Leaving full-time employment to set up a small business wasn’t a difficult choice when weighing the pros and cons. It made perfect sense, but I have to admit it wasn’t a decision I made overnight because there were many cons.

What was the worst that could happen?

Since the start of my professional career, I had been an employee, so stepping away from the familiar office setting with all the usual perks and benefits was scary.

Even scarier was the prospect of staying stuck, playing small. Living out the same old routine, frozen by fear and never listening to the voice inside telling me I was capable of doing much more. Going it alone had the potential to unlock exciting opportunities for me to create the kind of life my kids and I always dreamed about having.

I mean, what was the worst that could happen? I knew I had the strength of character to overcome obstacles and deal with the momentary discomfort of being in unknown territory. Twenty years living in Italy is a testament to that, and I knew I had the resilience to land on my feet if it didn’t work out. I have receipts to prove it!

The pros for doing this ended up being too irresistible not to give it a shot, crazy perhaps at this point in my career, but if I’m honest, that was part of the attraction.

Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash