The Day I Walked Away From Corporate America

People ask me all the time what was one of the best decisions I ever made. Without a doubt, it was walking away from corporate America at 48 years old.

Now don’t get me wrong, I had a good career. The company treated me well, and I learned a lot over those years. But I remember thinking to myself, “If I stay here another twenty years, this is it. This is what my life is going to look like.”

I had this feeling in my gut that there was something else out there for me.

A lot of people thought I was nuts. Why would you leave a good-paying job with benefits and security? At 48 years old, most people are hanging on tighter, not starting over.

But I always had this entrepreneurial thing inside me. I loved antiques, I loved buying and selling, and I loved real estate. I liked making my own decisions and taking my own chances.

So I took the leap.

Was I scared? Of course I was. Anybody who says they aren’t scared making a move like that is probably not telling the truth.

I opened my antique business, worked hard at it, started selling online, bought and sold properties, became a landlord, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, I had built a life that fit me a whole lot better than the one I left behind.

The biggest thing I gained wasn’t money. It was freedom.

Freedom to set my own schedule. Freedom to spend more time with my family. Freedom to wake up every day and work for myself instead of somebody else.

Looking back now, my gut was right.

Sometimes in life you just know.

You can’t explain it with numbers on a spreadsheet or a pros and cons list. Something inside you says, “Take the chance.”

For me, walking away from corporate America was that moment.

And I’d do it all over again.