“What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” ~Unknown
A few years ago I was on the busy track. I was working a corporate nine-to-five job, studying at night, and trying to keep up a busy social life. I thought I was achieving it all by doing so many things at once, but really, I was just burning myself out.
My life was a busy blur. I’d start my weeks feeling tired and end them completely exhausted. Time was a constant challenge. I was always rushing from one thing to the next, and in the little down time I gave myself off, I’d be so completely exhausted that all I could do was slump into the lounge chair and fall asleep in front of the television.
Between working a high-pressure full-time job, studying my nights away, and maintaining a busy social life on the weekend, there was little time for me to just be. In the midst of the daily rush, there was no reflection or alone time. There was just busyness.
Feeling this way, it didn’t take me long to realize that it was not what I wanted for myself. I was rarely happy or at ease, and I was feeling the strain big time. I pushed myself for answers and I realized that my pursuit of “doing it all” was in vain. I simply wasn’t happy.
I wasn’t enjoying my job, and although it paid well and had some great career prospects, it drained every ounce of enthusiasm I had and left me dry.
It would leave me feeling so dry that I’d throw myself into action during every ounce of time I had spare, to the point of exhaustion, as if to try and salvage those wasted forty-plus hours a week I’d spent at work.
I was studying a design course three nights a week to make up for my lack of passion for my job and I was out all weekend drowning my sorrows, rewarding myself for just getting through another lackluster week.
It was madness and something I couldn’t keep doing. Every day drained me and ate away at me just a little more, but still, time went on. The days became weeks and the weeks flowed into months.
I wanted to jump off the busy train, but making a change was hard. Though I knew that my job wasn’t where my passions lied, I couldn’t just throw it all in and quit. I had bills to pay and my love of design was just that at the time—a love, not a moneymaker.
I struggled for months with this decision, thinking of every possible way I could make things work. But none of them compelled me to action. The truth was, I was scared.
Right when I was almost at breaking point, salvation came for me in the form of a company restructure. Cuts were being made and I was called up for retrenchment.
My retrenchment was a blessing in disguise. While I was worried about how I would make it work, I knew it was the push I needed to live a simpler life, more in tune with my passions.
With this in mind I was convinced I could make it happen. I decided, then and there, that I would pursue my studies full time to do what I loved and work whichever other jobs I needed to work to make it happen. I started looking for part-time office jobs, and to my surprise, there were some great ones.
Within a month I’d found the perfect part-time job that would let me launch into my studies with full force while still making ends meet. I’d have to make some tough cuts to my spending to make it work, but I knew I could.
The tradeoffs were tough at first, and living my newfound modest lifestyle wasn’t always easy, but it was more than worth it. What I soon realized was that for all the material things I’d lost, I’d gained the most valuable thing of all: the freedom of my own time.
I now had time to breathe, think, and live.
Today I’m living a simpler life, one of freedom and choices. I’m still actively doing things every day, but I’m doing things I truly love.
With my design diploma in hand, I’m working as a fashion designer and writing about my creative journey on my very own website. I’m living with joy and I no longer feel busy and stressed. Instead, I am energized and passionate.
We can get so caught up in the pursuit of busyness that we forget what we are losing. In busyness we lose our freedom, our options, and a little piece of ourselves.
Time is freedom. It enables you pursue your dreams and go after what you love. How you spend it determines whether you experience happiness or not. And at the end of the day, it’s all you really have.
Jump Off the Busy Train and Reclaim Your Joy
If you want to jump off the busy train to make a change to a simpler, more passion-filled life, here are three things you can do:
1. Take the change step by step.
Instead of launching right in and quitting your job without a solid plan, make sure you have everything in place to make it work.
Look into your options for part-time work or more flexible working arrangements, like working different hours or from home. Weigh up your viable options to free yourself from busyness and determine how you can make it work financially.
2. Accept a better outcome, even if it’s not the perfect one.
We would all love to jump in and pursue our passions full time but often it’s not practical, at least not from the outset. Instead of striving for perfect, find a better outcome in the short term.
It doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing approach. Right now, it might mean pursuing a passion on the side. In a years time, it might mean transitioning to a part-time working arrangement. Sometimes, good things take time.
3. Scale back in other areas of your life.
There is always give and take in life, and if you want to move toward a simpler, more passion filled life, there are going to be tradeoffs.
Scaling back might involve selling your car, moving into a smaller house, and cutting back on meals out. These might all sound like big changes, but the reward you will receive every day from living in tune with what you love will far outweigh the sacrifice.
If you’re feeling the weight of busyness in your life, challenge yourself to slow down. Don’t sell your life to the highest bidder, trading your time for dollars at the expense of your own happiness and joy. Reclaim your freedom and find a way to do what you love. Your happiness depends on it.
About Michaela Cristallo
Michaela inspires people to embrace happiness and live their best creative life every day. Join her at For the Creators to embrace your creativity and be the passionate and imaginative person you were born to be.
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! “What I soon realized was that for all the material things I’d lost, I’d gained the most valuable thing of all: the freedom of my own time.” I absolutely love this part of your article. I was in the same boat as well (with different circumstances) but the idea that we both felt stuck and felt there was more to life than what we had going on rings true to me. I’m still figuring things out, but with baby steps I have actually been moving towards what I feel is more of an authentic life I feel is really mine. I wish you the best and I am totally smiling at the thought that you took the step many people are too afraid to take. When you begin to do the things you thought you couldn’t is when you know your passions are too great for the fears that tried to take them away. Thank you for sharing.
I Love this too! i recently did the same thing – left a full time that wasn’t fulfilling to pursue my passion in the food industry. I also was working while going to school at night (pastry school) and socializing like crazy. It was really scary to finally take that huge step of leaving my job and what i felt was my security behind – but it was the best decision i ever made and proved that it is possible to enjoy your work and be passionate about what you’re doing. Thanks for sharing – you’re awesome for taking that risk!! 🙂
Love this! The #1 step for me lately has been figuring out how to cut expenses, especially rent. I’m transitioning to a smaller town where I’ll commute much less, rent is cheaper and I’m selling/cast off as much as possible so I can fit into a smaller apartment as well. For the last few years I’ve just felt a slave to my bills, and working to pay for living in a really nice part of town prevents me from enjoying all the perks, like the walking trails and local events. It’s a lot of change and it’s scary in some ways but I think it will really pay off! Thankfully friends and family are supportive of this shift and I’ve been focusing on spending time with loved ones doing free activities and asking for non-physical things if someone wants to give me a gift. Helps keep priorities in check and prevents a lot of accumulation of ‘stuff’!
Great blog. You story is similar to my story when I decided to become an actress. I was working in IT full-time and attending drama school at night. It almost killed me, as did teaching English and neglecting my passion. If you neglect your passion it is like suicide. Society puts so much pressure on us to climb the corporate ladder. But it is not for everyone one. I am happier now, that I am following my passion and because of that I am able to sustain a living and I am getting more work as an actress. Thank you for this.
I recently became disabled due to a yet confirmed dx. My belief is that it is MS. I quit my job in sales after my short term disability ended. Then relief came when I found out I was a beneficiary of my Aunt and Uncles estate. We sold our cars that we owed more money than they were worth to us on. And bought a used AWD SUV. Perfect for us. Now all we have is a mortgage payment which is doable on just my spouses pay. And the house bills. I get to be mom to our children, my home is getting organized slowly and I am enjoying baking again. It’s not an easy road. But I can already see that we are all happier
I’m so happy to hear this resonated with you Talya 🙂 Trying to do everything at once can be so tough. I know I couldn’t have done it forever! I totally agree with the immense pressure to climb to corporate ladder, I’ve felt this very strongly in my life but I’m so glad I didn’t listen and took my own path! Great to hear it is working for you, good on you for pursuing what you love!
Sounds great Mary! I think so many of us find ourselves in that position of being a slave to the bills and endlessly working to pay for things we don’t even have the time to enjoy. It’s wonderful to hear that you’re making this change for yourself. For all that you give up in material possessions you will gain back tenfold in truly enjoying your life 🙂
That’s awesome Jeanine! I love hearing stories of people who’ve gone after what they wanted and succeeded 🙂 It is scary leaving the security behind but by taking that step you are proving that it’s possible to live a better life. Thanks for sharing your story too!
Great to hear you enjoyed this Mariel! Feeling stuck is such a horrible position to be in, but I believe there is always a way out. It might not be easy at the time but it is always worth it! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve made a change and are moving toward a more authentic life! It doesn’t all need to happen at once either, great things take time so your baby steps sound right on track. Best of luck and thanks for sharing your story 🙂
That’s wonderful 🙂 I’m so sorry to hear about your illness but it really sounds like you are making the most of a bad situation and moving things forward for you and your family. It makes me smile to hear that you are able to spend that special time at home with your children and enjoy the simple things in life. That’s what truly matters!
Thank you so much Michaela for this. It was a great read!! I spent several years in a high stress and emotionally demanding job that involved 24/7 shift work. I was miserable. I ‘woke up’ one day and realised I didn’t want it anymore…my life consisted of work and sleep….I wanted (and deserved!) more than this. So I quit my job, packed up my bags, left my family and friends, and I got on a plane to Africa. I lasted 7 months before I ran out of money and had to come home. But in that time I learned what really matters….LIVING. I travelled, I volunteered, I opened my heart, I experienced life at the grassroots level….in its most simplest form….food, shelter, people. While I never got my ‘lightbulb moment’ or discovered my ‘life purpose’ in Africa liked I’d hoped for….I certainly learned what I DIDN’T want for my life. When I returned home, I landed a low stress job with monday to friday hours (and considerably less money) in the town I grew up. I have found myself surrounded by my family and my friends and I now have time for ME. I often wonder why I am back here in this town….but now I know. I am getting to know the ‘real’ me and my passions and dreams. And, it’s scary!! But reading your post helped me to see that it’s ok to take baby steps….that every little choice and decision helps. And most importantly….that it’s ok to take time out of the ‘rat race’. So thank you 🙂
Just wonderful Michaela 🙂
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Paula 🙂
I’m so happy to hear this resonated with you Loz. What a big decision to quit your job and get on a plane to Africa! It sounds like you had some amazing experiences there and now you are back in your home town making the time to get in tune with who you are. Good on you for recognising you deserve better and doing something about it 🙂
An amazing writing!!!! Although I am still a college student, but I have already spent a lot of time planning my future. I am fighting for my degree in economics but I always wish to squeeze out some time doing something really creative and inspiring like drawing and writing. However, whenever I am doing these, I feel guilty not paying enough attention to my studies. People around me just put all their effort in studying and finding interns, I feel so much pressure and lost during the school year and I am still wondering about my future. I am supposed to be a banker, a civil servant, or an accountant in worst case…I hate accounting. I am currently planning to learn computer programming, in hope of one day I will have a website of my own sharing my own writings and drawings…but its gonna spend me a lot of time and I just not sure whether to go for it or not…