Twenty third in the 1K a Day Motivational Series, in which I talk about something that happened in the previous week that could have or did prevent me from writing a minimum of 1,000 words on a given day, or possibly talk about something that provided support to get me through the day.

So last week would have been the more appropriate time to drop this news, but I asked for a demotion at my day job, in other words stepping down from management.

There are many crazy things in the world, but probably one of the craziest is to go asking for a different job that pays less and has a less prestigious title attached to it. But if there’s one thing this year has taught me, it’s that I have priorities, and management was not one of them.

The company I work for has been really great to me, affording me many opportunities for advancement, for travel, granting me a lot of freedom. With that freedom came an equal amount of added responsibility. With that extra pay came a bunch of stuff I just don’t like. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try it out.

That didn’t mean I would just say “no”. It did mean I was hesitant, and then when I started to focus more on my writing as a career path instead of just something to do in my spare time, it became stressful. It became a little too much to handle while still doing the writer stuff.

And that affects the job. I took action so that I could refocus my mental energies elsewhere.

Transitioning into a new job is not without its stresses. In fact, this past week, while free of some of the stresses, there’s still a lot going on at work. I’m trying to get everything settled so that I can step down completely, but I think it’ll be a month or more before I’m free of those managerial responsibilities. I’m not looking down on the job. There are many things I did enjoy about the job. But when it’s not the right fit for you, it’s your responsibility to make it the right fit or find the right fit elsewhere.

I have the good fortune to be able to make a change like this, taking a step backwards in one career in order to try and move forward on a different path. I have understanding bosses and coworkers who might be frustrated at my decision, at the additional burden I’ve placed on them.

It was a selfish decision that I did not make lightly.

It was a declaration that I wanted something different and I had the motivation to go after it.

You have to work for the things you want. You have to compromise your time, your comfort, your entertainment.

It’s hard. But it’s also necessary.

What do I want to do? I want to write the hell on. What do you want to do?