Surviving Your Quarter Life Crisis
Yes a quarter life crisis is a thing, like a FOR REAL thing.
I went through it and I know plenty of others that have gone through it or are going through it currently. This wonderful part of your life likes to hit you when you least expect it. Where all of a sudden you start asking yourself, “What am I doing?” And “Does this make me happy?” All questions in which you have no answers to, which in turn only adds to your crisis.
It’s a cycle, a lovely cycle.
I say “lovely” both sarcastically and truthfully because yes it sucks but man does it teach you some valuable lessons.
So She Slays got to sit down with Nicole Woods, an award winning digital marketer and owner of Viking Social Agency, as she recalled how she managed, survived her quarter life crisis and how it lead to her owning her own business.
WHEN DID YOUR QUARTER LIFE CRISIS HIT YOU?
I was working 7 days a week, 19 hours a day for my old job and wanted to find a balance in my work and life. However, during that time we couldn’t hire any help and I was trying to build a quality social department for them but at one point, after 7 days a week and 19 hours a day, I hit my brick wall and realized that I could no longer continue at this pace. I decided I had to leave in order to have any sort of life, but the fears of where do to go, what do I want to do next was a bit overwhelming. Since, I could afford to give myself time to find out exactly what I wanted to do and what the right path would be for me I gave a month’s notice to my job, and left. After leaving, I gave myself three months to figure out what I needed to be happy, and so my adventure began. The first week out I started having people ask me if I wanted to consult for them and I ended up taking on a few of those as clients. As people found out what I was doing they started coming to me for social marketing advice, and my agency started to grow. It was a little scary at first because I wanted to find out what would make happy again. I didn’t really know at the time because but I knew loved all aspects of marketing, it’s a passion of mine, but I was so burnt out on the work that I was doing that I asked myself, “do I still like it or is it something that I think I like?” During that short time that I didn’t have the pressure of working 19 hour days made me realize that I still do really love what I do, I just need to do it my way.
YOUR QUARTER LIFE CRISIS LED YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN BUSINESS. WHAT IS IT?
I run a social media digital marketing agency called, Viking Social Agency. We do social strategy, community management and creative for our clients. We really try to come up with how to maximize whatever you’re doing as your company or whatever product you have selling in the digital space, specifically around social media. We focus on the organic when it comes to the brand’s audience and that comes in the social space.
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 TIPS TO SURVIVING A QUARTER LIFE CRISIS?
Don’t be afraid to take a leap. I believe things happen for a reason and when I built this career and then walked away from it that was an extremely scary but thought-provoking time in my life. But I was looking at whether I needed to take a few steps back in order to get into new line of business or do I completely reinvent myself? If you are going through something like this take the time to ask yourself if you are really living your passion, are you doing what you want to do, and is there any way to change that if not.
Don’t sit and wait for things to come to you. I was out there looking and trying to find what might work for me. I have this belief that where there is not a clear path on where to start, consider letting life direct you. Consider letting things fall into place and having the faith that all that you have done to get to this point will work out in the long run.
Have people around you that are supportive. When I first walked away I had people around me ask, “Are you sure?” But at the same time, they would say, “let me know if you need anything.” And that really helped because being surrounded by negativity can make you feel like you’re not doing the right thing. To me if you know in your heart that you’re doing the right thing for you doesn’t mean it will make sense to others.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR OWN QUARTER LIFE CRISIS?
The best piece of advice I can give is to not let the fear turn you away from going after what you want. Everybody I’ve talked to said that, “yes it’s a struggle, yes it’s scary to walk away from secure money to do your own thing” but every single one of them has said it’s worth it, to me that is inspiring.