They say life isn’t about the things that happen to you, but about the decisions you make. There’s a ton of coverage about the best decisions people have made, but not nearly enough conversation about the tough decisions. We asked folks we admire to tell us about the most difficult decision they’ve ever had to make and have shared some of those responses below.

Dawn Forkenbrock | Real Estate Agent

I decided to leave my corporate banking job after working for the company for almost 15 years. I had great benefits & thought I could never make more money or find a better job anywhere else. After having my first son & taking an extended leave of absence my mind started to clear. I had a new identity as a mother & realized my career didn’t define who I was. After my leave I went back to work part time but only last 3 months. It was scary to leave the security of regular pay & benefits yet I knew the timing was right. It was such a blessing to be able to stay home with my son & then later my daughter too & I never regretted my decision. Read more>>

Stuart Preston | Stand-up Comedian & Author

The most difficult decision I’ve made in regards to my comedy was to pivot and start telling my story of grief and psychedelics. Grief is what it is, and it’s not often funny. I used the be the clean, jokey-joke comic, Introducing drugs into y material was risky. But making this decision helped me find my voice. Now, time on stage feels more natural. I enjoy it more. And I think I’m doing some good in the world. Read more>>

Ian Monat | CEO/Co-Founder

The most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make was letting someone go from my company. This person wasn’t just anyone, he was a company co-founder and partner from the onset. But entrepreneurship is not for everyone. To say it’s a grind is an understatement and not everyone in the right place in their lives where they can offer up and maintain the level of commitment required to grow and scale a national brand. Read more>>

Karen Romero Valdez | Baker and Artist

One of the biggest and hardest decisions I have had to make was – changing my prices on my desserts. It may not seem like such a drastic change, right? But oh my goodness, it was tough. For starters I had a million and one thoughts running through my head. I was constantly fighting myself mentally. Yes do it… no don’t do it.. Maybe you can wait.. You must do it ASAP. I had to brainstorm how I was going to implement changing my prices and not upset my current + new customers. I had to mentally prepare myself for the “That’s a lot for just strawberries.”, “It will be that much for a cake?”, “Can I get a discount?”, “Do you know someone who can do it cheaper?” Read more>>