New Beginnings

Life goes by too fast. Turning 25 has made me think about this a lot. It’s so important to take control of our lives and TRULY LIVE THEM. My life is about to change completely and I feel like a lot of my friends are at a similar moment in their lives. I want to share this story, it’s a bit long but bear with me! 

I’m not someone who likes to talk on the phone much. I like hanging out with my friends, instead of hearing their voices through a phone or seeing their faces on a screen. But my friends are scattered all over the world (I went to an international school) so I have to suck it up and call them every now and then. Last week, I called three friends in one day. This is unheard of from me haha but each one of these conversations was extremely important to me.

First I called my cousin. She had just gotten back from visiting me in Santiago and she had finally decided to quit her job, in which they treated her like shit on a daily basis. The day after she quit, she was walking her dog and she bumped into a family who happened to need a nanny. She’s been their nanny ever since, and she’s loving it (and getting paid more than in her old job!). She commented on how weird it was that if she hadn’t quit her job, she wouldn’t have been walking her dog at that time, and she wouldn’t have met this family and gotten her new job. She told me she wasn’t into the whole “everything happens for a reason” but that this felt like it. I thought it was more of a “you will what you want” kind of thing (in the wise words of @chinaealexander).

Then I called another friend, let’s call her… Bubbles. As soon as I heard her voice, I realized she wasn’t happy. She’s been in her job for a few months and I could hear how unhappy Bubbles was and how this job was literally sucking the life out of her. I urged her to quit. She said she didn’t know if she could find another job and she needed the money. I told her not to worry about that and quit anyway.

After I hung up with her, I called my friend Bubu (not her real name obvs). She’s been planning on coming to live in Santiago and she already quit her job but plans to stay at the job until her contract ends in September. Bubu’s at the point where she goes to work everyday but can no longer be productive because they don’t really need her anymore. So what was my advice for her?? QUIT YOUR JOB! (I’m sensing a pattern here ) Working for 3 more months in a job where you’re not doing anything and nobody needs you, just because they’ll pay you and you said you would? Fuck that. I convinced her (oops) to get her butt here by August and even told her I’d lend her my apartment since I won’t be here anymore (more on this later) so she could live here for her first few months. She got super excited and decided to go for it. We brainstormed and planned and when we were saying goodbye, she told me she was super glad I called her.

What’s the point of this story?? 

I should call my friends more often? Probably.

I want everyone to quit their jobs? Maaaybe!

In all seriousness, I actually kind of do. I’m a firm believer in living a life you love. Considering we spend most of our lives working, we might as well find a job that we’re passionate about. It seems pretty obvious, right? Yet there are soooo many people who live their lives waiting for Friday. People who complain about their job all day. People who feel their joy being sucked out of them by their asshole bosses. 

If you’re unhappy with where you are in your life, then do something about it. Don’t be scared about the consequences. Take control of your life and figure out in what direction it’s gonna go, then go from there.

After I graduated from university, I decided I didn’t want to be tied down by a job. I made it work for this past year and a half and all the efforts i’ve made have finally paid off. My dream has always been to leave Chile, to travel the world, to meet new people, places, cultures and go on new adventures.

Today, my boyfriend quit his job. Today, everything became real. Today, the panic and the nerves started creeping in, along with the excitement and the happiness. 

At the end of August, Pabs and I will be moving to Australia. We’ve been planning this for years and it’s finally becoming a reality! We plan on working there for a year and then hopefully traveling the world for another year. 

This will be the first time I live somewhere new, away from my family and friends and everything I know. I couldn’t be more excited about starting this new adventure.

What did my phone calls with my friends all have in common? New beginnings.

Whether you want to quit your job or travel the world, there will always be a part of you that wants to stay in the safety of the life you know. I encourage you to look at your life, think about what you want to change, and DO IT, before it’s too late.