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One year ago today was the day that I FINALLY decided to chase my dream. I woke up for work at 4 a.m. like I had everyday for years, but this day just felt different. The only way that I can explain it, is like I knew that I was about to change my life, for ME. I woke up Brandon and said, "I think today's the day". He knew exactly what I meant without having to elaborate. I had been miserable with my job for quite some time, but the last year of being there my depression hit an all time high. I always knew what I wanted to do, but I just didn't know how to get there and to be honest I really didn't think it was achievable. I've always been a BIG dreamer since I can remember. I've always wanted to work in fashion also, but when you have people in your life that keep telling you to that your dreams have to be "realistic", you start to doubt yourself.
I punched in for work at 4:40 a.m. like I had countless times before and went to my desk. It was a Thursday and was my first day back for the week, since I worked 12s. I thought to myself, "if I get talked down to today, I'm walking out". I've never been someone who takes being talked down to well, you know, because nobody should ever talked to you that way. There have been so many times before where I have thought about walking out, but in the back of my mind I knew I wouldn't' actually do it, but this day was different I had finally had enough. It wasn't even 7 a.m. and I had already been talked down to. I emailed by boss to come down by me because we needed to talk. It took about 30 minutes to actually make his way down by me. I was so nervous, but just knew it was the right thing to do for my mental health and the only way I would be able to chase my dreams and to finally get away from all of the negative people I had to spend a lot of time with. I handed him my door card and said "I quit" with tears in my eyes. The thing was, he was a great boss and friend, so I didn't want to let him down. He looked shocked, but also like he wasn't sure if I was serious, because I was always threatening to quit. Within a split second he turned from a look of confusion to a look of realization. He told me that he would punch me out and that was that, I was done. Holy shit. I cried as I walked out for the final time. Quitting a job doesn't seem like a big deal when you're just thinking about it and always talking about it. When you've been there for 11 years your coworkers become your friends and family, they really do. I also was thinking, "now what?!". I walked out that door, turned around, and smiled. I couldn't stop smiling as I drove away. I called Brandon, and he knew why I was calling without having to ask. I could tell he was nervous about the new situation, but I told him that everything would be ok, I just knew it would be. I called my Mom, because she always finds out everything, and she said, "it's about time, now go do what you want". I immediately started researching how to start a business. I put all of my time, effort, and quite a bit of money into what is now Velvet N Roll Boutique, my dream.
I thought I would be doing something that I loved by the time I was 30, but it wasn't looking too promising. It goes to show you to never give up on your dreams. No matter the naysayers or your age, dream as big as you want and work to make those dreams come true. I am now 30, in such a great head space, working to expand my boutique. There's no limit to my dreams, 10 year old me is beaming as to how far I've come. Thank You to all of my supporters and the naysayers, you have no idea how much you both drive me to do better. -Brandi
P.S. You really do figure out who your real friends are after you no longer are forced to see each other at work.