I was trying to find my life purpose. So, I quit my job.

I’ve made plenty of professional choices that people might call mistakes. I got married just as my broadcast journalism career was taking off. Nearly 10 years later, I gave up my dream job as a morning news anchor to find work with flexibility so I could be more involved in raising my young, boy/girl twins.

In making those decisions, I wasn’t listening to my ego or rational brain. I was listening to my heart.

Then, 15 years later, I quit a job that might have taken me to a bigger title and salary in the C-suite. This time I listened to my soul.

I’d reached a point where I wanted more in life than a job or paycheck could provide.  

I was 52 years old — an age when many people are at the peak of their professional earning potential and heavily saving for retirement. And yet, I decided to walk.

Here’s the thing — I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done something for myself. With my kids out of the house, I was finally able to focus solely on me. And there was this nagging feeling from deep within that told me my time had come. If not now, when?

For years I’d felt compelled to write a book. I always believed it was a higher calling, a life purpose kind of thing. But I didn’t know what I wanted to write about, let alone have the time to do it. Then, at some point during my motherhood journey, it hit me. I wanted, no, I needed, to share my experiences as a working mom. Because as much as I love my children and treasure my memories from raising them, being a working mom challenged me in ways I didn’t expect. And I was fairly sure that I wasn’t alone.

I never would have believed that while caring for so many people, I could feel so good, but also so alone, lost and confused about who I was and who I was supposed to beI always envisioned myself as a career woman. But trying to balance work with motherhood made it nearly impossible to reach the professional heights I once craved and knew I was capable of.

Unlike my husband (at the time) who was able to focus on his career with few if any distractions from home, there were parameters to the time I could devote to my work, my success or outlets that made me feel more complete.

My purpose revolved around other people — partly because I wanted it to, and partly because I thought it should.

Here’s the problem: as grateful as I have always felt for the privilege of motherhood, I also wanted more — for me.

That’s why leaving the traditional workplace for a year to write my memoir was so meaningful. I took a huge risk. I have no idea what if anything will come of this book. But there’s something exciting about breaking out of my comfort zone and listening to my deepest desires that I ignored for a long time.

The day I finished a nearly complete draft of my manuscript, it felt like I’d birthed a new Katie. The joy was visceral. I felt it in every cell of my body. I wanted to dance, cry and shout from the rooftops, ‘Look what I did!’ This was a dream, and I accomplished it, for me.

As I launch “Katie 4.0” with my upcoming book, I hope to spark a dialogue about how hard it is to lose yourself in parenthood. Our families are absolutely worth the sacrifices we make, and yet, we also must commit to our own well-being. Happier people make happier parents.

Quitting my job was drastic, but necessary for me to write my book. It took sacrifice (selling my house) and patience (waiting until my kids left for college). You may not need to quit your job to pursue your life dream, but I would ask — what’s your heart, soul or gut pressing you to do to feel more whole? How will you feel if you keep ignoring it? And on the flip side, how will you feel if you listen and go for it?

Maybe, like me, the time for you is now.