I gave up! ….To dream a bigger dream.

To put this blog in a single sentence. I quit a well paying full time job to live the life of my dreams.

FOR ME (putting it in big bold letters so that you understand that what follows pertains to only the writer of this blog-me), Motherhood, came with the license  to switch off from my career.  I (note the bold) have come to understand, that we are living in a place and time where, if someone asks why you quit your job, and you point towards your child; that could actually just end that discussion right there. These are times when we use phrases like ‘working woman, working mother’; something that is unique to our gender and role (there is no such thing as a working father or a working man…because ofcourse all men and fathers must go to work!)

I understand that it is in this context of things, that I have never been asked why I decided to quit my job or why I later started freelancing. Infact, today not many around me even know what I am upto. The discussion of what I am upto with my life is no longer found necessary, because – BABY.  However, I think it is time I put it out there, atleast through this space that is mine, that I didn’t quit my job to embrace the role of a stay at home mother.

But I did use the time I got off, to re-evaluate my choices and make some strong decisions. One such decision was to step out from the comfort of a fulltime job and do what I always wanted to do – make an impact on the lives of others. After almost 8 years of working (full time, part time and as a fellow), I was deciding to take the plunge of being unemployed. So that I could focus on what I really wanted to do with my life- be my own boss and do my own thing. Back then I didnt even have an idea of what it was that I wanted to do (I have come one step ahead from there. Now I have an idea of what I want to do.)

I firmly believe, that my dreams are a big part of who I am, and that I must go all the way to try and make my dreams come true. I decided to take it slow, so that I get time for me, my ideas(Dreams) and my child.

To be honest, I have had something in mind from the time I was in college. But to really take that dream up, I had to give up on a big part of my financial independence. AND I DID IT.  I am living everyday with three hundred questions in my mind about whether I will ever make it, this is a few thousand miles away from my comfort zone.

I like to think, that we are quite daring. Not the adventure sports kind of daring, but you know, the sneaky and break the rules kind of daring (just so we have enough stories to tell our grandchild). But nothing I have ever done shook me up the way this decision did. It has been one of the most emotional, difficult and trying journey since. But we are working through it. Things are finally beginning to look good and the way ahead seems to be charted.

So, when I thought of the prompt for this blogathon, I thought it is apt to talk about how I gave up one dream and embraced another. This blogathon came with many prompts that I could choose from: Dare to say no/give up/speak up/share/break free.

Although I would title this is a dare to give up..I also:

I dared to say no to compromise

I dared to not give up on my aspirations

I dared to speak up about my life choices

I dared to share the fact that I too have a dream

I dared to break free from the shackles of  at least some of life’s have tos and stepped into a world of want tos.

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P.S: I have nothing against stay at home moms or dads. To me, career choices are personal, irrespective of gender.  If it seems otherwise, that is the fault of my writing, not my thinking.

I would like to thank  Ravijot from shiningshower.com for introducing me to this blogathon, and request you to go head to the blog of Avika from The Momma Cafe   to read more about her take on the prompts.

 

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Slow claps to the wonderful team of The Momsteins for hosting yet another fabulous blogathon.