Sedona's ST.com contributing writer, Gripe Guy, and fan

Hi Folks!

This past year has been rough for me. I went on unemployment, left Colorado, moved to Sedona, got a job and finally, quit the new job. I struggled with the new Sedona job for weeks, and finally decided that if I learned anything from working in Colorado, it was to follow my gut instinct.

For years I worked at a job in Colorado that I hated. Even with every fiber of my being saying “leave it” I continued on. Like many of you, I stayed because the money was good and I had responsibilities. Forget that every morning I woke up dreading another day and came home at the end of that day not thankful that work was done, but depressed that another day was coming that offered more misery.

I didn’t listen to my gut instinct to leave but in the end, the gods stepped in. I was fired.

I remember that day clearly. I was busy with inventory when upper management came in, asked for the keys, said I was being let go, and handed me a final paycheck. Was I stunned, surprised, angry, questioning? No, I was relieved. I didn’t say anything.  It was over. Finally that long path of misery had come to an end.

With no income, eventually I lost my apartment, most if not all of my possessions, and moved in with a friend until unemployment kicked in. Finally I managed each month to save a little money and within a few months, I was able to move back to where my heart ached to be…Sedona.

Everything seemed to fall into place upon my arrival here and I was happy. I rode the unemployment train for as long as I could until I had exhausted the benefits. I finally landed a job but I won’t go into details about the work or the people there. Suffice it to say, once again I felt that familiar turning in my stomach on the daily drive into work. It must be me, I would tell myself again and again, but the feeling never went away.

I was faced with situation after situation that continued to enforce that I should leave the job, but once again I needed the pay check. I would ask myself if I learned anything from the old job in Colorado, should I continue like I did before, and could I recognize the lesson? I wasn’t ready for another three years of misery but I took a leap of faith and made my great escape yesterday.

It feels good to be free and to have learned the lesson, but part of that lesson is learning to let go and trusting that the path ahead is the right one. Now I am left with uncertainty about the future, but maybe that’s part of the lesson. I need to trust myself and to trust God that everything ahead for me is the right thing, no matter what difficulties. I think when we doubt ourselves and our own power, we do fail.

The day before I quit my job, a complete stranger said to me that we have to close a door before one opens, and to not wait for an open door before closing one. Trust me, I do not want to spend years waiting for an open door! I’m hoping that closing this door now is the right time.

So my life is uncertain now, but life should also be an adventure; our souls crave it. I’ll be out there Monday looking for a new job and trusting that the new one will be filled with respect, challenge and adventure!  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Got advice for Hollywood Jim?  HollywoodJimAdvice@Yahoo.com!