I quit.

Secure job. Meaningful work. More money than I’ve ever made. Yet with all those things I wasn’t satisfied. We live in a world where we think that if you have all those things you’d be crazy to give them up. Selfish even for wanting something different or more. However, I couldn’t kick the feeling that I wasn’t reaching my own personal potential, that I wasn’t living my passion, that I had more to offer that wouldn’t be able to be expressed with what I was doing and where I was at.

I NEEDED more.

It wasn’t a light bulb that went off or a near death experience but a continual nudge (call it God, intuition, the universe, whatever) that I couldn’t shake that finally led me to quit my job and begin the process of starting my own business.

“And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

The idea to have my own business isn’t something new. I remember reading entrepreneur magazines for kids as a child, I went to college to open my own boutique, and have always wanted the freedom and power that being your own boss entails. However, this idea has been pushed off to pursue other options and for lack of the ‘right’ time. Well the time is now. Things won’t be perfect but you only have a limited amount of time and why waste it being less than you were called for.

With all that being said, I couldn’t be more excited to formally announce my next chapter. I’ve started my own retail business, Pat Pierce, featuring vintage women’s fashion and home decor, with a portion of every sale going to charity.

I’ve always found such joy in inheriting hand-me-downs, digging through my grandparents’ basement, going to thrift stores, garage sales, and hunting for the perfect unique finds. It’s an honor to have a piece of someone’s history. Honor to carry on a part of their lives, their stories, their legacy for more generations to come. Charity work is also something close to my heart. I grew up seeing my parents give back in all aspects of their lives and have always been sensitive to the fact we had so much more than most of the world does. I can’t sit on that knowledge without doing something about it. We all can do something, in some way, and we all should.

I encourage you to switch from asking “Who am I to ask more of this life?”, to instead, asking “Who am I not to?”. Listen to that voice inside your head, ask for wisdom, and embrace your passions. The world needs people who are living the fullest expression of themselves with all that they’ve been blessed with.

I also encourage everyone to follow as we continue on the journey towards opening and unveiling everything that this next episode will involve. Thank you for the love and support I’ve receive thus far from the few people I’ve confided in and who have helped me begin this process.

Keep updated at patpiercecollection.com and @patpiercecollection on social media.