Milan Noelle

A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.

10 years ago, I published a post here about how I resigned from my job without another one lined up. It was a very scary, yet exciting time for me because I knew that it was something intuitively that I had to do. Taking that leap of faith was one of the best things that I could’ve done for myself. It opened so many amazing doors and experiences for me. Though this post isn’t a comprehensive play by play of how my life unfolded since then, it includes some of the pivotal parts.

I don’t recommend leaving a job without a plan and money saved up to support you without an income, but I do hope that my story inspires you to take some calculated risks if your journey calls for them.

ONCE I LEFT

When I resigned, I didn’t even have enough money saved to support one month’s worth of my expenses. I don’t encourage you to do this. It was a huge risk that could have left me in a very vulnerable position. It was a decision that I didn’t make lightly. I was in my early 30’s, single with low overhead, and no kids. Having a family would have influenced me to make different decisions. My last day was in early December of 2015. Once I left, on a wish and a prayer, I applied for unemployment. Some kind of way, I got it and was able to live off of it. The Divine provided for me and I was able to pay my rent and not go hungry.

IN THE MEDIA

Around February of 2016, a couple of months after my last day, I got a contract role as a project manager at a well known media company. Knowing nothing about media industry, the assistant director took me under her wing and showed me the ropes in diversity & inclusion work. I learned that the work was not quotas and just producing “cool” surface-level events. It was rife with nuance, complexity, putting my beliefs and values I had all my life under review, and self awareness.

It also showed me the importance of change management and relationship building to influence environments where people felt supported and included as they are to do their best work. Real and meaningful change is a long game. It’s consistent, strategic, and intentional and it doesn’t have to feel like a win-lose scenario. The work included internal and external practices that embodied fairness for women, veterans, people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergence, various religions, etc.; making sure everyone had what they needed to be successful in their own rights. I enjoyed that work and a whole new world opened up to me. I also got to travel, make more professional and personal connections, and learn more about myself and from people different than me.

At the end of my 6 month contract, I was offered a full-time role. However, as life changing and special as the experience was, I didn’t see myself there. I took another chance and declined the offer. I could’ve taken it and kept looking for a new job but, I left. Intuitively, I knew that I wasn’t meant to stay there any longer. That didn’t stop me from questioning if I had made an unwise decision or not.

BEAUTY QUEEN

No more than a month after declining the offer from the media company, a recruiter found my information and contacted me about an opportunity. I interviewed and accepted a project manager role at a beauty company. While I once was a freelance makeup artist, I didn’t know anything about corporate beauty. But I was open minded and worked there for 4 years. I made some amazing friendships and learned so much about running a beauty business end to end, that I could run my own successfully if I wanted to.

I also learned that I couldn’t compartmentalize working in toxic work environments without it taking a toll on my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. I had to re-evaluate things and reflect on where I saw myself and my career going. Corporate beauty wasn’t where I wanted to be. It didn’t feel like meaningful work and that was important to me. When the pandemic significantly began devastating the world in early 2020, I quarantined alone in my Brooklyn apartment. I began to reflect and meditate on what was next for me.

Just know if you’re following your path, whenever it’s time to take a leap of faith, a net will be there to catch you.

TECH BABY, TECH BABY 1-2-3

In late 2020 another opportunity found me, this time in the tech industry. I accepted a contract program manager role with a major tech company. It was more money than I had ever made in my career thus far and more responsibility with no guarantee that it would convert to a full-time position. This was another risk during very uncertain times when people were losing jobs and facing many challenges finding new ones. However, I left my full-time job at the beauty company for yet another industry that I knew nothing about. My contract was for 9 months, but 4 months in, I became a full-time employee and still work there now.

In the beginning, I experienced a lot of self doubt. I felt like I was in over my head, that I over sold my capabilities and was going to be exposed. The job also required me to present regularly in front of different stakeholders. As person who had thought for a long time that no one cared what I had to say or wanted to know what I thought, it felt very overwhelming and intimidating. However, I weathered through. As time went on, I learned to trust myself more, believe in myself, and learn what I didn’t know. I began affirming that I had things to say and that people wanted to hear them. They wanted to hear my ideas and learn from ME.

I’ve become a leader working here. In this process, I also learned that I’m capable of so much when I believe in myself and my ability to raise to an occasion. I didn’t have to be perfect or know everything, I could ask for help and I could delegate. I didn’t have to be everything. That was very liberating for an introverted, recovering perfectionist, people pleaser who felt like I could never get anything wrong.

IN SUMMARY

Me and my belongings didn’t end up on the street and I never missed any meals. I’m incredibly thankful. I’m also proud and in awe of myself. Writing this reminded me of risks that I had forgotten I continued taking after leaving that job 10 years ago. I appreciate my journey and how far I’ve come.

The two biggest themes over these experiences I shared were to trust myself and sometimes I have to let go of some things, certainties, and safety nets to advance to where I want to be. There’s a saying that goes “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” We feel safest in our comfort zones, even if we feel stagnant or miserable in them, but we’re incredibly resilient and made for adventure and movement. The good stuff, growth, and blessings aren’t at the harbor, they’re at the unknown destination that we set sail for. They’re in the unknown, different, perceivably scary things, temporary discomforts, challenges, and roads less traveled. We can do hard things. We can do scary things. We can do different things that no one else is doing. We can move through some temporary discomfort to open doors for more. We can move through to the other side of uncertainty and be the person you dream of being.

Stay open, curious, and willing to learn. There is so much life on the other side of our fears. I encourage you to see for yourself your way. Say yes to YOUR journey. Just know if you’re following your path, whenever it’s time to take a leap of faith, a net will be there to catch you.

These leaps of faith aren’t limited to a job like I shared. They are in any and all areas of our lives. Maybe for you it’s a move, ending/starting a friendship, changing your major in school, or taking a different route to work.

What leaps of faith have you taken before? What leaps of faith are you considering or ready to take?