It's OK- Really

About a year ago, I made a giant leap. I pursued the first career I have ever had outside of healthcare. It was terrifying. All I have known since I was 22 years old is being a nurse. This means I've only worked as a nurse for more than 20 (cough, cough) years, but I knew I needed a change. I was feeling burned out and did not have enough emotional energy left for my family. So I reached out to some acquaintances, and I started training as a travel agent- my specialty being Disney travel- something I've always loved. I began learning  how the rest of the world functions using Google Docs and Zoom and all manner of things that were never required to take care of patients. I started booking trips and getting into my groove and then- WHAM. A pandemic took over the world. Disney closed. Do you hear me? Disney CLOSED, and Disney stayed closed. 

I had no work, so I began pouring myself into improving my skills on social media. Now mind you, I had to get creative. In no way would I feel OK with trying to "sell" travel when there was no travel to be had. My posting needed to change, and I began shifting to just sharing content which related back to Disney in some way and could help my followers. With everyone spending more time at home, I started posting content to make people laugh, help them keep their kids busy, and show off products from shops that they might enjoy. And do you know what I learned? I found out that I really ENJOYED the process of social media. I liked learning what to share, when to share, and how to properly hashtag. I found out that I could do other things well.

This is still a wild ride for me, don't get me wrong. I don't want to gloss over that, and I don't want to dismiss the things I've learned over this past year. There is so much I need to learn, but here is what I DO know.

1. It's OK to admit to burnout. I was not working too many hours when I finally admitted to feeling exhausted from my mental health care job. I thought that it was ridiculous that I felt this way from only going to the office two days per week. But the reality was, that I was fried. Days at work were cumbersome and seemed to last forever. The joy in my heart that I experienced when seeing a patient start to heal was nearly gone. Most evenings when I came home, I couldn't even put my thoughts and words together to carry on a conversation. I just wanted to hide in my room and not have to face the realities of teenagers and emotions and hormones and all of those scary things. I had nothing left to give. It was time for me to make some changes. For me. For my family.
2. It's OK to walk down a new path. Do you know what held me back from making changes? Well me, of course. I was afraid. Afraid of looking like a failure. Afraid of making less money. Afraid that I wouldn't like any other work. Afraid that I wouldn't be able to learn new things. Afraid that my parents would think I was wasting my education. Afraid. Afraid. Afraid. Let's be real. I didn't want my pride to hurt. What I didn't realize is that I was missing out on a chance to grow, but one day it hit me hard. I was not getting younger. I was only living this life once. It was OK for me to adventure down a new path
3. It's OK to walk around and learn from roadblocks. Like I said earlier, my initial plans for change did not go as planned. There was a pandemic y'all. Disney closed. It was time to pivot. I did not stop working in travel, but I did spend more time upping my social media game. I joined a strategy group. I picked the brain of a dear friend. I started posting daily. I revisited a course in Pinterest strategy I had taken. I kept moving. I kept learning. 

So here I am. Do I have it all figured out now? Nope. I never will. All I know is that I just have to take the next step. The pieces will fall into place. Eventually. And you know what else?

It's OK- really.

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