Woman Hard at Work to Digital Nomad: I Quit My 9 to 5 Routine

My name is Léa, I am 31 years old, and I have always been a hard worker. I now chose to be a digital nomad living on the poverty line in the eyes of society.

I have been working since I was 11 years old.

From 11 to 17 years old, I worked part-time every weekend and every summer.

From 17 years old up until recently, I have been working full-time, even while studying, taking on sometimes more than 2 or 3 jobs simultaneously.

Working a minimum of 40 hours a week and having 3 weeks of vacation is a standard where I am from.

I had accepted and embraced this way of living until 4 years ago.

Once upon a time, I gave birth, and everything changed.

FOLLOWING MY FEELING

Sacha recently wrote an article where she describes how she feels about her way of life now that she’s pregnant and how she never thought she would ever question her habits in the past few years.

When I read that article, I remembered how I had myself been in her exact position.

I think we are quite a few to go through a questioning and analysis phase while pregnant or soon after giving birth.

The best thing I could do for myself at this very decisive time was to listen carefully to my feeling about the situation. It gave me the courage to turn my life around, to rethink my career and some aspects of my personal life.

The strength it took to hear my guts out, but especially to take action, is something I will never regret.

BEFORE

More than 4 years ago, I was taking on job after job, each one more stimulating than the other yet extremely demanding.

From being a radio animator to stepping into politics as a political advisor and then as the press agent of many provincial ministers, all of this in 5 years, it felt like my career was leading my lifestyle.

As it led my daily life, it took away most of my time. Sure, money kept coming in, and I kept working my way up society’s social hierarchy… I kept telling myself it made up for all of it. I would catch up with my personal stuff after the rush had gone – but, yeah, one rush is always followed by another one, and another one, and another one! ?

AFTER

Think of me BEFORE I got pregnant and you’ll realize it’s another world.

After I gave birth to my first child, I made a 180-degree life-change.

I listened to this small inner voice whispering things I would never have believed I would think about before I got pregnant. Yet, at that moment, it all made sense to me.

So I took my decisions in order to make things happen.

I quit my press agent job, which I loved. Instead, I focused on something that would fit better with the way I had imagined my life as I would grow with my family in the future.

I stayed home so I could care for my baby myself. I couldn’t imagine someone else taking on this responsibility in my stead.

Then I created my dream job for myself and my family so that I could get by the next few years.

And so Sparks and Bloom and Elles Communication were born. What’s so nice about those two? They combine what I love the most: communication, entertainment, imagination, creation, writing, socializing (?), exchanging experiences, feelings, and adventures! And the best for last, I can work according to my own pace and agenda, most of the time.

This way, my mornings can get longer #sloweverything, I can play outside with my kids whenever we feel like it, turn my Tuesday nights into Friday nights and watch movies until late. Take a not-only-on-Christmas-or-on-my-two-weeks-summer-break-vacation, and even go on a round-the-world trip for a whole year. 😀

MY ROOTS

Still, it can be hard to be in complete peace with this kind of choice.

As I am from a family that taught me always to work harder and longer, to consider taking time for myself, for my hobbies or vacations as a less important part of my life, work has always been a priority.

From a young age, I’ve always had this constant pressure weighing on me, always to work harder, to accept a bigger workload and never to let an opportunity fly by.

It made me a hard-working woman that overcame and achieved many beautiful things. Yet, it also made me someone who has a hard time knowing when to stop, where is the good in doing nothing or working only 15 hours a week.

I am LIGHTYEARS away from denying all the good this kind of education, this kind of roots made me. On the contrary, it made me the person I am today that truly believes that anything is possible when you put in the effort.

I still look upon this new stage of my life as a chance to rebalance my vision and way of life.

And you, have you ever had these sorts of questionings?

Are you one of those who chose to separate themselves from the 9 to 5 way of life?

Do you feel me when I tell you I need those #sloweverything vibes in my life?

Share your opinion!

This post was translated from French to English by: