Hustling, Building and Creating a Sustainable Dream… Even If It Means Staying up Past Bedtime

“I just feel like I should be doing something more than just my office job… I want to change the world.”

The sentence slowly rolled out of my tongue—tentatively, fragilely—as I looked out the window in contemplation of a better life out there somewhere.

The words felt awkward in the empty space, as awkward as the distance between me and my therapist sitting in front of me with her blank stare as though judgment lurked beneath her gaze. I wasn’t accustomed to declaring my unabashed life, my dreams, and my delivery was unconfident at best. I didn’t know it then, but she was one of the gatekeepers. The people who go on in the “real world” trying to keep other people in, and the status-quo in place. Generational gaps aside, she just didn’t get me.

“Have you considered group therapy?” She asked one day. No, I hadn’t. The option was open-ended, waiting for me to grab it. A place for people to talk and share experiences. How would that help?

Hi, I’m Janet and I’m a Multipotentialite.

I’m a right brain creative, graphic designer, web designer, front-end developer and WordPress geek, writer and quasi yogi wannabe.

Three years ago, I was in a soul sucking job that I quit to do a little soul searching. I traveled SE Asia, went on Zen monastery retreats, shaved my head, walked 660km on a magical island adventure, fell in love and never looked back. I also uprooted my life from Portland, Oregon to ultimately, Manila, Philippines. I was determined to figure out how to take my skills into a location independent lifestyle business that I could do from anywhere, while living, and eventually traveling, on the cheap. I didn’t know how to deal with my “Jill of all trades” syndrome that made me feel not good enough for anything.

Joining the Puttytribe was like coming home, and I guess in the end, I found my own group therapy. People get you. People are so damn supportive! It’s like having your own private group of cheerleaders as you go confidently to your dreams. Rather than being thought of as a problem or disorder, multipotentialites are celebrated and the forum is bubbling with creative energy just waiting for world changing ideas, partnerships, or brainstorming sessions (huddles) to come to fruition. The willingness to genuinely help each other is strong. Flowing beneath the current is the abundance of love. Love for ourselves and our awesomeness, and experiencing the world through Love colored lenses, kicking fear out the window. Puttypeeps just dive in!

Quitting my day job… again!

I’ve used the forums very much like my own ‘therapy’ to get through life issues and make my own progress. I’m like the child who asks her mom about War everyday, no matter how many different answers she gives. Finally, the mom “gets” it and says to the child that we are safe. Nothing bad will happen to us, and there is no need to be afraid.

Reading between the lines, the Puttytribe can tell me I am safe. Nothing bad will happen to me and there is no need to be afraid… My dreams are honored and it’s OK to go out there and get them.

We’ve all heard it before, and I certainly subscribe to enough personal development blogs to hear it again and again, but something about being in a day job just dampens the spirit. The Puttytribe throws out a lifesaver called Courage whenever I start to flail. Helps me remember that it’s OK. Everything will be alright.

In and out of pursuing my dreams is not failure, it’s just the long road to success. It’s the journey, not the destination after all.

On July 25th, I will quit my day job again and for good. I used the tribe as a gentle nudge and a remembrance of who I am. It’s OK to be a multipotentialite and it gives me the leading edge to my own carved out path, because no one else can compete! We celebrate our uniqueness with the realization that no one else can be the perfect fit. And rather than competition, the world works so much better with partnerships and camaraderie.

Embracing IMperfection—I’M Perfection

Where the Western world treats disorder and dis-ease, the Puttytribe embraces our imperfections as quirky perfection with a positive attitude. We are a group of like-minded, fringe dwellers and we are changing the world. From lifestyle, business and personal issues, the Puttytribe has helped me reach my goals, gain confidence and score more Bravery points along the way. “I quit my job!” or “I relaunched my site!” is a prevalent theme and with that calibre of good company, you can’t help but feel encouraged to do the same.

I’ve used Puttytribe to slap silly aging issues away as I prepare to embrace my 30s in less than a year. I admit, the thought of anti-aging creams and pore reducing face scrubs has put my wallet in a bind, even for someone who doesn’t wear make-up regularly. The Puttytribe helped me snap out of it, stay true to myself, and continue to stand on my own against the barrage of marketing and beauty products. There is nothing wrong with you. We are all perfect in our imperfections. Like a compass, guiding me along my true path, the Puttytribe has helped with those minor adjustments to keep me going towards my ultimate goals, regardless of my dark circles; a fate proudly earned by hustling, building and creating my own sustainable dream… Even if that means staying up past bedtime!

As the quarter life crisis subsides, I realize how much calmer and more secure I am, even with Uncertainty and the Unknown. I’ve come a long way since leaving my therapist, my job, my cushy complacent first world life… I know where I want to go, and I know what I need to do to get there. I’ve got a sense of direction, dare I say, I might have found my calling. The Puttytribe is a warmly welcoming companion as I dream on.

Your Turn

What are some of your dreams that you’re working to create?