I have decided to quit my job tomorrow. After reading Jon Acuff’s book “Quitter”, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s now or never. I need to jump in with both feet or I will never leave the shore.

Actually,  contrary to the book’s name, “Quitter” is a wonderful how-to manual on how to get from your day job to your dream job without doing things that jeopardize your basic needs being met.

For example, if you storm into the Chik’n Hut, throw your feathered hat at your boss and yell, “I’m outta here! I’m gonna be a lawyer, baby!”, it might be a good idea to already have savings in place. Ideally, you’ve also been to law school and you’ve already passed the LSATS.

It’s wise to be realistic, make a plan, and then set that plan in motion. You should only quit your day job when your dream job is able to pay your bills, and you have enough money stashed away to carry you through any unforeseen expenses or setbacks.

So where does that leave those of us who can see that dream job like a mirage in the distance, beckoning us to drop everything and run towards it?

The Nebraska Years. Jon describes the Nebraska Years as the place where you’re working hard to make your dream a reality but you’re not reaping all of the rewards quite yet. It’s the time where you get to hone your plan, sharpen your skills, and make mistakes without the consequences you’d have if you didn’t have a safety net (day job) in place. The Nebraska Years don’t hold fame or fortune, but they provide invaluable experience,  room for trial and error, and wiggle room for dreams to expand, refine, or even change.

For me, a true ENFP, waiting is harder than hard and colder than cold. I want to just have it now. Please? That’s not the way it works, though. To create even a beautiful meal it takes time, work, and preparation.  How much more, then, should we have to work to reach our goals?

I believe that hard work will lead to a deeper appreciation of the life I create for myself, a work filled with ME- my purpose poured out each day as I use all of myself as a gift to the Lord and to my fellow sojourners. As a creative and a Christian, this will be in the form of writing, art, and song. Dream life , the backdrop of dream job,  is filled with days of Mediterranean blues, deep pink flowers, sun-bleached sand, hammocks, and good books.  Warm nights will be vibrant with accented voices, sweet- tempoed music, and meals al-fresco with friends that fill my heart.

Relaxation is washing over me just thinking about dream life. However, this girl is at the beginning of the Nebraska years and plane tickets are not cheap. Right now is waitressing. Right now is staying put in Richmond and working hard. Right now is research and submitting articles and trying to get my Etsy shop going.

Right now is not the enemy. Right now is creativity and it’s where I get to dream and take first steps and make my future whatever I want it to be. Right now is good.

Yours, in Nebraska,
Ang