I want to flashback to December 2018, I had a moment in my life where two paths were in front of me and I had to decide which way to go.
A few months before I had finished 4 years at university and had completed my Masters in Human Resource Management with distinction. I set off to Australia for a month to reward myself, with the notion of worrying about the real world when I returned.
When I got back, I joined a recruitment agency and set about searching for my career in HR. Within a few days I had been offered a 4-week temporary contract, which suited me. It meant I had some money guaranteed before Christmas whilst I looked for something more permanent.
I actually really liked the people I ended up working with, two of them were similar to me just completed their degrees and searching for their ideal job. Although the job itself wasn’t too bad, I came to the realisation I HATED the environment. Now you may think, no big deal, try somewhere else. I had come to the realisation that I am a horsey, outdoors lover who was not made to sit inside at a desk all day. The big deal in that, every HR job is going to be an office environment.
I just spent 4 years running towards a goal and once I finally had reached the goal, I didn’t want to score. I have learnt to listen to my body over the years; when something is wrong, it manifests in anxiety. So when I started to feel panicky and permanently on edge, I knew I needed to change something.
Which leads me to my ‘epiphany’ moment. I was talking to someone, who sat and told me to “stick with it, I couldn’t quit already and sometimes in life we work jobs we don’t want to work”. The stubbornness in me decided right then that I would leave that job at the end of my 4-week contract and actually I didn’t have to do a career I did not want to do and I would be successful in another way. I knew if I went down that path it was going to impact my mental health, I’d spiral into anxiety and when work takes up the majority of your week it’s really going to have a massive impact if you don’t enjoy it.
I had done my photography as a hobby for years, I had done photoshoots for charity and photoshoots for events. I love horses, I love dogs, I love being outside, I love editing, I love learning and I love the concept of running my own business. So that’s what I set out to do, I am approaching a year in business and that decision I made was the best decision I ever made. I LOVE WHAT I DO. I also work numerous part-time gigs/freelance work but I ensure anything I do now, my mental health and happiness comes first. I work jobs I want to work, surrounded with people I want to be around and most importantly animals.
I chose an uncertain future, I had gone from a set out career path with guaranteed progression and a good wage, to not having much income and not knowing whether running my own business would work out. Yet at the same time, being so so happy and loving every second of life. Everyone will go through low patches, my advice is to listen to your body and what it is trying to tell you. If you are not loving aspects of your life and it’s impacting your mental health, then change it.
I am incredibly grateful to anyone who has supported me so far, whether that’s commenting on pictures, buying pictures from events, sharing my posts, passing on my details or booking a photoshoot. Hopefully, this will be my career for many years to come and if your interested in booking in please send me a message! (My exclusive offer runs out at the end of May 2020 – send me a message for more info)
Jessie x
