Warning: If you’re sensitive to explicit language, you won’t dig the video above 🙂
Total Reading Time: 4 minutes
Okay, be honest—how many times have you dreamed of doing that?
Like most of us, probably too many times.
Now I’m not necessarily saying you should walk into your boss’ office and give him or her the finger (whether they deserve it or not is a different question), but perhaps it’s time you start thinking about making a change and moving on.
If you’re walking into your job every day with absolutely no excitement for what you do, can’t stand the environment, or can’t deal with having a micro-manager boss, why haven’t you made this decision already?
Don’t you know? It’s inevitable. If you’re dreaming of a different lifestyle, a better company, traveling the world, or perhaps even self-employment—the first step is to make that big decision and move on.
This is the hardest part (because we’re fearful of the unknown), but once it’s over you’ll look back and wonder what took you so long. In this case, “quitting” your job is actually the best thing you could ever do. Far too many people are stuck in jobs where their real creative talents are being suffocated.
You’re being asked to conform to a set of guidelines and procedures to work around, and deep down you know you’re capable of so much more. You feel like just a cog in a machine. You know they could replace you tomorrow, and the thought of that bothers you. You know you’re destined for more.
The non-conformist within you is screaming for freedom!
So why do we allow ourselves to be shut down like this? I let this happen to me. It was miserable, and I turned into a zombie for months. The fire within me was (almost) completely extinguished.
Deep down you know there’s something you’re more passionate about. It’s likely you even know how to make it happen, but you just haven’t made the decision yet. Life happens in the moments of decision. The smallest choices can truly change your life, it’s just a matter of truly deciding.
Readers often email me to explain how uninspiring their work situation and job has become. Yet they’re afraid to make the move and fear the unknown (which by the way is something that does not even exist).
What if it doesn’t work and I fail? What if it’s the wrong choice? What if I can’t get a new job? What if I can’t pay my rent/mortgage? What if, what if, what if…
Now if you’re not unhappy with your job and actually enjoy what you do, you’re incredibly lucky. But some people don’t even need to be that unhappy to quit. Sometimes there’s just a massive misalignment between what you’re doing, and what you actually wish you were doing.
I worked for one of the best companies in the world and decided to radically change my life because I valued freedom, autonomy, flexibility, and creative freedom (plus a whole list of other reasons) more than any perk, benefit, or dollar amount a company could offer me.
What about John Wood? He quit his job at Microsoft, wrote the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, and launched Room to Read, a non-profit that has now benefited the lives of over 6.7 million children around the world. All because he was inspired by a trip to Nepal.
What about Brook Silva-Braga? He quit his job with HBO “and he threw it all away” to travel around the globe for almost a year with nothing but a backpack and a video camera. He then created a highly successful documentary called A Map For Saturday that explores long-term solo travel.
And what about my good friend Shadee Daneshvar? She graduated from University with honors, interviewed at multiple organizations and turned down every single offer. Instead, she launched Fancy Me Candy—a successful brand of jewelry through her online store—and was profitable within a month.
After only three months she built a massive following and used social media to make much more than any full-time income could provide. Not only does she have the flexibility of working from anywhere, but she’s traveling the world and running her business from wherever she wants.
What’s my point?
There is a revolution happening. It’s a real movement, friendo. In this day and age, you can do just about anything to make money, so don’t let that be the excuse. The harder part is making sure you correctly identify your confluence—the intersection between your passion, your unique genius, and what the world needs.
People from all around the world are making big changes to their lives and choosing to create their own self-directed life. If this resonates with you, don’t let the fear of the unknown stand in your way.
Sure, maybe you have a spouse or family to support and believe it’s “too late” to make such a drastic change like quitting your job.
But you know what…
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
– C.S. Lewis
There is no better time than now to make that decision and take action.
Fear is the universal sign for “yes, keep going!”. Fear tells you that you’re actually making the right choice and doing something incredible for yourself. If you feel an internal resistance, just keep going. You must have the persistence to drive forward.
The right strategy is also essential to your success. So get connected to the right people and resources to make what you want to happen a reality.
So is quitting your job and (figuratively) giving your boss the finger the right? For many of us it might actually be the only way to create that massive change.
Share this article with a friend who’s stuck in a job they don’t like. Maybe they’ll finally get the insight and motivation needed to finally make that change.
Photo credit: Hiking Artist—CC License
