The pandemic has been a time of growth and self-reflection. The time off work in the early days of Lockdown showed how much joy comes from independence and not being tied to a schedule. This is a prime reason why so many people chose to reorganize their whole lives amidst the pandemic. Now more than ever, people are choosing to be fearless, to quit that job they never liked, and do what feels right in their hearts.

Quitting your job is no easy decision. Jobs, despite being pressuring and demanding, offer security and stability. The world teaches us to prioritize structure and stability to the point that shifting away from this mentality starts feeling like a crime. The pandemic gave us all the courage to question these beliefs and do what feels right instead of what we are taught is right.

This fearlessness to re-evaluate priorities and take action accordingly is an important part of our mission at Age Brilliantly. That is why today we’d like to share with you the story of some inspiring individuals who took control of their lives during the pandemic, as told in a new Wall Street Journal article.

The first story we’d like to share is of the amazing Kimberly Friddle. 50-year-old Kimberly Friddle was the head of the Marketing team of a regional mortgage company in Dallas. In September of 2020, she quit her job so that she could stay home and help her children adjust to doing school from home during the pandemic.

Ms. Friddle planned on being a stay-at-home mother while her husband, the executive of a pharmaceutical company supported their family financially. However, one day Ms. Friddle received a call from her friend, who lives in Canada. Her friend who sold décor items on Amazon said that border restriction due to the pandemic was making it difficult to process returns. So he needed someone who could examine returned products for damage, and send them to Amazon.

Ms. Friddle decided to take on the job herself with the help of her eldest daughter Samantha. Together they grew their services by offering to check items for other Amazon vendors as well. Currently, Ms. Friddle runs an Amazon logistics and warehousing business. She is self-employed and has full control over how she operates. Through the business, she was even able to generate an income equal to how much she got from her job.

Like Ms. Friddle, 50-year-old Marcus Grimm also found happiness from self-employment during the pandemic. Father of two, Mr. Grimm got laid off from work during the pandemic. Though panicked at first, he eventually took this as an opportunity to attempt something he was always interested in but never dared to try; freelancing.

With a heavy heart but hopeful mind, Mr. Grimm opened his first Upwork account in 2020. He soon got offers from several companies to run ad campaigns. With a rate of $ 150 an hour, Mr. Grimm now earns far more than he ever did at his old job.

31-year-old Matt Parish is another individual who is much happier after quitting his job. Mr. Parish, an engineer, quit his job during the pandemic due to bureaucracy and lack of control on projects. Though Mr. Parish enjoyed his work, he started feeling pigeonholed. Since quitting, he has become a project consultant who works from home. He is much happier with more control over the projects he works on, and more time to spend with his beautiful newborn daughter.

The stories of these inspiring individuals show us that following your heart can be very rewarding. If you know any individuals with amazing stories to tell, let us know by participating in our online forum. For more stories such as this, register to become another precious member of our online community.