It’s funny how life works out sometimes. In September I lost my job which you would have thought would have devastated me but honestly I feel like it gave me my life back.

Please don’t read that as I didn’t value my job because I certainly did. I loved most of the people I worked with. I found the job mentally challenging and I like a good challenge. It keeps me engaged. It gave me valuable experience that I will take with me wherever I go. But if I’m really being honest I had let the job consume too much of me.

I constantly struggle with finding work life balance. So while losing your job is never a good thing in this case it did force me to choose a new path.

I soon found a fantastic new job that I genuinely love. What’s more, it promotes and encourages a healthier work-life balance, which I’ve come to value immensely.

Additionally, I had the unique opportunity to have a month off between jobs. I have never since the age of 16 been off of work for that long. At first I thought the break would drive me totally crazy but I decided to make the best of it. I put in the effort at home, tackling projects that had long been on the back burner. I spent valuable time with my dad, building a new tree stand for myself and the kids to hunt from. I also had the pleasure of assisting my mom with her laser machine without the constraints of trying to fit it into 15-minute increments.

I have been fighting to get my weight down for months without any success to lose weight and hadn’t had any success. But to my surprise within the month that I was off I lost 10 pounds. At this point I’m down almost 20 lbs. I attribute this at this point primarily to the fact that my stress levels are down. I’m walking more and we are cooking most meals at home. I had forgotten how much I love to cook! And how much better I feel when I’m eating those healthier home cooked meals than the quick boxed meal or eating out constantly.

All this has reminded me that change even when unexpected can be a great chance to grow and transform. It has given me the opportunity to look at things with a new perspective on work, life and reinforced the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance. Change isn’t always the worst thing in the world; sometimes it even opens doors to much better opportunities that allow you to live the life you dream of!

It’s funny how life works out sometimes. In September I lost my job which you would have thought would have devastated me but honestly I feel like it gave me my life back.

Please don’t read that as I didn’t value my job because I certainly did. I loved most of the people I worked with. I found the job mentally challenging and I like a good challenge it keeps me engaged. It gave me valuable experience that I will take with me where ever I go. But if I’m really being honest I had let the job consume too much of me.

I constantly struggle with finding the work life balance. So while losing your job is never a good thing in this case it did force me to choose a new path.

I soon found a fantastic new job that I genuinely love. What’s more, it promotes and encourages a healthier work-life balance, which I’ve come to value immensely.

Additionally, I had the unique opportunity to have a month off between jobs. I have never since the age of 16 been off of work for that long. At first I thought the break would drive me totally crazy but I decided to make the best of it. I put in the effort at home, tackling projects that had long been on the back burner. I spent valuable time with my dad, building a new tree stand for myself and the kids to hunt from. I also had the pleasure of assisting my mom with her laser machine without the constraints of trying to fit it into 15-minute increments.

I have been fighting to get my weight down for months without any success to lose weight and hadn’t had any success. But to my surprise within the month that I was off I lost 10 pounds. At this point I’m down almost 20 lbs. I attribute this at this point primarily to the fact that my stress levels are down. I’m walking more and we are cooking most meals at home. I had forgotten how much I love to cook! And how much better I feel when I’m eating those healthier home cooked meals than the quick boxed meal or eating out constantly.

All this has reminded me that while change even when unexpected can be a great chance to grow and transform. It has given me the opportunity to look at things with a new perspective on work, life and reinforced the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance. Change isn’t always the worst thing in the world; sometimes it even opens doors to much better opportunities that allow you to live the life you dream of!