Welcome to Erebus Growing, a weekly email where I share little snippets of life to help you change and grow into your highest life.

I have a lot of wheels in motion right now around the search for a new 9-5.

I have two second-round interviews in the next two weeks and two (maybe three) first-round interviews. Things are moving forward.

Alongside that, I have been focusing on intentionally packing things up because I don’t want to spend the weekend before I move (eventually) frantically throwing things into boxes and tubs as I did before.

I want to take time to sort through things to determine if I want them. If I don’t, then there is no point in me keeping them. Intentional culling of my possessions without just throwing them away. I’m going to be sorting and some will be thrown out but most will make their way to a reuse center.

👨🏻‍💻 Meditation

There is always balance in life.

I’ve been pursuing the goal of financial freedom for the past few years through different tactics.

A lot of them have failed—mainly because I gave up on them.

But I kept coming back to this idea of writing.

And so, I’ve stayed with it.

But I’ve also had to stay with a 9-5 job.

Here’s the reality. As an adult, I have financial responsibilities that I’m not ready to hand over to an unknown one-person business.

The good news?

I don’t have to.

A 9-5 job is not a bad thing.

It gives me a stable income while I’m trying to explore and build the right muscles to launch that one-person business.

And, in some cases, it leads to huge financial advantages.

For example, I had to take out federal student loans when I went to college (something I might look at differently if I had to do it again today), and I have about a year left of working with non-profits to qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

The PSLF program is a huge advantage for me and my as of yet established one-person business is definitely not a non-profit business.

But I also work at my 9-5 with an eye towards the end product: that I will not be working at a 9-5.

It is all about balance.

Just because you might have a 9-5 position right now that does not meet your non-9-5 life requirements does not mean you just quit.

Your 9-5 serves as a more stable platform to stand on while you expand into unstable areas.

It takes time to explore and test the waters.

You’re going to try and fail.

Why throw away a support network?

Sure, there’s always a risk of losing your 9-5, but that risk always exists.

At least you have, with a 9-5, a stable place to anchor to.

Use it to your advantage.

Build the life that you want so that you can step into it with relative ease as opposed to falling.

I’ll say it one more time, if for no one other than myself—

A 9-5 job is not a bad thing.

📚 Inspiration and Resources
Every week we all consume content and I share my favorites here.

Learning.
I’m touting Duolingo again as I come up on my 200th day using it. For 200 days, I have logged at least one lesson a day learning Spanish through Duolingo. And I’ve been enjoying it a ton! It’s become a core part of my day and I’m looking forward to my 365th day. Give it a try here.

📓 Journaling Prompt
Journaling is one of the most important things to do when exploring our own lives. A new prompt for you to use this week is below.

What work are you doing to build and improve your life in the way you want to?

Until next time, I wish you enough and send you off with love and a sense of urgency in your life.