It’s all about the journey
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Yeah, I know that sounds a little corny, but yesterday was my last day at work (I’ve given up my ‘day job’ and my old life).
It is the end of an era for me.
About a month ago I made the decision to leave the city and head back to the country.
After 12 years of inner city living and working for the government I think my creativity has taken enough of a battering.
Do you have a job that stifles creativity?
I’m off to the tropics in a few months to reunite with my muse and help rebuild my old house.
It wasn’t an easy decision – it probably took me all of a trillionth of a second to choose between my life here and my life there. Having said that, my life here has been wonderful – I had a great job and I loved the people I worked with. I told them yesterday that I would include their characters in a story one day and promised it wouldn’t be a horror or a love story – but there was no mention of comedy 
I don’t think I’ll regret this decision (and if I do – too bad). I’ve never been one to have regrets – however, this doesn’t mean I haven’t done some pretty dumb things in my life!
My mantra has always been – just move forward and enjoy the ride that life has to offer.
Do you have a personal life mantra? Are you a cautious person who plans everything – or do you just allow yourself be swept along on the journey of life?
Wish me luck on my new venture! I’ll also have more time for blogging (which may or may not be a good thing!)
**********************************************************************************
For those who are interested The Eleventh Question is still free on Smashwords and .99c on Amazon Kindle until Monday 5 November.
WooHoo!
Congratulations honey!!!!
Xx
Thank you so much! I’m really looking forward to this )
What a momentous day!! Many congrats and best wishes for this new adventure. Looking forward to keeping up with all the wondrous future days.
(And as for a personal mantra; one day at a time…)
I love your personal mantra, Anna! Thank you so much for the congrats – it means a lot to me
sounds like an amazing opportunity to grow. keep us posted.
Will do! I always love change and this is a big one!
I’m a person who likes to plan, yet I’m always swept away from that plan. I’m learning to go with the flow, but it’s difficult. Good luck!!!
Thank you, Matt! I’m a go with the flow person most of the time and some people in my family think that’s a bit crazy – but I’ve survived until now
Woo hoo! That is awesome Best of luck to you in this new adventure!
Thank you!
PS – I can’t wait to hear all about it on your blog
Congratulations on the change! I hope you enjoy your country life. I admire you being able to make the decision so quickly and act upon it.
I’m way too cautious to make such a drastic change. Here’s how my thought process goes: I didn’t choose to live here. I came with my parents when I was too young to live on my own. I’d rather live______ (fill in the blank). I can’t live ____ because my family lives here, we don’t know anyone there, I already have a decent job here, and I don’t want to spend vacations visiting here. Then I think of my parents getting older. I don’t want to move too far away…oh, and airfare for a family of four to come visit can be quite expensive. I think it’s best we stay here for now.
(Sigh). Maybe one day I’ll throw caution to the wind
Oh, Janna, your thought process is very similar to mine! I think my decision came when we went on our road trip and I saw how run down our poor old house was:( We moved to the place we are now to give the kids a better education. Now they have all finished school and university and for some reason we’re still here! My siblings will be further away once I leave, but they love going north for holidays – so I kind of think they can just come up and visit us and have a free holiday
It will be a huge change, but I really think I need it 
I hope you enjoy your new journey. Congrats.
Thank you so much, Dennis
I believe change is exciting. It gets all the life-juices flowing again. Good luck with your venture.
Thank you! I’m sure it will be the best move ever
Wow, good for you! Change is so exciting, I love it. I thrive on it. My childhood was spent upping sticks so many times that I went to 13 different schools by the time I was 15! I was always flying by the seat of my pants but now I’m a parent I feel a little more grounded. I still don’t like routine and would be a constant traveller in a heartbeat
Good luck with the adventure!!
Thanks, Virginia!
I moved a couple of times when I was a kid but only went to four different schools. It’s really hard to make new friend with this much moving, but I can’t imagine going to 13 different schools – that must have been quite unsettling! I’m not necessarily a ‘routines’ person as well (I don’t think – I’ll soon find out!).
Best of luck, Dianne! Sorry I couldn’t check into your post earlier, these damn engineering wxams just keep getting the better of you! Anywatys, BEST OF LUCK!
P.S: Long time since you wrote on my blog! Drop by sometime!
Thanks for coming by
I kept looking at your blog and you haven’t posted anything new for ages so I’ve been waiting…..
Best of luck with your exams and thank you so much for the well wishes
I gave up my “day job” about a decade ago & have never looked back. It may be an unreliable income stream, but its much happier and fruitful
Thanks, Dawn – I love these kind of comments!
I do wish you luck. It took me twice as many years as it did you to come to my senses, even though I thought I was doing some good within the maze of government bureaucracy. i went and taught english as a second language to newcomers to canada, within this richly multi-cultured mosaic i call home. i have more time to write now, which is always something i’ve wanted to do, although being a fatcat hockey star would have been nirvana. Tomorrow is the next day of your life, too.
