I watched the story a Facebook friend posted earlier and she said "be the author not the subject" and as an aspiring writer, clearly, I was moved by this analogy.
Recently I changed jobs. I was sitting comfortably in what was, in the beginning, my dream job. I sat there for 8 years, I made relationships, I ignited change in the organization, I provided comfort and humor to colleagues and partners, I built on my reputation in the industry of which I have been a part of for the majority of my career.
Then, one day I looked up and I noticed that my comfort wasn't comfort, it was contentment. It was exactly what I needed during the darkest days of my life, but, when I was ready to look beyond the darkened tunnel for a light, I was the only one to flip the switch.
It was left to me to make a difference for myself. It was my story to write, and I was waiting for someone else to start the next chapter. Then I realized, that's not uniquely me, I don't wait for someone else to flip the switch. Hell, I ignite the breaker box of my life when I feel I'm ready.
You know that part in Christmas Vacation where Clark is on the verge of flipping his shit while trying to get the lights to turn on that he spent all day putting on his house? Well technically, he did flip his shit, but while he was doing it, he had his partner remember the trick. She flipped the switch inside. He did all the work, but forgot the one thing that makes everything actually turn on.
I had too. I had done all the work, but the one thing that makes change actually happen, the switch in the laundry room...that was inside me, I had to turn it on.
This is a long double analogy, but consider it your sign. Flip your switch, don't make yourself the subject or the victim, write your story, turn the page, start the new chapter. See what lies ahead, then kick the head off a plastic yard deer and go!