Making a decision is never easy, especially when it can change your life forever. Sometimes, you find yourself standing at a crossroads, confused, scared, and unsure of what’s waiting for you on the other side. That was me not too long ago. I was working a job I didn’t like, under a boss who made every day feel like a punishment. The stress was affecting my peace of mind, my health, and even how I saw myself. I knew deep down that I couldn’t keep going like that.
I was stuck with this job and it drained me every day. The work wasn’t the issue it was the environment. My boss was difficult, and no matter how hard I worked, it never seemed enough. Every morning, I woke up with a heavy heart, dragging myself out of bed with no excitement. I was exhausted not just physically but emotionally too.
I asked myself a simple question “Is this what I want my life to look like in the next five years?” That was when the idea of change began to take place. For as long as I could remember, I had loved make-up. I have passion for makeup since when I was in school, I love Watching transformation videos on YouTube and practicing on myself and my friends and this always brings me joy. But I had never seriously considered it as a career.
Leaving my job without a solid backup plan wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I didn’t have a lot of savings, and it felt risky. But something in me knew I had to try. The thought of staying stuck was more terrifying than the fear of starting over, so I began to prepare. I prayed about it and gave myself time to think more about it. I didn’t want to make a fast move based on my emotions. I spoke to a couple of trusted friends who knew me well and cared about me. Their support gave me strength. Also, My mother backed me up and gave me some money to add to what I had on ground just to register for the makeup class.
Then I started saving, even though my income wasn’t much. I reduced unnecessary spending and researched makeup schools in my area. I looked out for affordable but reputable places, I discussed this with my friends and they helped a lot, when I got a place to train we then reached out to past students to get real feedback.
Finally, I was ready, the day I handed in my resignation felt relaxed, I was scared but also liberated, for the first time in a long while, I felt like I was choosing myself.
The first few weeks of makeup school were not perfect. I was adjusting, learning, practicing, and sometimes doubting myself. I had my moments of doubt and frustration every time I had model to work on, I was always afraid of their feedback but my boss was so supportive and gave me the chance to express myself and work on my mistakes, this really paved way for me because of the way she corrected my errors with love and laughter.
Making that decision taught me a lot. It’s okay to leave something that no longer serves your peace. No job is worth your mental health. Also, you don’t always need to have it all figured out before you take the first step. Sometimes, you just need to trust yourself and the process. The opinions of others should never be louder than your voice. People will always talk, but you are the one living your life, not them.
Decision-making is hard, but not making a decision is even harder. You’ll live with the ‘what ifs’ and regrets. As for me, I don’t regret walking away from that job. I may not have it all yet, but I have peace. I have a purpose. I have joy in doing what I love, and for me, that’s more than enough.
This is my response to this episode of hivelearners community prompt of #hl-w161e03 which the topic is tagged MAKE A DECISION
