Chasing Freedom & the day I decided to leave my job
Freedom looks like breakfast & writing
Just a quick update: The Lion is a VAFF Best Canadian Short nominee. It'll be screening at the international village next Friday at 10:00pm alongside Cardinal X. Grab a ticket!
I feel like freedom has been central for most of my life. As a kid, you'd find me removing "child-proof" cabinet locks so I could be free to play with the pots and pans. I would go long distances to satisfy my curiosity.
The story of leaving my job was in part, chasing this sense of freedom. And recently, when catching up with friends or old co-workers I haven't seen in a while, the same question comes up a lot. "What was the moment that you decided to leave luluelmon?" To be absolutely clear, the process was not linear. But I'm going to save you 10 minutes and simplify it.
I went back through my journals and found this entry on February 13th. I had just returned from vacation in Austin, TX. I wrote:
"I'm also excited to finish my time at lululemon. I'm feeling like I want to set my own autonomy and continue to create for myself. I want to travel and open myself up to more possibilities than I had known before."
And over two months later, on April 22, I this:
"I quit my job yesterday
I turned 27
I'm going to Portugal Tomorrow
and I'm releasing my first short doc"
And one month after that, I was packing up my belongings and saying goodbye.
I feel like there was a point where I realized my job was leading me to a life that wasn't of my own design.
Things like accumulating material wealth, living for the weekends, or needing to make my life work around my career. And for many people, it may be true. We all have differing values. What I truly want is a life where I live first and work second. A life where I could prioritize family and friends during the week and not feel guilty about taking an extra long lunch. A life where my physical, mental and spiritual health can come before the profits of another organization. A life that felt adventurous and where I was not confined to three weeks of vacation. A life where I could choose the projects and people I wanted to work with. A life where I could help many people fulfil the missions of their organizations through film. I wanted the freedom to make these choices.
Now back to you. Are you dreaming of freelancing? or love your job but want to start something on the side? or just want more space in your life for creative projects?
If so, what questions do you have or what do you want to know? I'm curious if people would be interested in me sharing the articles, conversations, books, videos and resources that ultimately helped me make the jump into my own business?
If that's a big yes, write it down in the comments or send me an email.
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