So I’ve done something either very foolish or very smart.  I’ve mentioned many times that I’ve been searching for a new job for most of the last year.  My hours were cut to 30/week in February and the job has no benefits.  Not only was it no longer financially feasible to stay, but in many ways I had grown out of the job.

So just before Thanksgiving, I gave my notice.  My job ends as of March 1, 2012.

And I don’t have another job lined up. See? Either very foolish or very smart.

I’m an ISTJ.  We are not known for relying on our intuition, preferring facts and logic above all else.  And fact would tell me that even a low-paying job with no benefits is better than no job at all. But something about leaving now just felt right.  It was difficult for me to believe in that feeling, but I finally took the leap.

I know what I want to do: provide consultation to small and mid-sized museums on their online strategies — web sites, social media, e-newsletters, etc. (Know one? Send them to my  business web site!)  It’s risky, to be sure.  I don’t have any clients at the moment.  And small museums are usually short on money and may not be able to pay me for what I can do.  But I have great contacts, a good reputation and a lot of skill; and what I don’t know I learn quickly.

In the past, I would have kept this dream of mine secret, too afraid to say it loud and definitely too afraid to share it with anyone; too afraid of being judged not capable of running my own business or for choosing an industry that isn’t exactly overflowing with money.

Right now, I’m telling everyone I know what I want to do (hello, Internet!).  And every time I tell someone, I feel just a bit stronger, just a bit more confident.  I’m throwing my dream out into the universe to see what comes back.

Who knows what will happen?  It’s easy to think it will end poorly.  And it takes a bit of work to think it will end well.  I’m choosing the latter.