Today I told my boss that I would be quitting my job next year to travel around the world. WOW, I feel more liberated than I could have expected. He was incredibly supportive and happy that I gave him 15 months of notice. Given that I just got a new role with more responsibility on Monday I would say he took it extremely well. In truth, he was amazingly supportive and I am fortunate to have him as a boss.
And so, 9 months after we decided to take the leap I am here to announce: “My name is Warren and I am quitting my job, stepping out of the traditional path, and taking a trip around the world.” I cannot recall a sentence that I have felt more certain of uttering (at least since I said “I do” to my wife).
Many of you are sure to ask the question, why not wait to tell the company just 2 weeks before I take off. Well, this has been a subject of many sleepness nights and long talks. But I believe the answer comes down to a few key issues:
- As you can imagine, this is the biggest thing in our lives and it has been challenging to live a double life where I can never talk about this at work.
- I feel as though I have been lying to my boss and those around me. This has been tough as I am a very open person and having to not share this with others kept me up at night
- I have not been able to going public in a big way. Now I have the opportunity to blog, Twitter (@wtalbot), announce it on Facebook, etc. I have been watching our community grow through the amazing work of my wife, but have struggled with having her carry all the load. Now I can share the fun with her.
You will quickly realize that it is Betsy with the writing talent in the family, but after 9 months sitting on the sidelines I am looking forward to getting a little dirty in the blogosphere. WHOOOHOOOOOO.
About Warren
Congratulations Warren – Rock and Roll!
Right on Mr. Betsy!
Very cool – and a tough decision on the ‘when’.. envious that you’ve got the chance to do this!
Congratulations, and welcome to the blogging world! I’ve been wondering about that "husband" icon down in the Comments area….
I can SO relate- you have to be able to talk about this- the biggest thing in your life- with your work friends. And if you’re lucky, that includes your boss. My friends have always marveled at how I’ve been (in their opinion) too honest with work situations. It’s mainly for my own peace of mind and authenticity, on top of being considerate to them.
I’m so happy to have Warren on board 100% publicly. It has been tough having such a huge goal as a couple, but only one of us can speak about it (and blog about it) freely. Expect to see more from Warren regarding work transitions and planning for the trip in general, and we should get many more of his photographs now, too. This is gonna be good!
I’m looking forward to following your journey. I did quite a bit of traveling for many years, living the free life, but now dream and armchair travel at my desk. I follow a wonderful travel blog by Malena who is traveling around the world studying candy. http://www.malena-rtw.com/rtw/ You have a lot of courage to make the jump to follow your dreams. I’m working hard towards a simpler life to be able to have more adventure and freedom, too. It’s hard to do. I’ll keep studying your website, and the other site links you have, and hopefully find my own path someday. Have a great time, and keep the blog well-posted on your adventures. My favorite quote is: "A journey begins with a single step."