“Sometimes the “responsible” choice is to be “irresponsible.” When I left my career, I invested retirement money in my present instead of my future. I knew my present would create my future. And it did. I needed to be alive more than I needed to be “safe.” My joy generated my security then and now.”-Tama Kieves

Tama Kieves is a lawyer turned author turned motivational speaker kindred spirit whose leaps of faith mirror my own even though our paths were divergent. I had the joy of interviewing her a few times and reviewing her books.  She wrote about that journey in her first book called This Time I Dance! She is a living example of living full out. . In her second book, Inspired and Unstoppable:  Wildly Succeeding in Your Life’s Work!, she elaborates on the risks and rewards that she experienced after leaving her full time job as an attorney in a bid to save her sanity and follow the calling of her passion and purpose.

I am so there. My leap helped me to break free of a simultaneously rewarding and challenging job as a social worker in a psychiatric hospital where I had worked for 11 years. I stood on the verge for so long, that I wondered if my feet would be permanently imbedded in the rock at the edge of the precipice as I stared at what at the time seemed like an abyss. What it turned out to be, was a vast canyon with a panoramic view. Once I took that deep breath and cast myself forward, after careful consideration and bit of a financial cushion, I found myself in free flight. Exhilirating and holy smokes scary at the same time. For so long, I had desired to be a full time writer and speaker and had somehow managed to squeeze that in between working 40-50 hours a week at the job, commuting 90 minutes round trip, going to the gym, taking care of my house, my son, working as a minister, enjoying a social life, writing a book and on occasion, sleeping. Seven months later, I am writing for half a dozen publications with more in the works, a radio show in the seed planting stages (more to follow on that), book promo, working with coaching clients, as well as  therapy clients in a drug and alcohol counseling center, creating a second book, teaching workshops and classes, investing time each day in promoting these flourishing projects. Am I still scared?  Yup. Every day. Am I still exhilirated?  Even more so. Do I know that the Universe has my back?  Ab-soul-utely. Do I still have spiritual amnesia and forget that I know that?  Uh huh.

Sometimes I wonder if I am acting irresponsibly and ‘should’ have a full time salary and benefits gig as I had for more than a decade. The answer always comes back to a series of questions….What feeds your soul? What is ultimately more rewarding?  How can you best serve?  The answer is a no-brainer. It is what I was born to do, which is this.

How can you invest in your present and thus your future?

What dividends would you like it to reap?

How will you leap into your future from your present day springboard?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzScfQzclEE George Bailey  by Jana Stanfield