Well said! Teaching ESL would be really interesting – but more time to write is always a bonus
Wow… how I would love to live in the country! Good for you and best wishes for your move. (And as for more time for blogging: that is surely a good thing. We love reading what you have to say!)
AW – this is such a lovely comment!!! Thank you, Tarina
Your post reminded me of that song ‘Moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches’ by Pot USA. Country living can be quite nice. You notice the seasons more, the wildlife, the breezes … lovely.
Okay, I have a few mantras, but for today how about this one: don’t think about what you can’t do, think about what you can do.
Great song, Justin! I’ll probably sing it all day now
I love your mantra!
Congratulations and blessings – how exciting! Your muse can’t wait…I can feel it:-) Hmmmm I have several life mantras that come in and out of use. One is ‘give thanks’ another is ‘What really matters?’ and another is, ‘this isn’t a performance this is for real – make it count’.
Thank you for the well wishes and blessings
I love all your mantras (the performance one is fabulous)
Good for you Congratulations!
Thank you for checking in during the Hurricane… your kind wishes were appreciated!
Thank you so much
Giving away a full time job is so liberating. To be able to plan your life and do what you want when you want is an amazing way to live. My mantra has always been ” it is not the destination but the journey that is important, live each day one moment at a time…”
I look forward to those extra blog posts…
AW – that’s so lovely! I like the journey not the destination as well.
Thank you for dropping by – I actually do feel very liberated!
How exciting for you! I left my official corporate grind day job about eight years ago. Looked back a few times early on, but haven’t looked back since. Wishing you the best of luck!
My mantra for the most part is “Life is short, so why waste time doing what you don’t want to do or spending time with anyone who doesn’t make you feel good?”
Thank you so much! I guess you know exactly how I’m feeling at the moment because you’ve been there
I so agree with your mantra – particularly now
You rock, Dianne! Don’t ever regret a decision like that. Best of luck.
Thank you so much, Mike!
I repeat, “you are my hero.” Congrats.
I love your mantra–sounds like surfing or a carnival. Either way, sounds like fun.
My mantra today is “There will never be more perfect moment than this: Right here, right now.”
I think this applies to you at this very moment.
AW – thank you Kozo, what a lovely sentiment
Love the perfect moment mantra.
Oh awesome – the tropics and muse renewal sounds great! Getting away from the city sounds like a good move for you. You seem pleased.
I am pleased, Daphne! I can’t wait to back to ‘the hill’, ‘the muse’ and the country life
Good luck! How brave and wonderful.
Thank you so much!
That’s a big step but I bet you won’t regret it. Best of luck to you!
Thank you so much
Good luck and more power to you! I am typically a cautious person who plans everything I can. But as I have gotten older and watched my kids grow and change right before my flipping eyes, I see the beauty of the journey and all it has to offer. I’m more willing, lately, to be swept along. That isn’t to say I’m done with the planning, but I am more flexible.
That’s great. I think was we get older we look at what we can do to enjoy our lives. The kids grow up and don’t need as much ‘mothering’ anymore and I think it’s time to say – ‘okay, me time now’
Hooray for you! Giving up the day job is so amazing. Gave up the official bit of mine about seven years ago and have never regretted it. I still do some painting and making felt for craft shows and the odd exhibition, but I don’t have regular hours and I do as I please! Which means more time to do the things I want to do, like writing.
Yes, it is a big step, but I am sure you won’t regret it. We should work in order that we may live, not the other way around.
Good Luck!
I love this Pat – we should work in order that we may live, not the other way around – there are a few people I know who should take this advice!
You are very talented – a painter, a writer, a craft guru. I’m so glad you dropped in to say hello and leave a comment. Thank you!
You’re too kind. And sometimes I don’t get around as much as I should. Even though there’s no regular day job, the day still fills up!
OH YEAH!!! Rock on! Good for you!!! Tropics sounds perfect…thanks for making me smile and laugh – when you wrote, “it took me a trillionth of a second to choose…” I know that feeling and if only more people would listen to that voice, what a better place this world would be. So excited to learn and read more about your ‘new’ life, though it’s not really a new life is it? It’s just life, only better! YEAH!!
Thank you, Jenn! I’m enjoying this new life already. Every day this week seems like Sunday!
Thank you for being so excited and supportive as well. You are wonderful
Beware the country! I moved from Seattle to a small town in Scotland, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Live music, art, theatre, all the stuff I took for granted, is too many miles away to enjoy without an 8 hour journey. Good luck, though, I hope it works out for you.
This is an interesting point and really got me thinking. I’ve lived there before
Our friends who live down the road have a studio and play live music, my girlfriend is a (semi-famous) artist who is constantly taking me to exhibitions and my MIL needs me there so she can be taken to the theatre every week.
