Everyone needs to be inspired every once in a while. Help your fellow ladder-climbers with stories--the good, the bad, and the ugly--highlighting your journey from office-dweller to creative tour de force.

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Noelle Boughanmi shares her experiences with doing what she loves: Editing: A Passion for the Written Word

Charmvoodoo says:

My situation was somewhat extreme and I have been very lucky for my past experiences leading up to being my own boss. I was working hard in the corporate world and had been saving a lot of money. I finally had all the cash needed to take a long trip to S.E. Asia (to find myself). I spent 5 months there and found string voodoo dolls. They were without personalities but they had so much selling potential. We chose 120 different dolls and I got to create all their personalities and names. I got to create the logo and all the marketing information. The products are a lot of fun to be selling and as I had originally thought, people are going crazy for them. I feel like I'm a part of creating a new trend in North America. It has been the easiest thing I've had to sell (because they're unique, cool and above all handmade)

I am so happy that I don't work in a corporate office anymore. I go to the beach in the middle of the day and I get out of bed when I want. I work a lot harder than I ever have in my life but it is my own choice and that is priceless.