I Quit!

At the end of April I made a Big Decision. I resigned from my day job. I have quit my steady, well paid office job to become a full time Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor. And it's scary as hell.

I fretted over this for months, telling myself I'd do it after appraisals, after performance ratings were out, when I had X amount in savings, after this race or that. Eventually I realised I was making excuses not to act. I've been working towards this for a long time and there was never going to be a perfect time to make the change. So I confirmed a "safety net" of regular classes at the training centre I've been working at, arranged a call with my boss at 5pm on a Wednesday and handed in my notice. I think it's fair to say she was a little shocked.

One or two people who only know me through the fitness side of things were surprised I wasn't already a full time PT, which I took as a compliment, and the colleagues I'm close to understand that this is a passion for me and have been hugely supportive. As have my friends and family, despite any worries they may have.

I have a three month notice period so I've still got a while to go but it's spurred me into action. I've polished up my website, made greater efforts with promoting myself and looked at more revenue stream possibilities. I'll be teaching classes and continuing my involvement with RunFitUK and BarnesFitness for as long as they'll have me but I'll also have time to offer more in the way of 1-2-1 sessions and personalised training plans. Full details are available on my website and I welcome questions and enquiries via email. If you could mention me to any interested parties I'd be very grateful.

This isn't going to be an easy move to make. I know there will be some tougher times ahead and days when I'll wonder what on earth I've done. If it doesn't work out, so be it, but it won't be for lack of trying. There have been days when I've left the office feeling drained and demoralised only to come out of the other side of teaching feeling uplifted and enthused. That's how I know I'm doing the right thing. So expect to see a few more posts about this particular phase of my life and the things I learn along the way in addition to the usual training updates, event reviews and so on.

If you've got a similar story to share, please do get in touch, it would be great to hear from you.