2021 Was a Year of Taking a Big Rewarding Risk and Singing Out Loud with My Favorite Singer

According to NPR's As The Pandemic Recedes, Millions Of Workers Are Saying 'I Quit' published in late June 2021, there was a record number of people leaving their jobs as a result of the pandemic.

It's leading to a dramatic increase in resignations — a record 4 million people quit their jobs in April alone, according to the Labor Department. (Source.)

On June 4, 2021, I was one of those people.

Ten years ago

I first started publishing material online a decade ago. I used the writing platform as a practice ground for subjects I chose to write about. The site provided me with an opportunity to improve my writing skills including feedback. This site now carries a lot of ads that either distract or annoy readers. I haven't published there in years.

I also started research for a book about an 80-year-old cold case which is close to a final draft.

Fast forward

Life sure got busy with my job and the growth and arrival of grandchildren aged 17, 11, 7, 5, 3, and 2. That's true love right there.

After the beginning of COVID-19 in 2020, my life really changed as well as everyone else's. I worked remotely for most of the year from March through December.

Then in early 2021, my daughter and her three children were exposed to the virus and tested positive. Since I live with my daughter and her family, I had to quarantine from them for 17 days. During that time, I continued to reevaluate living. I embraced tomorrow's not a promise. It became a redundant mantra.

The resignation letter

I spontaneously decided to retire early in May 2021 to finally do what I wanted to do. I am a writer and I needed to write. My first project was writing my resignation letter providing three weeks' notice to the law firm that employed me for the past nearly 18 years.

I achieved everything I possibly could with the firm. They gave me an unforgettable best champagne toast with the founder of the firm raising his glass saying, "To the GOAT." The tears wouldn't stop. The decision was final. I was ready.

The next mountain to climb

I took the summer off to continue reevaluating life. I have always believed that with most things in life, you have to make a sacrifice to get what you want. I was giving up part of a salary. I also fully believe any rewards will come with a lot of effort and patience.

In early September, after summer playing and decompressing was over, it was time to start climbing again. I found online writing platforms worth exploring.

Writers have the ability to share, express, improve, create, and add positivity to the world.

It was courage that transformed a possibility

It's remarkable how we can transform so many possibilities into becoming realities when we strive to overcome difficulties by embracing a little courage. If we hesitate for a moment about anything we are capable of accomplishing, we entertain thoughts of doubt. I wanted to catch the wave of fulfilling a dream, but the goal of writing full-time seemed impossible to achieve. I had to leave my 9 to 5 to make this dream a reality. I was determined.

I will and I can, end of story

A mind can only be unyielding when you strive to achieve goals.

If everyone working in the business world believed they couldn't succeed, then they wouldn't. If you take the "ubt" from the word, doubt, you're left with, "DO."

Have a non-timid imagination working day and night to succeed. A determined writer builds the courage to see projects all the way through. Write, write, write.

What I've learned about persistent and purposeful courage

It takes courage to go to battle and stand on the ground with strong principles. The men and women who put their lives on the line regardless of success or defeat, who are persistent in upholding their principles, who stand on the ground holding fear of what may lie ahead - these people hold so much courage. Their duties for their country create and build their courage.

Life can be like a battle sometimes too. People of all ages have heard unkind comments or ignorant judgments spoken about them and their bravery lies within their level of patience and tolerance.

Life nearly demands that we need both physical and mental courage to succeed and exist in the world. In many ways, great and small, we have all been a hero to someone or cowardly within ourselves. Sometimes we don't know which one we are until we experience a crisis. Then, it's like it becomes a test.

There are so many instances in life that require a calm mind and a warm heart. We will have disappointments we have to face. We will have losses we have to accept and face because if we cannot, I believe long-lasting sorrow can affect our well-being.

Every moment we live has historically been compared to a grain of sand. Every morning when we crawl out of bed, we are experiencing a little piece of life and our entire lives consist of a repetition of acts of crawling out of bed. This is a simple act, but there are those days when courage is needed to put that one foot on the floor.

It even takes courage to stop waiting for happiness to land at the front door when the process takes working and making it happen from within.

If a person is going to wait for happiness to land, the window opens for a troubled mind, fears, and lots of bad moods. If there's something you really want to do, stop hesitating. If you want to be a writer, you'll make a plan and figure out your journey. But it starts with courage.

After I gave notice to the law firm I worked for, the office director told me, "I'm proud of you for having the courage to do this." I took that as a tall compliment.

Now I write and read 10 hours a day. One evening I took a break because I heard that singer Adele, who happens to be a favorite, was having a concert special from the Griffith Observatory. It has been so long since I've heard her sing.

As I listened to her sing, I was feeling the joy of her audience. I was also feeling my joy from all the effects of 2021. While Adele can sing from her heart and soul, I can write like there's no tomorrow.