The courage to face my biggest fear: My maddening beige office

I remember the exact outfit I was wearing when I met Melissa. Right down to the shoes. I don’t Instagram my #adorablewardrobe everyday. No, quite the opposite. I was pregnant with our first child and I was at the stage when you pretty much stick to one pair of very-tired maternity pants and one even more exhausted maternity shirt.

At the time, I worked as the communications manager at a small business. My days would go like this: arrive at the office at 8:00. Meet with co-workers at 10:00. Sit in my beige office and drum up self-motivating projects until lunch. Eat my Lean Cuisine in a tired-looking staff kitchen. Back to the office for more self-motivating projects until I left at 4:00. How I longed for adventure! For a real challenge! Or, if nothing else, at least to come home at night feeling somewhat fulfilled.

Add to the equation a baby. A sweet, cute and cuddly baby. Instead of feeling excited, I was terrified. I wasn’t ready to be a mom. I hadn’t done hardly anything on my pre-baby bucket list, including my number one goal: Find fulfilling and exciting work.

Serendipitously, I broke away from the beige-colored walls for a day and attended a seminar about social media. In walked Melissa. I don’t remember exactly what she spoke about that day, but I can’t forget what I felt. Excitement. Fulfillment. Hope.

Melissa joked that she had been up since 5 a.m. that morning nursing her 4-month-old baby. But, that was before she taught a fitness class at the nearby gym. Oh, and that baby? Yeah, that was her fourth child.

Listening to her speak gave me the motivation I needed to start envisioning the life I really wanted to live. One that was dynamic and full of energy and…fun! I decided to put my list of barriers and roadblocks aside and see what my life could be like. An adventure.

I didn’t find a new job with the snap of my fingers, but I did find a posting for a part-time marketing assistant; a job I could do remotely. And even better — Melissa would be my boss. Yep, Allee was hiring.

Working for Melissa taught me invaluable lessons — more than just how to craft a really good press release. I learned how fulfilling it is to be challenged. I learned how much I like to write. But, most importantly, I learned not to give up on my dreams. Not to settle for a humdrum life spent in a beige office, looking forward to a frozen meal for lunch. And, most importantly, not to forget about the adventurous life that was — and still is — waiting for me.