First of all – shout out to all of you who inspired me to realize that i didn't need to break my spirit and body to appease the coffers of corporate America.
A year ago my partner and i realized that we were tired of the grind. My job worked me 60-80 hours a week on salary. I lived 8 blocks away from where I worked and rarely saw my kids. Instead, i spent my time doing the jobs of 3 people because as people left their positions were “reallocated”. I work in the concert industry, and was doing the booking, venue management, and technical side of nearly every production. I had great help, but it was still too much. A week with more than 3 shows would mean that on my “day off” i would work, meaning 7 days with at least 3 of them 14 hours or more.
Last year on December 8th i was asked to participate in an interview to attract employees. It was a simple video that would be shared by recruiters. The first question they asked me was “What drives you to get up in the morning?” and I was too tired to be dishonest. “I wake up at 6am every morning because it is my only chance to to see my kids. We have breakfast, read books, and talk.”
At that moment it clicked. I needed to find a new way to live.
In the spring my partner found a job in a quaint little community in the middle of nowhere. The kind of place where there are likely more fish in the river running through town than there are residents. I pivoted to become a “weekend warrior” and fly out to shows to production manage and run audio. The most i work is 3 days a week.
The best part is I am now a stay at home parent. I spend my hours each day being a part of my family rather than looking at pictures. My physical health has improved greatly along with my mental health. Sure, the financial game is a little different, but I didn't need most of that shit in my life anyway.
I know not everyone can make it happen right away, but never be afraid of leaving the world you know behind. Inspire yourself to live the life you imagine. And to all of you who inspired me I owe you a great deal of thanks.