Is it crazy to quit a six-figure career with job stability and benefits to become a full-time blogger? If you clicked on this article, it’s likely because you’ve been thinking about making the same crazy leap but have not been able to convince yourself or maybe your family that it’s the right thing to do. This is the story of how I knew quitting my job to blog full-time was the right decision for me.

How I Chose My Career

When I graduated high school in 2007, it was conveyed that we only had one option if we wanted to be successful. Go to college. You were asked about your strengths and weaknesses, and your passions. I enjoyed a good debate and was good at making arguments. I also loved to write. There’s no sure career path as a writer, they implied; but sounds like you’d make a great attorney. So off I went to college, with a romanticized idea of what life would be like if I became a lawyer.

In my senior year of college, I began attending law school symposiums where I discovered the reality of being an attorney and decided that being a lawyer was not for me. So with my degree in Criminal Justice in hand, I landed a job as an investigator. I had a blast for the first few years, and it appeared to be the perfect job for me. There was a flexible start time, and no issues when it came to using my vacation time (one of the major issues I had heard from others about their jobs). There was room for growth and I quickly worked my way up to manager, making six figures.

Starting to Question My Career Choice

There was a time in my career when I might have told you that I could picture retiring at my agency. Overall, I enjoyed the job, liked the people, and felt I had more flexibility than I might have if I were somewhere else. However, every couple of years I would burn out. About a year before the pandemic, I began to feel burnt out and realized that I could not do this for another 35 years. But where else would I go? What else could I do to make a living that would not result in the same outcome?

I was smart enough to know that leaving my agency to go to another was not the right solution for me. With no other ideas in mind, there was only one thing I could think of to do. I would go to law school and pursue another position at the agency. This was a sure thing. I knew I’d be successful.

How the Pandemic Changed Everything

2020 will forever be known as the year that changed everyone’s life one way or another. When the world shut down, so did my office and like the rest of the world, we transitioned to remote work. My children were 18 months and 6 years old at the time. If you had asked me before the pandemic if I would ever be a stay-at-home mom, my answer would have been absolutely not. I love my children but didn’t think I could handle being at home with them all day.

Before the pandemic, my schedule consisted of waking up early before my kids, going to work, and getting home just in time to put them to bed. On the days when I was fortunate to be around late enough in the morning to see them wake up, there was too much chaos getting ready for the day to enjoy their company. Our weekends consisted mostly of errands and housework and when those were done, I was too tired to do much with them, needing time to rest before the week started all over again. This was my life for six years.

But a funny thing happened during this work-from-home period. I began catching up on sleep and in return, I had more patience and energy. I felt less stressed. There was time for breakfast. Time for bedtime stories. Time to go to the park. Time for housework and errands during the week and subsequently, time to relax and have fun on weekends. I felt like a better mother.

I found that I enjoyed being home with my kids. It wasn’t the stress of motherhood that was the problem. It was the stress of the daily grind that was the problem. As I began to realize this, the dreaded email came. It was time to prepare to go back into the office.

Recognizing the Need for Passive Income

The 9-5 work-life balance I described above, which left me little time to enjoy my kids and my life, is sadly the type of life most Americans live. It’s not ideal but we do it anyway because what other choice do we have? But do we really have to choose between providing for our kids and spending time with them? What if we could do both?

Thanks to modern technology, we can. When I graduated high school, declaring you were going to be a writer was treated as nothing more than a dream. Only 1% make it as a writer, you’d be told. Choose something else. Today, with the abundance of free information and tools available online, and on social media, if you have the drive, the passion, and the time, you can make money doing almost anything.

Don’t believe me? Watch YouTube, browse a few social media apps, go online, and you’ll find thousands of people making money doing a thousand different things. People who are no smarter than you and I have been successful living this lifestyle. I began to think that the only thing that makes them different from me is that they dared to start. If they could do it, so could I.

What is Passive Income?

Passive income is income that is earned without a person actively working. This type of income is earned from work that a person put in initially, but continues to earn them money even while the person is asleep or engaged in other activities.

Creating passive income takes a lot of work in the beginning, but eventually will continue to create an income stream with little to no effort. Blogging is an example of passive income because once you create your blog and monetize it, your blog will continue to earn money as long as it is an active website.

How I Chose My Niche

I had tried ways to create passive income in the past and each time I was unsuccessful. I failed because I quit. I quit because I had no drive. I had no drive because I had no passion. I knew to succeed I had to pick something that I was passionate about. Something I would continue even if I did not see results because it was something I truly loved.

What is a Niche?

A niche is a very specific topic under a broader topic. It’s a topic you intend to focus on and determines who your audience will be.

Why I Chose Family Travel as my Niche

Wanting to be successful in creating passive income this time, I had to ask myself what was something I could continue to do and never get tired of? Something that I was already doing?

Travel. My family loves to travel. The weeks we were on vacation were some of the happiest weeks in our lives. We loved to explore and experience new cities and countries. We could go from place to place, be complete nomads, and that would be okay with us.

I started thinking about how people were being paid to travel. I could vlog my travels and become a Youtuber but I hated being on camera and didn’t like the idea of constantly having a camera out and not being able to live in the moment. Then it hit me. I had one other true passion.

I love to write. I tried writing novels a few times but it turns out I have no imagination. But if I could travel and then write about my travels in a way that would help others and inspire others to travel, that could work. And so it began. I created a family travel blog.

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Knowing You’ve Made the Right Decision

Eventually, I’ll share the story of how I prepared to make this leap. After all, after you’ve made the decision to quit your job and focus on passive income, preparation is the most important step. But this is the story of how I knew it was the right decision.

The pandemic reminded me of just how short life is and how in an instant, everything can change. I decided that I refuse to spend the rest of my life doing something that doesn’t make me happy. I refuse to live a life where I wake up most mornings dreading the day and having to drag myself out of bed.

I wanted to live, and not just be alive. For that, I needed to be free. When I announced to my followers on Twitter that I was making this leap, one of my followers said, “You’re about to experience a level of freedom most people will never understand.” Unfortunately for many, this is true. I refuse to be one of those people. I refuse to wait until I’m in my 60s, after stress has already taken a toll on my body, to begin to live. I choose to live now. I choose to be my own boss.

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Taking the First Step to Become a Blogger

You don’t have to quit your job to begin your journey to freedom. If becoming a blogger is something you’re interested in, you can start right now. Figure out what you’re passionate about and what you’re good at. Figure out how you can make money doing it. What do you have to offer others? Once you know what this is and you’ve chosen your niche, you are ready to create your website.

The best part is that there’s not much of a risk to getting started. You can start your own website for less than $3 a month. This was my story of how my journey to freedom began. NameCheap can help you begin yours.