Steph Not Stephanie

I can be a bit impulsive and impatient at times; the two tend to go hand-in-hand for me. When I decide something on a whim, I want it to happen rightthissecond. Usually, it involves something like dying my hair blue or getting a tattoo (I realize the latter should not be a spur of the moment decision, but we’re way past that point now).

Sometimes I make more important life decisions the same way. I make up my mind relatively quickly, and I want the change to happen just as fast. When I decided to move to Korea, the last few months before I left felt like years. The same thing happened in J-school, when I needed to go back so badly I spent more time researching flights than stories (also, I just found out there were bets that I wouldn’t come back to finish school. I hope those of you who bet against me lost a lot of money).

My most recent impulsive decision is also potentially the most life-altering (unless I end up eloping to Vegas one day), and it all started quite innocuously. I was browsing around Chapters, waiting for a friend to go get another tattoo, and this book was begging me to take it home:

If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend you do so immediately, if not sooner (after you’ve finished this blog post, of course). I talked it up to everyone I knew, and my friend and former co-worker Caitlyn and I discussed it ad nauseum. I wasn’t looking to leave my job — it was fun, I liked the people I worked with, and I had great dinner party stories — but I always had this idea to start my own full-service communications firm in the back of my mind, I just thought it would be 10 or 15 years down the road. So when Caitlyn suggested we start our own business with The Art of Non-Conformity fresh in our minds, I jumped at the opportunity. I handed in my resignation shortly thereafter, impatient to get the ball rolling.

Here we are, a few short months later, and I couldn’t be happier. The “holy shit, I work for myself” giddiness has (mostly) subsided, and I know that I am doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. Would things have gone smoother if we had taken the time to do things the “right” way? Possibly. Would I go back and do it any other way? Absolutely not. Patience may be a virtue, but if we’re tossing around cliches, I think it’s better to take the bull by the horns, go all in, and remember no guts, no glory (I could’ve used so many more, but I’ll stop there).

This post has gone on longer than it should, so if you’ve made it all the way to the end, I’ll leave you with two of my favourite quotes from TAONC (seriously, go read it):

It’s tempting to believe that the secret to happiness is less work. Here’s another idea: instead of giving up on the idea of work, why not find a way to make it better?

What would you regret if you hadn’t done it?