There is no price tag for happiness

“Give yourself permission to get out of the house immediately if you have any concerns. No need to explain or make sense of it. Just trust how you feel. ”~ Unknown

Last year I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in Communications subjects and a junior in Business Writing.

While working in college I created social media for both my small Business Writing and community relations firm where I studied. Since I really enjoyed my slim and professional training, I decided to apply for a number of PR positions.

For almost a month while I was looking for a job, I was offered a job with a reputable public relations firm. Excited to start the next chapter of my life, I thought I had it all - a new apartment in San Francisco, my roommates, new friends, and a steady job.

Hewu! This was real. However, the excitement of my first "real" job soon faded. While I may have enjoyed my college experience, I failed to ask myself an important question: Did I really like the PR agency?

Since I loved San Francisco and the new friends I made, I found that PR did not give me a sense of fulfillment. I was not happy about hitting client accounts and doing chores like monitoring media broadcasts, street writing, researching opportunities for speaking, and learning about customer competition.

I could not spend my days working in the office doing something that did not bother me. I soon realized that to be happy, I would have to make some changes.

After five months of employment, as the economy slowed down, I did the unthinkable: I quit my job.

Many people have asked me why. They say things like, “What's your next move? I don't understand why you might quit your job. What if you cannot find another job? You will not now have a 401K system. Now you will not have the money you earn. That's not the smartest idea right now. ”

They develop valid, logical points. Still, I was not ready to pursue such a course in cutting out cookies in a stable but unsatisfactory job. The only answer I could give them was that it was not my will. It didn't feel right.

I didn't want to suddenly be thirty years old and look back and say, "Where was time going?"

Life is too short to do what you love. I needed more. I needed to take advantage of my youth and interests. Time was on my side.

So I risked my life and walked out to the arm. Why? Because there is no price for happiness.

Unsure of my next move, I knew I had to do something satisfying. With the extra money to graduate, I decided to pursue my two biggest passions in life: traveling and helping people. I went to Peru.

Yes, I was nervous. But the fact is that I was more afraid to stay in my job than to travel to a foreign land.

In Peru, I went out of my way and did things I had never done before - I tried guinea pig, I explored the Incan ruins, I talked to the local people in Spanish, I boarded crowded buses, I took a cold shower, I wore dirty clothes, I called, they ate two cow duck hearts, they painted the place accommodation for battered women, volunteers with needy children, and learning to teach English.

What a joy it was to hear a different culture and change lives.

This break time has given me the opportunity to explore my interests and continue to pursue them. Now that I am back in the country, I am preparing for my next trip.

In a few months I will start teaching English in South Korea. There, I will be able to balance my interests and interests at the same time - traveling, cooking, writing, helping people with teaching, taking pictures, exploring business opportunities abroad, speaking in public, and meeting new people.

I have learned that in order to taste the most delicious fruit of happiness, I need to stretch myself and ride on foot. By staying true to me I feel refreshed and happy. Risking it has no doubt made all the difference.