Waiting on a Breakthrough? Don’t.

What are you waiting for?

This is something that I would ask my “old self” if I had the ability to do so. For a countless number of years, I sat on the fence waiting for something to happen. Waiting for an epiphany. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for an intervention of epic proportions. Waiting. Because playing it safe was how I rolled, and dammit, I wasn’t going to leave anything up for chance.

I stayed locked in a job that, while it brought me joy and a good income for some time, it wasn’t my passion. I stayed because growing up, I was taught that is important to have a job with benefits. People just don’t leave their jobs to start something they want to do, right? At least not in my family.

So I spent many years working, grinding, making other people money. I was a slave to predictability. As a Virgo, it’s in my DNA. We are perfectionists, we practice excellence. I was great at my job—epic even. Why would I need to go out on my own?

And then it happened. I got canned. Laid off. Fired. And doing so gave me wings, even though I didn’t know how to fly yet on my own. I started working on my blog like it was my business because I knew that I needed to see if I could do it. I needed to see if I could do it on my own.

Four years later, I’m still here. And I am here on my own terms, which is a blessing in itself. But this isn’t about me, really. It’s about you.

If you are sitting there waiting on a breakthrough, don’t.

Don’t just sit on the sidelines.

Don’t just keep saying tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. If I had’ve acted many years before I was forced to, then perhaps I would even be farther than I am now. Who knows? The point is to try when you get the notion to begin. Beginning is the hardest part, but is also the most crucial.

Whether you are wanting to step out on your own. Whether there’s a goal that you want to reach that you haven’t already. Whatever it is—don’t wait for a breakthrough. Make your own. Being afraid of failure is one thing, but procrastinating because you are afraid to fail—well that is more than fear. That is self-defeating. And I know this, firsthand, because I am someone who kept putting off what I could’ve done.

Unchartered waters are never comfortable. But growth comes from stepping out of your comfort zone.

There’s a site that I will be sharing with you that will go into greater detail sharing stories of people who stepped out on their own and did so because they had the guts to. My story is different because I didn’t step out until I had to. But for those of you who need a place to visit and get inspiration on walking away from your job to start your own endeavor(s), bookmark this page.

We will be revisiting this topic soon. But in the meantime, tell me in the comments what you are afraid of. And why. And if you have stepped out on your own and started your own business, how did you do it?