I'm a week out from leaving a perfect, full-time, dreamy remote work position. I've been with the company for a little under two years as a customer support specialist and it's entirely possible that I would've stayed in that position for the next ten years if they let me.

But the thing is - it's time to move on. Sure, it took a bit of a push in the sense that I had to decide between leaving my expat life in France and moving back to the US or to say goodbye to my beloved job.

So I said goodbye, and I'm viewing it as a good thing.

Actually, it's a great thing. I love the company and the people there, but now I've been given the ol' nudge that means it's really time to get to the heart of what I truly want to be doing.

And right now, that's becoming a software engineer.

They say the perfect time to leave something behind is when you're both really sad about what you're leaving and really happy about what's to come.

I've reached that point.

I'll admit - I had moments over the past few months where motivation was at an all-time low and I was dragging myself around in self-pity.

But the moment I decided to actually STOP and view this entire period in my life as an opportunity was when I started climbing up and out of that pit of despair.

When my friends and family members ask me how the job hunt is going, it feels almost blasphemous to let them know that I'm actually not doing any hunting at the moment.

Instead of desperately grasping for just any and every job posting I see, I'm choosing to take my time, commit to building my coding skills and portfolio projects, and trust that I'll be met with the perfect opportunity when the time comes.

To me, there's so much power in going about it intentionally rather than reactively.

Intentional is setting aside a few hours each morning to work on a coding project and to eventually have a record of all of the skills I've worked hard to build.

Reactive is applying to any and every odd job and not allowing myself to level up to the sort of career I truly want for myself.

In terms of leveling up, I started to imagine myself with one foot in a docked boat and the other foot on the pier. Staying put would mean applying for jobs that are familiar, comfortable, and safe.

I'm choosing to set sail. I don't know what's located just beyond the horizon, but you'd better believe I'm hungry to find out.