I realised when I read your comment that this is a part of my life I’ve actually missed while living and working in the city because I’ve never had time to do this and don’t know many artistic people here. WOW – I feel so good about this. Thank you!
You’ll be OK then. I really miss the cultural stuff in Seattle.
Oh Dianne! Congratulations! I am sooo happy for you from the bottom of my heart! It’s like you’re being let out of prison (though you did have nice windows!). What really amazes me is that you’ve written so many books and good ones all while working! When I worked I had nothing left over at the end of the day. Oh I predict wonderful things for you!
It’s funny because since I’ve been writing my blog I’ve adopted your same motto only mine is: Just going forward. And that’s now become my motto in life. No matter what happens. I’ll just keep going forward. I find a lot of comfort in that.
Anyway congratulations Dianne on the first day of the rest of your life!
Thank you so much, Linda! It has been wonderful already. I’m sitting here writing and reading (and cleaning so I can move – that’s the downside)…
Moving forward is good, I think we become a bit stale when we get used to things and do things because we feel like we ‘have to’.
Thank you so much for stopping by and for the congrats!
You are so right. It is easy to become stale. It’s always good to mix it up! And what a great way you have decided to do that!
Awesome my friend! I know you will bloom like the flower you are in the country. Indeed, life is too short for us not to do…what we were meant to do!
So true! I’d love to bloom like a flower – what a beautiful way to put it!
We did the same . . . 4 years ago. We haven’t regretted it for a single minute! Enjoy the transition.
Thank you so much, Nancy! I’m enjoying it already – every say is now like the weekend to me!
Congratulations on the big step, Dianne! You certainly do deserve it after 12 years. I wouldn’t tell my coworkers that I’d include them in my stories though, haha.
I tend to allow life to sweep me along with it. There’s no sure way of knowing what the future has in store, so it’s better to deal with things as they come instead of having many plans fail!
So true, Zen. I love being swept along in that lovely river of life. Who knows what will happen to us tomorrow
Thank you so much for the congrats
Congrats Dianne! Best of luck.
http://annblantonwriter.wordpress.com/
Thank you, Ann. So nice to see you here
Good luck! I am envious. It sounds like a great new start.
I’m sure it will be – thank you so much!
Congratulations, Dianne! You made the right choice! I did the same couple of years ago (amazingly, also after 12y in service
) never looked back!
What a coincidence! Wow!
It looked like there was much to do at the country house, Dianne? You have a “handy” husband and maybe a helper or two (or is that your role)? Good luck with it. I’m sure you’ll have fun along the way.
Thank you, Jo. I love to help, but because I’m a bit clumsy I’m ‘not allowed’ to most of the time. If anyone is going to fall off a ladder or through a window it will be me…;)
Aah- I’m very familiar with that scenario. Mishap is my middle name.
LOL! And I try so hard to not to be clumsy!
I wish you the best of everything life has to offer, Diane
That is such a lovely thing to say, Maggie. Thank you so much
A momentous act touched by the soul! Wishing you only the best…
Billy Ray
Thank you so much, Billy Ray
You’re welcome… Now, get back to the ‘old barracks!’ Peace be with you and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Dianne,
Personal mantra? Well, not exactly, though I am always saying, “just keep moving forward.”
But I had a boss, some 30 years ago who taught me three rules to live by and they have been my touchstone more than anything else.
Be Specific,
Plan Ahead,
Don’t Assume.
Be assured that #’s 1 and 3 have gotten me into unbelievable trouble because others don’t choose to be either specific, or follow through on what they have promised, meaning that my refusal to assume means I had a plan in place accounting for their negligence… but that’s another story.
Cheers,
Peter
I agree with your old boss. I think assumption is the one that gets me into trouble
It sounds like you’ve been in some very interesting situations, Peter. Thank you so much for coming by and visiting my blog today
Just saw this post! Well done, and all the best in your new journey!
My personal mantra? That’s a tough one. Don’t know… sigh… Now you’ve got me thinking
Thanks for sharing this Dianne! I admire your decision to follow your heart. I think it’s the reason why so many people are miserable. Myself included, at times. There’s no worse feeling than having to suppress a creative itch or talent. To me, it’s the same as being dead. That’s what life is about to me. It’s about utilizing a talent that we were born with — whatever that talent is — and finding a way to use it to our advantage.
Anybody can crunch numbers or push a broom — but not everyone can sketch like DaVinci, paint like Picasso, or shoot hoops like Jordan. What would the world be like if people like if there were never a DaVinci, Picasso, or Michael Jordan? It would be a flat, dark, and uninspiring world.
Follow the heart. That’s my motto to live by. Rock on! \M/
Thank you my dear! I felt ‘dead’ for about 12 years when I sold my soul to the government. The day I walked out of the place was like a jail break and now I’m free to fully pursue my passion of writing, rebuild my old house and enjoy the countryside!