Okay, I admit it. I am a inspirational/craft blog addict. The good news is that there are benefits of spending endless hours on StumbleUpon searching for the latest art inspiration that will spark my next post or beautiful home creation. Some how I always land on a pile of gold, finding a post or ten that I can share on my personal blog or with all of you lovelies here at Owning Pink. Enjoy this fabulous tale of the Pleaps of all Pleaps from Jen Curran. -- Megan Monique

Next month, it will have been a year since I quit my desk job as an assistant at an entertainment law firm. I didn’t hate the job. In fact, certain aspects of it were pretty great. I was allowed to wear what I wanted, I didn’t have to be in the office until 10am, I got to chat with celebrities, I received a sizable bonus at the end of every year. The perks were undeniable and my position itself was pretty easy.

But I was still totally miserable.

I felt like a fraud

Despite whatever (the hell) I told my boss when I first interviewed for the job, I didn’t want to be an entertainment lawyer. And I didn't want to work for one. I didn't love answering phones, helping clients, having "great customer service skills," or being "detail oriented." Boo! Hiss!

Beyond that, I didn't want to clock in and out of someone else’s company every day, or be beholden to their schedule, their vacation time, their lunch break rules. I wasn’t even allowed to get up to pee without asking someone to “cover my phones.” All I wanted to do was light the whole place on fire and steal some fancy pens on my way out the door.

Basically, I felt like a huge phony. I didn't fit in. I rushed out of the office every night to get to a rehearsal or a show and occasionally called in sick to go on auditions or make comedy videos with my friends. I spent much of my free time at the job writing my blog or working on other creative pursuits. And it didn’t seem like any of the other assistants were living this kind of double life. They got excited when we got a new Xerox machine and checked their work email on Sundays, while I cringed at the idea of spending another six months in that office. I didn't want to judge any of my colleagues, but it seemed like they'd settled. And I was becoming one of them. I wanted to poke my eyes out.

Can I really follow my bliss?

Being true to yourself, to what you love and to who you are can be terrifying. What if people judge you? What if who you are isn’t interesting enough? What if you don’t like what you find? Quitting my job to follow my bliss and pursue what makes me passionate found me asking all those questions. But the alternative - walking around feeling like a fraud all the time - was worse.

When I realized that being authentically who I am was more important to me than a predictable salary and the option to have expensive health insurance, possibilities and opportunities began to pop up all over the place. I knew I had to explore them.

It was scary to tell the office manager, a woman who'd worked at the company for ten years, that I wasn't cut out for the job, that I couldn't see myself sticking it out for even half the time she had. I felt guilty and awkward and even ashamed to confess to her that I didn’t like my job. But I was surprised when she told me if she didn't have a little girl at home, she might consider making a change too. It was scary to tell my grandparents that I was leaving a good job during an awful economy to pursue a more creative career. But they've been very supportive too. Most of all, it was scary to admit to myself that this was a risk I had to take. If I didn't seek out a more authentic career for myself, I knew I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

Now, a year later, I'm doing work that I absolutely love. I don't have it all figured out yet and it's never easy – I’m still learning how to make ends meet while juggling a hectic schedule. And sometimes I miss the stability of my boring old desk job. But I feel better. I feel comfortable, content, and more confident in my own skin. I’m not perfect and my path is still a bumpy one, but now I know I’m doing everything I can to make my life authentically fulfilling for me.

Otherwise what’s the point?

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What about you, Pinkies? What obstacles (and fears) are keeping you from following your bliss? What do you need to take the Pleap (a pink leap of faith)? Have you made a positive career change in the last few years, even with a tanked economy? Perhaps because of that tanked economy? Or are you trying to figure out ways to make your current career work for YOU? Stuck? Inspired? Exhausted? Energized? Share your story!

Jen Curran is a writer, comedienne, and baker living in Brooklyn, NY. Jen recently quit her "boring desk job" at a law firm to pursue what makes her happiest, and she chronicles the inspiring, messy, colorful journey on her popular blog "follow my bliss." Besides spending her time as a freelance writer, Jen also owns the boutique wholesale bakery, Fanny & Jane, she's a member of the award-winning sketch comedy group, Harvard Sailing Team, and she performs improv comedy at The PIT in NYC. She draws inspiration from her two zen cats, her talented, supportive boyfriend, her big, boisterous family, and from a sincere belief that anything we put our minds to becomes instantly possible.