What I got when I didn't follow my vision

Hi Steemians,

I am writing this post because of @michaeldavid's latest post with the following quote:

"Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare."

This takes me back to my story that started 5 years ago.

I just graduated and had to launch my career. I had some ideas of what I really wanted to do and would love to do. I also had an amazing and truly inspiring internship at the end of my studies.

But I decided quite fast to ignore those ideas, just for the purpose of finding a job as fast as possible.

Mostly because it didn't take longer than a couple of months before my family, friends and everyone else around me started seeing me as a "loser", just because I had no job yet, freaking 3 months after finishing school.

So, I just applied for whatever job I would be capable of doing. I sent 75 applications in barely a month. In the end I got a job through some recruitment office. I hated it after two weeks because the company was just lousy and I didn't have nearly enough tasks to do to fill my hours properly. They fired me after less than 3 months, right before New Year's Eve. Not because I sucked at the job, but because they really didn't have enough decent work for me and I just cost them money in the end.

So, I was back into job hunting. The same pressure from everyone around me came back. And once again I let it get to me. I started applying like crazy again, not giving a damn what it had to be. At my lowest I applied to become a marketing call agent, which is just the easiest and lousy underpaid job everyone can get around here.

So, I was about to sign for call agent, until I got an offer to become account manager for some company that sold specialty label printers. And I had a third offer to go work in some discount store as well. I chose the sales job with the printers. 2 days later, I had a 4th offer which seemed way better. I quit that sales job after 2 days to accept that offer.

What a delusion that was. I worked my ass off like crazy for lousy payment, lousy customers and lousy colleagues who showed no respect for anyone else.

I persisted, did that job for 6 months because I had an attendum in my contract that stated that I automatically had to get a permanent contract if I completed the initial 6 months.

I was unrightfully fired after my last contract day and had to sue the company. (In the end they had to pay me 6 months of salary as compensation after the trial).

The turning point

After I got fired and had to put a lawyer against a former employer, something changed inside of me. I was done with it. I tried to do things other people's way and it brought me nowhere. I only lost 1,5 years of my life.

That's when I decided I was just going to do what I wanted and what I'm good at: writing. So I started my own copywriting business. I still have my company today.

The first months weren't easy in terms of revenue or finding clients. But all of a sudden I loved to get out of bed every single morning and go to battle for business.

6 months later, I got the opportunity to go and work as a full time copywriter in Amsterdam. I left home and went to work and live there. In the end I spent the best 2 years of my life so far over there. It brought me work, a career, a chance to follow my passion, life experience and I even found the woman of my life there.

Today I work in challenging projects in a really nice company in Ghent and I still have my own writing business on the side. I got myself a house this year and marriage and kids are most probably the next big steps for me.

The good life I have today, started with one thing:

I stopped daydreaming and got rid of the nightmare.
I took action on my visions and stopped taking action without visions.

For all who took this entire read:

Think of what you really would love to do. And go for nothing less than that. Good things will come your way for sure!

Thanks for reading.