Here we go. #reverb10 kick off time.

December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

“Slide.”

Yes, I fit the somewhat contrived demographic of the 25 – 34 year old who has an affinity for subconsciously relating most facets of every day life to Fight Club.  And yes, I am referring to the scene in which Jack, the by the book, clock punching, societal norm abiding protagonist enters his cave and communes with his “power animal.”  This tightly wound character is being told to loosen up and let go… to release himself from mundane conformity. In one word. From a penguin. Anarchistic overtones of the third act aside,  it’s a story that resonates.

At the start of this year I found myself supremely blessed to be in a position where I was brimming with joy about most every aspect of my life, but one.  I was oh so, oh so terribly, incredibly, awfully, no good, very bad days in loathe with my job.

I knew something about this wasn’t right. I’d known for a few years, but I didn’t know what to do about it.  Because I didn’t even dare think there was something that I could/should do about it.

I was to just “suck it up”, “keep my head down”, “shut up and be thankful that I even have a job in this economy“, punch in, check out mentally, punch out, commiserate with co-workers, collect a paycheck so I can continue to pay bills and buy things I don’t need, accept that I was spending a huge portion of my waking hours contributing to pursuits that left me feeling empty and completely drained, “living for the weekends”, rinse, and repeat.

It’s a common, readily accepted, and easily identifiable tale. But why?

Always having been the patience testing asker of “Why?”… something just felt really shady about this entire circuit of being. I had a strong hunch that there had to be another way.  Hell, at this stage in the game I KNEW there had to be another way. (I touched upon this during a post for last years #best09)

The seeds were planted, I had the burning passion and desire… I just didn’t know how to apply it to my specific situation. I wasn’t quite sure how to make my escape from this particular den of unhappiness.

If any of you are calling bullshit on me and believe I was just self sabotaging and making excuses to abstain from breaking from the comfortably mundane… CLICK HERE.

I spent the last few months of last year, and the first half of this year, filling my head with case studies. Seeking examples and by proxy tutelage from those who’d thrown convention to the wind and opted to live on their own terms.  ”Lifestyle design” was a topic that lit me up like a Christmas tree and I could talk at length about with most anyone, even brain storm and muse on areas of opportunity for others to enrich their own lives, but it was something I’d yet to truly enact for my own self.

My brain was so full of examples as to what worked well for others I rendered myself impotent looking for similar windows of opportunity, not yet accepting the reality that my opportunity would most likely be completely different.

Oddly enough… a significant catalyst that enabled me to get out from the quagmire of my own head occurred when hearing the breaking news of a disgruntled Jet Blue flight attendant by the name of Steven Slater. The guy who after being chewed out by a passenger on the flight, calmly approached the intercom system, told aforementioned passenger off, gave a kiss off to the remaining passengers, grabbed 2 beers from the galley, popped the side hatch and rode the inflatable emergency slide out into the unknown.

While perhaps a simple, and crude way of altering the parameters of one’s situation it was effective.

I too needed to be a man of action.

About a month later I gave my resignation from the coveted “stable job” I’d held for nearly 5 years, to not only unpause my dreams of becoming a professional actor and voice actor, but also to work night and day for a guy who I’m just not so sure about sometimes… Myself.

Was I scared? Hell yes. Do I still have the occasional internal freakout due to periods in time of not knowing where the next paying project or gig is going to come from while I train, train, train, and build a book of business? Oh.Good.God.YES.

But I can’t recall a time which I’ve ever felt more alive, more free, and not just living for the weekends, but  living in profound excitement for each and every day.

Oh… and the word I’d like to capture 2011?  Awesome… er.