Hey Everyone! I am coming out of a short, self imposed exile to share some news! I finally reached the end of my fuse. The straw that broke the camels back. The end of my rope! I decided to stop playing by the rules that have been hammered into us since we were all young and impressionable little babes.
Neil Stickel -Unpluged!
Go to school as a child and learn the proper way to behave. Go to high school so you can figure out “what you want to be when you grow up” – with only a scant few years to decide how you want to spend the rest of your life. Go to college or you will never make it in life.
Things started off well, but took a turn in College. Life got in the way, so I took some time off and promised myself I would go back one day… that was a long time ago, and I have since gotten past the feelings of inadequacy. A huge Truth had been busted wide open. I could get a job, and a good job, without a college degree.
Fast forward almost 20 years. Ill elaborate on the middle part another time. I am living in Wisconsin with an amazing partner. I have a great job, bought a house. We have the best cat ever. Its pretty nice.
I’m miserable. The core of the misery – my job. Granted – NM is the best company I’ve ever worked for – but I still work for them. Not with them, for them. Great pay, amazing benefits (where else do you get a free – really great hot lunch every day?), generally awesome coworkers.
Over the long haul of working for several major companies over the years, my soul has been ground down to something I just don’t like. Something I don’t recognize. Almost lifeless, but just enough energy to keep working. This script I was given just was not working out for me.
Over the last few years, a plan had formed. There was a general time frame, but no real action date for the big changes. I started Neil Stickel Photography mid 2019 as a way to try to monetize my hobby – what I really enjoyed working on. Not the best timing with almost all Art Shows closing in 2020 due to COVID.
Fast forward to April 2021. My soul has taken a beating – as has my body. In my opinion, the most damaging element to your health is stress, and I had overdosed! What good is top tier Health Insurance if you had to continue to destroy your body to pay for it?
With planning and the support of my partner and a few friends, I have made the decision to leave the corporate workforce and pursue life on my terms. I will put my energy into work and causes that I believe in. I will work for myself when I can, and for others when I truly believe in the mission.
Last week I put my 3 weeks notice in (my choice on the length) at Northwestern Mutual with my last day being May 5th. I am going to take some time off of everything. Rest, get my head and soul, back together. Hike, Rock climb and of course, take photos of the beauty all around us.
I thank everyone for your support. It’s been very humbling. I hope you will continue to follow and support my journey through this wacky thing we call life.
