Why Losing My Dream Career Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

I 2007, I was 23 and one year out of college when I landed my dream job — a corporate paralegal for a publicly traded, billion-dollar global company. I was so thrilled when I got my first salaried job offer that I drove straight to my parents’ house, laid the offer on the table, and cried. My annual salary was $31,500 year + full benefits, so for someone who had spent the majority of her teens/college years as a barista and working at a local ice cream shop, this was significantly more than the service industry hourly rate + tips offered to me for years. There was no doubt in my mind this was the career I would retire from, and I was so excited to get started.

For almost a decade, I traveled, wined + dined, and was on top of my legal game. I sat in meetings with respected mentors and global leaders learning so much from these great, well-respected minds. It was a result of having these opportunities that I learned life is a lot like business: it ebbs and flows and if you don’t show up every single day and give it your all, it’s really hard to succeed. Everything was going great, until it wasn’t.

One month after I turned 30, the wheels fell off. My personal life took a nose dive. It affected my physical health so badly and I wasn’t the same person professionally. I had to take more time off for doctor’s appointments, I wasn’t mentally present in meetings anymore, and my main concern was no longer climbing the corporate ladder because I physically couldn’t. I was a shell of who I used to be and realized that without my health, I had nothing.

By 32 it had gotten so severe that I walked away and left a career I never thought I’d leave. Unbeknownst to me, I was in the midst of an exhausting identity crisis that I could have never prepared for. 

Within 9 FAST years, I went from traveling the globe on top of my legal game to taking time off for mental and physical healing. At the time, it felt utterly devastating. I missed who I was before I got sick. I was obsessed with wondering about where I could have been in my career if I had never left and was able to stick it out. However, I knew in my heart this path was not paved for me by accident and there was a greater purpose to it all. It wasn’t my job to spend my time and energy questioning it all, but rather to simply keep walking.

Right before my 35th birthday, almost 3 years after I left my career, I was sitting on a beach in Bradenton, Florida journaling about what was next for me. At this point, I had spent nerely 5 years searching for answers to my mysterious health issues and getting more and more defeated as the days slowly passed by. In my heart, I knew the only answer to pulling myself out of all of this was finding purpose again. I didn’t know what it would be, but I knew I was ready to figure it out.

I started writing down ideas that sparked interest, and one was “meaningful jewelry.” Little did I know, THIS would become my purpose and change the trajectory of my life in the years to come. I had never started my own business, but I thought I knew enough from my professional experience to give it a shot. It felt a little like a Hail Mary. I didn’t know if it would be an epic success or an epic failure, but I’d never know for sure unless I threw the ball with confidence and blind faith.

Two months later, right after I turned 35, I launched Luna & Jade. I remember sitting there getting ready to publish my first post and was physically shaking. I was terrified of failing, but I pressed post and from that moment on I never looked back. In 5 short years, I’ve designed 3 websites, have had countless photoshoots, and rebranded 3 times. When you’re constantly evolving and changing in life, you naturally evolve and my brand had to change with me.

I didn’t write down many goals when I started because I didn’t have any expectations, but I did have one big goal that helped keep my focused. I wanted to hit my annual salary I made in my corporate legal career the day I left (which was exponentially higher than the day I started). If I could do that, I would have “made it”. In November of 2023, I made that in on month. ONE MONTH. Needless to say, each year since year 2, I’ve hit my “made it” goal and even though money isn’t everything, it was a reminder that my goals and dreams are always attainable, and I quite literally can do anything as long as I believe in myself.

If you’re in a season of self-doubt or change right now, I am proof that even though your dreams may take time, they ARE HAPPENING. Progress is being made every single day with every choice you make. You only need three things in this life to succeed: time + patience + belief. Give yourself time. Nothing worth having will come as fast as you’d like. Have patience to wait it out because how far will giving up get you? Believe in yourself. You are your biggest cheerleader or your biggest critic. Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’ll be right.

Keep dreamin’ dreamers. 🖤

If this blog helped, make sure to follow @xomandyscott for more small business tips, advice, and encouragement along your journey.