Photo by Evan Burgher - In honor of parkour class, here’s a photo of me exactly 4 years ago on my last day working at Oakley, after quitting my job to pursue a creative career in NYC. The decision to quit my job has been one of the most significant and rewarding decisions I have ever made. If you’re unhappy with your life, I hope you find the courage to break free and do what you love.

Here’s an excerpt from my farewell email that I wrote to my coworkers on March 26th, 2010 with teary eyes: “Everything, even the best things in life, must come to an end at some point. I’ve decided to pursue a creative career full time, at least for now. I’ve always been a creative person and it’s not a life that we choose for ourselves in the words of Barbara Streisand. It is a difficult path, but it is who I am and what makes me come alive. I can stay up all night on a work night working on a project or play music until the early hours of the morning and even wake up before the sun comes up to take pictures. So next Friday, I will hop on a plane bound for NY, South Africa, and Mozambique to embark on a new adventure, travel for 9 months, and film a documentary about the human experience. I will also have the opportunity to take a road trip across the states, which has been a long time dream of mine. Afterwards, I will move to NY which is something that I’ve always wanted to do at some point in my life. I’m really going for it and taking a leap of faith.”

The last 4 years have been absolutely incredible, and I have never looked back.