Eventually, many of us reach a point where we're dissatisfied with our lives - we may be in a job that's not fulfilling, or feel other changes need to be made in our lives. I asked for stories about changes that people have made in their lives, what prompted them to make the change, and what their lives have been like since then. Here's what they had to say:
Q. What kind of change did you make your life?
A. hhoover (How creative thinking changed my life)
I was the sole family breadwinner, but decided to stop working for someone else so that I'd have more control over my life and more time with my family. I had no clients lined up and a non-compete with my current employer. My wife, who was not working outside the home at this point, said she had faith that I could make it on my own.
A. Minuca Elena (Minuca creates awesome influencer roundups that provide quality content, brings huge traffic, and helps bloggers connect with influencers.)
One of the most important changes that I made was to give up to my job to become a blogger. I always knew that I didn't want to be an employee and for the short period that I had a regular job after I finished college, proved to me that this lifestyle wasn't for me.
I used to work for an airline as a customer support executive. We worked in shifts and I could never plan anything because I had a different schedule each week. Some days in the morning, other times in the evening. The job was very stressful and the pay was very low. I worked for them for 4 months and then I resigned.
After I had given up racing (cycling) in college I began to put on a lot of weight. Constantly eating a lot of fast food etc. A couple years later, while watching TV, something sparked in me and I knew I had to change. From that day forward I had a simple approach eat nothing white (white rice, white bread, sugar etc) and to start riding again. Within 4 months I dropped from 215lbs at 5'9" to 165lbs and have never looked back.
Q. What happened that made you decide you needed to make a change in your life?
A. hhoover (How creative thinking changed my life)
It was late 1999. My kids were growing up fast in the neighborhood I promised not to leave until they finished high school. I wanted them to have a stable home life and to grow up with their close neighborhood friends, as I had done. Problem was, home was more than 30 miles from work and I was spending two hours per day on the road. I was reading Michael Gelb's book, How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, at the time. The book lays out da Vinci's approach to creative thinking and provides exercises to help you incorporate those into your own life. Gelb had a series of "power questions" in the book and one really resonated with me. "What one thing can you start doing, stop doing or start doing differently that would have the most positive impact on your life?" Stop driving two hours per day so I can spend more time with my family was the answer. Once you answer the power question, you must develop a plan to achieve it. So, I started right then thinking about how to bring this plan to fruition.
A. Minuca Elena (Minuca creates awesome influencer roundups that provide quality content, brings huge traffic, and helps bloggers connect with influencers.)
Initially, I started working for another blogger part-time as a VA. I didn't know anything about blogging but I was fascinated by the idea of working from home, not having a boss and the freedom to travel whenever and wherever I want.
After a few months, my part-time job as a VA became more of a full-time ghost-writing job, because I reached the point where I was doing all the work instead of the person responsible who hired me. I became frustrated by the situation because I knew I wasn't paid according to the value of my work.
I was feeling as an employee all over again. A year after my first introduction to blogging, with a lot of fear and lack of confidence, I decided to start my own business online.
I was watching TV, I believe it was the FIT Channel at the time, and looking down at my stomach in disgust I knew I had to change. We all need that internal motivation to make us commit to big changes in our lives. Why it was a fitness TV channel I'll never know. Plus I love being on my bike. And being 50lbs over wieght really slows your ability down on two wheels. I think the TV show was the wake up call and my love for cycling that allowed me to commit.
Q. What has your life been like since you made the change?
A. hhoover (How creative thinking changed my life)
I spent several months developing the plan, naming the business, and developing my positioning, as well as networking. I had worked for my company 11 years and felt I had to tell them about my decision, and they gave me their blessing. In October 2001, I launched Hoover ink PR with a positive outlook but no clients. As you might expect, I rolled out an aggressive public relations campaign. My first day in business, I got a call from a colleague who hired me on the spot. Within two weeks, I had landed two more clients, and I was spending more time with my family. After my one-year non-compete was up, two more former clients came on board. In 2007, the kids now off at college, an old friend and I merged to form My Creatrive Team. I sold my half of the business in 2015, which allowed me to start my new enterprise. I'm back to what I do best and love most: writing.
A. Minuca Elena (Minuca creates awesome influencer roundups that provide quality content, brings huge traffic, and helps bloggers connect with influencers.)
Not having a regular income was scary in the beginning. Fortunately, I had the support of my family that pushed me not to give up. The most important improvement that I made was in my mentality. I am more confident and more independent. Now, I support my living from what I earn online; I have savings and my income increases every month. Being connected with a lot of bloggers and influencers, I'm often featured as a blogging expert and this helps me increase my brand by showcasing my expertise to a larger audience. I have clients in all types of niches, like blogging, SEO, PR, eCommerce firms etc. As long as you are in a convenient situation you won't have the courage to make a change, but you will never accomplish your full potential as someone else's employee. Find out what you are good at, what you like to do and then try it on your own. Work really hard, over deliver and success will come with time and perseverance.
I have dedicated my life to empowering the every day cyclist. The person who loves the feeling of cycling and wants to be health but has no desire to race. My personal goal is to help 1 million people find health and happiness on two wheels. Even though I'm not racing I ride any where from 10-12hrs a week. I hated mornings, but as my professional life started to grow I have had to find time to be on the bike. Now, getting up at 530am to go for a ride is a real treat and I can offically call myself a morning person! Becuase when you do something you love and its not a chore it seems to take the effort out of it, it just becomes a part of your day that you look forward to.
. I also decided that I'm going to move this blog as well as my other websites to one big website, ericalynnmartin.com - I will be buying the domain later this month. If you want to receive an email when the site goes live, you can sign up at this form: