By

Santa Claus icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

About a month ago I wrote a post about how I needed to take control of my exceedingly busy and stressful life. I’m happy to report that I’ve decided to take my future by the horns and wrestle it in the direction that I think is right for me and my family. I’ve asked for and have been granted a one-year, unpaid leave of absence from my job as a tenured college professor and department Chairman – starting in May 2013 I will be “unemployed,” and I couldn’t be more excited (yes, call me crazy!). Will it turn into a permanent leave? I’m not sure yet, and what happens over the next 9-10 months will probably make that decision for me.

My main motivator for taking this step is that I love writing this blog, and it has grown to the point where I actually consider it to be a job rather than a hobby (and a very time-consuming one at that – in a good way!). I’m also motivated by the fact that I love working with runners – I enjoy small things like assisting people with shoe choices, educating about running science, and it is amazingly gratifying to have someone thank you for helping them overcome an injury or reach a new fitness milestone. I also enjoy the gait analysis work I have been doing lately with a local therapist, and I’ve come to realize that I cannot build upon this type of work at my current place of employment (long story…).

I won’t lie and say that this decision doesn’t involve some amount of risk (perhaps a lot of it!), but I would never forgive myself if I didn’t move forward with it. I will be taking a major income hit by taking this step (at least at the outset), but I don’t live an extravagant life (if you exclude my shoe collection!), and for me happiness is more important than money. If I can make do financially by pursuing what I love I will be more than satisfied. I’m now in a very good and happy place, and I’m as energized as I’ve been in a long, long time.

How have I reached this point? Because of you! All of the people who read and share my ramblings have shown me that it is possible to make a living as an on-line writer (this topic is something I’m also very passionate about and I need to write about more often!). You have shown me that good things can happen when you follow your passion, even if it seems like utter lunacy at the outset. Blogs don’t survive without support from their readership, and for that reason I am indebted to everyone who takes a few moments out of their day to read and share what I write here.

Thank you – your support means more than you can imagine, and I’ll be needing it even more in the coming year!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!