I Jumped: How to know when it's time to quit your job

It all started with a tiny glimmer in a dream. I was happy. Truly making a difference and energized throughout my day, fueled by the wins and successes that kept rolling in…

And then I woke up.

It was 7 am on a Monday, and I was awoken by my 2 year-old driving his toy car across my face. It was time to wake up. Time to get the kids off on their day and then head into the same office I’d been housed in for the last 3 years. For some reason I couldn’t get out of bed. I was dreading my day ahead. I felt trapped, and there was nothing I could do about it. Like so many men and women, I was stuck going to a job, that was exactly that. A job. And nothing more.

Now let me be clear. Sometimes you have to take a job because you have no other choice. Or if you’re like me, you never really knew what you wanted to do. So you went into a “career” that you thought sounded good for you. But as the years went on, you realize that what you chose is definitely not what you’re meant to do. I had been with the same company, in two different positions, since I graduated college. I really didn’t know any other career path. Until I started speaking to business mentors, I didn’t realize that not only was I severely underpaid (because when I first accepted a position, I had no idea you were even supposed to negotiate a salary — more on that at a later date!), but I also was incredibly under-appreciated and under-valued.

When Misery takes its toll.

I’ve changed a lot over the last 5 years. I got married, became a mother x2 and have really started to figure out who I am and who I want to be. As I kept going through the motions of showing up for a job everyday and simply getting the work done, I would end every day feeling frustrated, upset and empty. At the same time, I had started A Glass of Goldwater as a hobby, but it was beginning to grow. The validation and feedback I received from women I didn’t even know made me start to think that there was something more to this little creative outlet I’d fallen into. As that began to grow, I started to see the difference between a job that I no longer enjoyed and a hobby that was quickly turning into my biggest motivator and passion.

The mindset shift.

Honestly, the thought didn’t cross my mind to leave my job right away. I didn’t grow up with any entrepreneurial role models, so I never even thought that starting my own business was a possibility. A salaried position was what I was meant to do…even if it was making me miserable. I mean, I had 2 kids, a husband, a mortgage and a mean shopping habit to support, after all. But as A Glass of Goldwater continued to expand and I began to do sponsorships here and there, I started to spend all of my “free time” enthralled in learning and researching how to expand a lifestyle brand into a full blown business. Over the next several months, my mindset totally shifted.

It was now clear I could have a career where I was equally as valued, as in my own home, and where I could make a difference. It also became clear that my salaried, full time job was no longer the career I was talking about with these possibilities. I started to put a plan into motion. How could I scale my lifestyle brand to be my full time career?

The months that followed were tough.

The year that preceded my exit from my old job was hard. It became a means to an end. And that end was really the beginning of a new life for me and my family, doing what I truly loved. Ask my husband. When it wasn’t 9-5 workday hours and when I wasn’t wiping someone’s butt or kissing a booboo, I was busting my own rear end to grow A Glass of Goldwater. I used vacation days to attend 2 conferences in New York, where I networked with brands and other like-minded women.

It was all about getting my brand out there and showing up. I knew I had to scale my business to a certain level before I would feel “comfortable” enough to leave my salaried position. And when I say comfortable, I mean, as comfortable as you can be when you’re taking the plunge and completely relying on yourself to make an income. We all know that there’s always a risk in doing that.

The final exit.

Over the course of about 10 months, I got everything as into place as I could, and with the support of my husband and girl boss squad, specifically my biz partner, Werk Wife and friend, Andrea Rappaport, I quit my job.

Now, I could go on about how you should never work for someone who undervalues you or who doesn’t see you for what you’re worth, but I won’t. Because inside, I think you know that. Unfortunately, so many Americans are held back from reaching their potential because of poor conditions and treatment in the workplace. But we often do what we have to do to support our families, whether that means sacrificing our own happiness or not.

I will say that it is so imperative to know your worth. See in yourself what your biggest fans and supporters see in you. Then, and only then, will you be able to strive for your own greatness, crush your goals and be truly happy. That process looks different for everyone. For some, it’s leaving their current job. For others it’s working to level up in their same company, and for others it’s taking on a new volunteer position or starting a new hobby, not a career move at all.

It ain’t easy.

Some days are hard. Way harder than any day I had at my old office. But when I get through those hard times and come out the other side, more qualified and more successful because of it, I feel fulfilled. I feel proud of my hard work — energized and motivated to do more. And that, my friends, is the job you want to do every day. The word job takes on a whole new meaning, and it becomes your passion and purpose, not just a way to make money.

Before we wrap this up, I feel obligated to say that of course I’m passionate about being a mother, wife and family-oriented woman. But it’s okay to have, and need, a passion and purpose outside of your family unit. If you’re the kind of person that needs that, then go for it. Because your family will be better because of it.

…And here I am, 4 years later, having a dream that I’m my own boss and CEO. I make a difference in the lives of women every day, and I help other businesses to grow and do the same…

And then I woke up.

It’s 7 am and I’m awoken by a Crayola marker being colored on my arm. It’s time to get the kids off to school. Then I’ll sit down at my own desk, start talking to women, creating content and changing the world. My dream is no longer a dream. It’s now my reality. And it can be yours too.