Work: Past, Present + Future

As I wrote about before, I ended my career in public accounting as an external auditor on May 28th of this year. Typing those words, I sighed a sense of relief and had a huge smile on my face. I didn't really go much detail on the specifics of this before, so a month into self-employment, I will revisit the subject.

To say my previous career was demanding was an understatement. I felt constant pressure and anxiety on a daily basis. And the feelings didn’t end on Friday when I left work…I felt awful all weekend because I knew that Monday morning I had to go back. This career was hard on my relationships, my emotions and on my health. I start becoming sick physically. I didn’t want to give up on my dreams of someday being a photographer but I was starting to feel depressed and like I would just never be one of those people that loved what they did for a living.

I knew I needed to quit my job and follow my dreams but with the current state of the economy, I felt like I should just be thankful I was employed. Plus, I was scared. Scared of the unknown, scared to try something new, and scared to take a chance on my family's livelihood. See, something you should know about me is that I have really strong workaholic tendencies. I loved my college job so much, I agreed to step up to a management position even though I knew my school schedule of 18-21 credit hour semesters wouldn’t cut it. I was really good at the job and I felt a huge sense of pride in the work I was doing (I was a manager at Urban Outfitters for those who care to know) and loved the people I worked with.

So my day would look something like this:

5am – catch up on homework and study before class at 8
8am – 1pm – class
1-1:45 – get ready and drive to work
2 – 9pm – work at UO
9pm – quick dinner
9:15pm – back to work on setting floor displays or running sales reports for upper management
2 am – drive back to my house on campus at Lindenwood
2:15 – 3am – study my butt off and try to make sense of everything I learned from 8am - 1pm that day
3am – 5am sleep

I don’t think I realized how ridiculous my schedule was but I was working 40 hour weeks while going to school taking 18-21 credit hours so I could graduate in 3 years. It was unhealthy for me but at least I loved what I was doing, I was genuinely happy and I dressed really, really well. I mean seriously, when I would be dressing mannequins and displays…it was all part of my wardrobe planning strategies and at 40% off …why wouldn’t I buy everything in the store, right?


After I graduated and went into the corporate world, I was in shock. You mean I get to sit all day instead of run around carrying boxes and arms full of clothing? You mean all the work I did training my feet to run in heels is useless??

The job was everything you would expect from the accounting world. Tedious work, long hour, great pay, lots of overtime, and nights away from my husband and dog. I was miserable to say the least. I felt like it was so hard for me to act happy because where I spent the majority of my days, I was in utter hell. For comparison purposes, let’s take a look at my day as an auditor.


6 am – wake up and get ready for work (I get ready insanely quick…not normal for most people. My husband takes twice as long to get ready)
6:15 – take Ozzy for a quick walk – (less than .25 miles…his normal is 1 mile two times a day)
6:30 am – make a quick breakfast for my car ride into work – either toast with peanut butter and honey or oatmeal
6:30-7:30am – 45 mile commute into work
7:30 am – grab a cup of coffee in the office and start working
10:00 am – morning snack – usually oatmeal
11:30 am – eat lunch while continuing to work – bell pepper, feta and hummus wrap and wheat thins
11:30 – 6:00pm – work
6:00 – 6:45pm – 45 mile commute home – usually a shorter commute since it’s after rush hour
6:45 – 7pm – love on Ozzy and tell him how much I missed him and love him
7-8pm – gym time
8 – 9pm – spend time with Tommy by making dinner together
9-11pm – catch up on house chores and do anything photo related I need to at this time such as respond to client emails, send contracts, edit photos, blog
11pm – shower and go to bed for the night

I literally had no time for myself, other than cooking dinner, cleaning up the house, and going for a run (on the occasion that I had time and energy to do so). My new schedule took a lot of getting used to but I am finally into the swing of things and really enjoying this new life.

6:30 -7:00 am - get up and walk Ozzy (1 mile walks now and we are both much happier!)
7:30-8:40am - get ready for work, make breakfast and lunches for both Tommy and myself, check email, clean up the house
8:40 am - leave for work - 18.1 mile commute!!!
9:00 -noon- get into work, check emails and start my day
12pm - lunch - usually cottage cheese with tomatoes, an apple and cheese and turkey sandwich on wheat
1pm - my work is usually totally done by now, so I'll respond to client emails, write up contracts, write a blog post and read several blogs
2pm - drive home - 18.1 miles
2:20pm - change clothes and take Ozzy for a quick walk (.25 miles)
2:30pm - 6:30pm - work on the computer - edit, blog, email, etc.
6:30pm - go for a run - it's usually cool enough out at this point to run without having a massive heat stroke
7:30 - 8:30pm - time to eat dinner - Tommy and I eat dinner together 4-5 nights a week. This is something that we really value and even if we're just eating something small or leftovers, we wait for one another to eat...even if this means eating right before bed
8:30pm - another 1 mile walk for Oz! Did I mention he is loving my new schedule?? sometimes we'll take him to get frozen custard
9:00 pm - take a quick shower then it's back to work for another few hours. I recently purchased a laptop and will sometimes work from bed while we watch tv
11-11:30pm - turn off the lights and cuddle with my boys before we all fall asleep

On occasion I work until 1 or 2am but I can honestly say that I enjoy the work that I'm doing. I feel like I'm giving my clients quality products with a quick turn around time...both of which are very important business practices to me. I'd really like to get in the habit of running in the morning before work but I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet.

So there you have it. My life in a nutshell. It's busy and pretty eventful but I love it. I have never been happier than where I am right now in my life. For anyone out there reading this that and can relate with my less happy times in a bad career, I empathize with you and understand how frustrating it can be when people tell you to "hang in there" and "it can only be better" or the worst..."be happy you have a job." Where all of these statement are completely true, it doesn't help to tell a miserable person that they shouldn't be miserable.

My life isn't all sunshine and butterflies but it is a great feeling to wake up everyday excited to start my day and go to bed the night before, anxious to see what the next day holds.

Do what you love and your life will be happy. I am going to end this mega-long post with one of my favorite song lyrics by the Avett Brothers.

"Decide what to be and go be it."

Cheers!

Lynsey