04/17/2021
A short story about myself,
(This is more about mental health, but please share for someone who needs to hear this)
I started my pursuit in a real estate career in 2016.
I made some astonishing accomplishments that were very fulfilling by helping my clients in my first year. However, being the ambitious first year agent that I was, I also made some rookie budgeting mistakes that I did not prepare well enough for to sustain myself in the industry for the slow times.
In late 2017, I fell into depression due to financial hardships, family problems, relationship & mental health issues in my personal life that I needed to take a break from real estate and deal with. I felt really disappointed in myself because of all the people who believed in me and wanted to see me do well. I felt like I had failed them.
In 2018, I went back to working a 9-5 job and a part time job at night time while also making changes to better manage my finances. I also spent a lot of time on self-growth, reading books, learning and excelling at my current job. Although, I still had not dealt with my mental health issues, I just continued to work and work to avoid my mental health issues (My coping method). Still, I would often tell myself that this was all temporary and that one day I would go back to doing what I love (Real Estate). As the days, weeks, months & years passed. I started to get comfortable and I was promoted to a salary position. Eventually, the thought of doing real estate again "some day" slowly started to fade, but I would constantly question myself whether or not that "some day" would come or if I've just given up.
I remember my best friend would constantly try to push the idea of me getting back into real estate, but I would just be filled with self-doubt and ignore the idea. A big part of my success today was having that good friend constantly pestering me & never give up on believing in me. For that I am so grateful to have that person in my life.
In 2021, I was finally starting to burn out physically & mentally through working nonstop. I could feel my body starting to fail on me. I needed to stop what I was doing. I realized enough was enough, I needed to deal with all the mental health problems I've been putting aside. I picked up the phone and finally called my doctor. I told her the truth of what I was going through and being completely honest with her. In the end, I was diagnosed with major depression & anxiety. I was told that I needed to take a break from everything and fix myself.
When I told my fellow management colleagues what was going on. They were, to my surprise, VERY supportive of me in seeking help and told me to take the time I needed to do it. The company allowed me to take a leave of absence to deal with my mental health issues and take the time to seek help & heal. I cannot express how thankful I am to have a company do that for me.
The journey to healing was not an easy one. I was dealing with a lot of past trauma. It took me nearly a month to even have the courage to make a phone call to book an appointment with a counsellor because the thought of talking to anyone made me very anxious. For people who deal with depression and anxiety. I'm sure they can relate to how difficult it is to be vulnerable and talk to someone you don't even know. It is extremely hard and it takes a lot of courage, but I can say from experience now, that it does help! So kudos to all the people who are able to do it and I strongly encourage it.
Finally, 2 months later, in the present. I feel like I am finally able to leave a majority of the baggage in my past behind & pick up where I left off when I put a pause on my dreams. Now, feeling refreshed and being able to finally push myself forward into the future. I can happily say, I will continue to pursue my dream.
However, I still love my day job because of the people there. So I will continue to be there for them, but even if I can help people in my dream job on the side, to me, that is my fulfillment in life.
I would've never been able to type this long of a message and express myself in this way before, but I feel like some people need to hear these types of stories to continue to have hope. Don't give up, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Mental Health is a real problem.
I hope this message reaches those who need it.
Don't Give Up!
