Around five years ago, I found myself stuck in a cubicle, working for one of the world’s largest retailers… And I was miserable.

I had done what everyone told me to do. I went to college, earned a masters degree and then stepped into my first real job.

At first, I was excited about the new adventure. However, I quickly realized it was not for me. In fact, I couldn’t believe that people actually sat in cubicles for a living their entire lives.

It was very unfulfilling and I suddenly felt trapped on a career path that I had no desire for.

Flash forward a year…

I got a promotion and a large pay raise. And I moved to a different building that wasn’t quite as depressing.

I was super excited! But why? I was still spending the greatest part of my time doing work I did not care about.

One nice thing was I was able to start buying things and doing things that I couldn’t before because of the money I was making. I had moved up in a higher position and took pride in climbing further up the ladder… wait, what?

I didn’t care about “moving up the ladder!” At least I didn’t before!?

I started second-guessing myself on whether the things I had been taught were true. I mean, it was a good paying, secure job with great benefits, right?

This went on a few more years. More money. More vacation. Etc.

That’s when it hit me.

I realized I needed to take action and make changes. If not, I would continue through life feeling unfulfilled, working on someone else’s terms, building someone else’s dreams while I missed out on the opportunity to spend time with my family, create my own financial freedom and pursue my passions.

I’m sure at this point, most of you can identify with this story and the weight that comes with it.

So, what was happening? I was being sold the “American Dream” and I was falling right into suit. I was beginning to accept it and had completely set aside my dreams, passions, and sense of adventure.

Honestly, I would never have decided to buck the system if it wasn’t for this strong feeling that there was more to life… And that made all the difference.

I wasn’t the only one

One day I decided that I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I wasn’t okay spending all my time and energy doing something I didn’t like, just to move up a corporate ladder! And there was another ladder happening outside of work – the ladder of consumerism.

I saw others all around me with the exact same feelings, but they had decided to accept it and not challenge the status quo. They had taken many promotions and jumped on the “keeping up with the Jones’” bandwagon.

I remember one day at lunch sitting down with a guy in his mid forties working a high paying job he hated. He was stressed out and living paycheck-to-paycheck. His advice was to keep working hard and the company would take care of me.

I decided then that I wanted more than what this path could offer me and my family. I had to make a change!

I began to question everything I had been told growing up.

I began searching.

I began chasing unfamiliar things that held great opportunity.

There was hope

I began to pray every morning that God would show me a way out. Through prayer, reading, taking action, and stepping outside my comfort zone, I was able to leave the corporate world and dive into something that I absolutely love.

I wake up each morning looking forward to what the day will bring and have a sense of adventure that I have never experienced before!

On top of that I am getting to spend more time with my family! They no longer just get my “leftovers.” They are getting the best of me and have become my greatest “why” in life!

I am super excited to share the things I’ve learned along the way (and will continue to learn) and hope you will follow along.

Hopefully, you will be able to apply all, or some of the things in your own life. If this resonates with you at all, you can’t afford not to do something about it.

Through this journey you will need to set aside everything you’ve been told, keep an open mind, and buckle up for a great adventure!

David Williams

David is a real estate agent, broker, and agency manager at Gibson Real Estate in Northwest Arkansas. He’s also an investor and plays a mean electric guitar! If you’ve thought about getting out of the corporate rat race and getting unstrapped, you’ve gotta read David’s story!