By: Shari Dalton
No, this isn’t going to be the advice packed blog our regular readers tune in for. I wanted to share something with you all-the story of Moxie.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with so many incredible people over the last several years. I’ve done things that just 3 short years ago would have had me in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. You see, deep down, I’m the definition of an introvert. And on top of that, I play things, especially life, incredibly safe. I’m also a very rational thinker, and can be quite the cynic. And I always swore I never wanted to own my own business! I mean the risk! Can you imagine the risk?!?!
But all that being said, I knew years ago, that I was meant to do something other than recruit and help my nurses meet their career goals, but I didn’t know what. And I really liked my job, my nurses, my coworkers, my company, but something was just missing for me and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I remember talking with Adam and my manager at the time and setting a five-year goal for myself. At the end of five years, something was going to change. I wasn’t sure what, but I knew that at the end of five years, I needed to be doing something else. Very truthfully, deep down, I hoped that something else was starting a training division at my company-I knew they needed it, as most do. And I told myself that in five years if I wasn’t where I was meant to be then I would need to quit and go out and find it. (Of course, my safe side knew that I could always change my mind.)
I waited, very patiently. Something about setting that hard stop in five years was very liberating. I worked hard, saved, enjoyed life. Mostly because I knew that something else was waiting for me. I didn’t know what yet, but it didn’t matter, I knew in my heart there was something more.
Now that fourth year…. that was stressful. I had become a team lead within my organization, but there still wasn’t much beyond that and I knew I didn’t want to be a manager. There was something about spending half my life in meetings that was not appealing to me. So, I did like anyone would, I binge watched Shark Tank trying to come up with some sort of an idea…something that would tell me what I was supposed to be doing. I read every article possible on Inc.com and Forbes and any other entrepreneurial article I could get my hands on. Adam and I spent countless nights coming up with ideas for businesses-there were some dooseys, but nothing that really spoke to me.
I can remember the day, sitting at my desk at work, when the idea came to me to start Moxie. I went running over to Adam’s desk to tell him that I knew what I wanted to and that I was going to quit my job…. he sort of loving looked at me and said “we should really talk about this tonight” but I was SO excited.
At first, it wasn’t about training. At first, my idea was to be a “Recruiter Coach”-like a life coach, but specifically for Recruiters in our industry. I mean…Recruiters NEED people to talk to, right?
30 days later, this self-proclaimed introvert and safety expert, took a leap of faith and followed her heart. (Yeah, I went to third person there) Holy shit, in one day I went from a six-figure income to zero. When I think about that day, it still makes my palms sweat.
And here we are, just heading into our third year, and I’m still following my heart and doing things beyond my wildest dreams! Even better, I get to do it with the best partner a lady could ask for-Adam!
It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it. When Adam quit we always told ourselves “We’re good recruiters, if Moxie fails, someone would hire us.” And that’s the only thing that has changed, for me anyway-for as much as I loved recruiting, I’d never go back to it-even if Moxie failed. I have found courage I never knew I had, and knowledge beyond what any class could teach. People come to me for help and advice, and most of the time, they leave feeling confident and courageous. What a gift to be able to give to people!
I wanted to share this story with you because I think it’s valuable. Life is scary. But you’ve only got one. Don’t live a life feeling like something is missing. Follow your heart, even if you’re not quite sure where it’s leading you. Get Moxie! And no, I don’t mean our training. I mean, real MOXIE!!! Grit, Gumption, Determination, Courage! If there’s something missing in your life, do something about it. Fill the void. Hopefully it doesn’t require you to quit your job or start a new business, but if it does, follow your heart. Help a coworker? Maybe you just need to volunteer? Coach a local team? Whatever it is, share your gifts, your talents, your time.
Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.
