that I tend to be one of those people that starts off strong, but peters out somewhere in the middle. Having a year to prepare gave both of us time to make sure this was what I really wanted and I was committed to making it work.

Along with the monetary goals, I also suggested that I would participate in NaNoWriMo for the first time. I wanted to challenge myself and confirm whether I could actually produce 50,000 words in a month.

Lastly, we agreed that this would not be an open-ended arrangement. Most people will tell you that a good goal will be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound…AKA “S.M.A.R.T.”

For that final point, I set a goal to have a book written and published in one year. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting to be on the NY Times Bestseller list in a year, or be making a ton of money and touring Europe in a year. However, I do feel I should be able to write a book and get it self-published.

So, that is what I have been working towards since April 2014. Along the way I’ve met some great people and made some wonderful friends. I’ve also had a few missteps. I’ve enjoyed some accomplishments, but there have also been very steep learning curves (as well as some frustrations.) Then again, what good adventure wouldn’t have a few pitfalls along the way?

Hopefully, you’ll want to join me as I make this leap towards achieving my dream of becoming a published author.