I awoke to a very telling dream this morning.

One that was both startling and revealing of my truest inner thoughts.

It made me want to focus on my work again and got me thinking deeply about life.

Before I get into it, I do have to say that taking a year off has been totally necessary for me.

But If I’m honest, I’m not financially independent yet

Mind Frame

On the personal side, I’m back to my old self again. Maybe I’m a tad immature now (haha), but I’ve managed to avoid all the things in life that force people to grow up anyways.

I’ve mentioned before on this blog, but I’ve got no kids, no mortgage, no car payment, no insurance, and I’m not even in the same galaxy as most when it comes to my thoughts on marriage.

All this was intentional though. I haven’t wanted to grow up yet.

On the other hand, I also realize that I could easily adapt and get practical if need be.

I could adjust the same way I’ve had to in other aspects of life.

This has all led me to this post I’m writing today

All of the hardships I’ve faced have led to a more improved sense of who I am.

It’s made me fall back to the things I like.

Though I do like being frugal and growing my dividend income, I care about the quality of day-to-day life too.

My new strategy is to find the right combination of both.

But I gotta be honest with you, buds, I’m starting to really care about MONEY again.

And it’s my interests as well as the lifestyle I want that is the driving force behind it.

Here are 5 reasons I’m ready to go back:

[bctt tweet=”Why I’m Ready To Go Back To Work After Taking A Year Off” username=”reversethecrush”]

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Pressure to Work After Taking A Year Off

You know what? I’m not an emotionless cyborg.

I do feel the pressure and condescension from others coming my way.

All in all, I really don’t care because I have my own clear vision of what I want.

However, I’ve always been attracted to success.

I want to hang around people that have achieved more than me.

It sucks in a way, but we live in a money focussed and status orientated society.

And realistically, people with similar achievements in life mesh much better than those in lopsided relationships. It’s just easier to relate.

Furthermore, I’m not really that basic of a guy. I’ve always wanted to be successful and financially independent.

There are still many things that require money in my life.

Things like trips and being able to elude the bitter cold Canadian winters.

Admittedly, the pressure of success is beginning to eat at me.

I’m Not A Full-Time Blogger Yet

Obviously I’d love to stay home and blog full-time, but I haven’t figured it out yet.

I’ve learned a lot about blogging over the last 10 months, however, I’ve still got a long way to go.

Every bloggers journey is different. Some are successful in under a year and others take 2-to-5 years.

Going forward I know what I need to do.

I need to step up my Pinterest game since it seems to be the ultimate traffic generator for bloggers.

Further, and although this is a personal blog, I need to offer more value.

Please note: I am still very determined to become a full-time blogger and Dividend Investor. That’s the ultimate title I long for.

Now though, it will become a side hustle the same way it is for most bloggers.

Dividend Income

I’ve stated countless times on this blog that I’m extremely progressive in nature.

It’s been hard to just neglect my dividend portfolio.

For nearly 5 years I was adding to it religiously every single payday.

But now, I haven’t added to it in a year.

I’ve even depleted some of it to be honest.

However, the good news is that I’m still on pace to grow my dividend income over 2015. But 2016 will take a dive and I’ll be starting over – after taking the entire last year off…

People

One of the strangest outcomes resulting from my year off is that I like being around people again.

It may not seem like it from my online presence, but I’m a very quiet guy.

If you met me in person I probably wouldn’t say a word.

But that seems to be changing too.

For some reason, I like people again.

I’ve realized that I met a lot of cool people while working in the finance industry. I’ve met some of the best people of my life while working at jobs earlier in my career.

Frankly, it’s one of the best ways to get to know people. Especially for introverts.

Because you’re forced to be around a select group and work together for a specified amount of hours per week.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss it a little bit.

The online community is great, but I can’t really hang out with y’all.

Most of the readers are coming from the U.S. and I’m no travel blogger, so that’s out of the question.

Hopefully one day I can sit down with a few of you for a beer. Wouldn’t that be great?

Moreover, I’ve kept a close circle most of my life, but after this year long excursion, my lust for engagement is seemingly at an all time high.

Question: What’s the driving force, besides shelter and food, why you go to work? What makes you tick? Do you think time-off work could make you more grateful?

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