I am not talking about quitting your side job, but your day job, leave it if you do not like it. What is stopping you? In my book, there are only jobs or following your dream. I guess jobs are good for temporary income to get you out of debt, but you better commit yourself to your dream path or you will wake up one day years later unhappy, really unhappy and resigned. So resign from your job before you resign from your life. Just escape. You do not even have to give notice. Do not resign your life, leave your job.
Ask yourself what would you do if God gave you a superpower to do anything. For example, you could be a rock star or astronaut. Then examine skillsets similar in the market place. For example, if you answered rock star maybe you should be in public speaking or music or a rock star.
A lot of people complain about work, the economy and life. They live quiet lives of desperation and feel like their life is out of a chapter in The Grapes of Wrath. Their boss sucks as does their work environment. I tell them to quit. If you do not like your life, ask yourself, what are you going to do about it?
Quit your day job nothing will happen. I remember when I was out of work early in my twenties, I was thinking nothing good will come from that, I am broke. Actually, during that time, I got ideas that I am still acting on today. People stress out over their jobs way too much. You will notice how many people are ‘out of the workforce’ when you go shopping in the middle of the day and the grocery store is full.
- Think fun paycheck not a career – Stop thinking about your forever career and defining yourself by your career, think of every job like a paycheck nothing more. But find a paycheck generating gig you like spending eight hours a day at. There are not careers only jobs.
- Think fun not money. – Consider alternative jobs, for example, I would not mind being a DJ. A lot of my friends moved to Europe and are Djs in foreign countries. I am an accountant and write software, yet I love music. It is just one alternative life. I moved to Europe for almost a decade and did various things. So can you. I moved my family back to the USA to Florida because I like the weather. Think fun, not money.
- Will, it hurt your career to take a break? – It took me about a week to find a corporate job once I started looking, after goofing off in Europe for about ten years, and I live in a depressed area. If you have confidence and courage in life and have to spend it living an authenticate life developing your spirit and mind, I believe there will always be a job for you.
- Do you feel too old – I just hired a 65-year-old lady in my office and she will do better than the younger whippersnappers there. She is great and doing the job for fun, as the other 68-year-old lady in my office. I could not find such talent in a younger person as these girls have experience and great with the clients, a lot better than me. How old was Ronald Reagan when we life of
- People are afraid of their bosses. Why? Do you feel guilty to tell your boss you quit or need an excuse to quit? Or do you get stressed out, when your boss is around? I often have my resume on my desk (top). As long as I am doing my job and exceeding expectations, what I do with my life is up to me. How ridiculous is that you are afraid of your boss.
- Tell your boss off. I read in What they do not teach you at the Harvard business school, to avoid Showdowns. This is true. But if something sucks tell them. I have always had heated arguments with my bosses over the way things are done. I am not hired to be a yes man, but to be painfully honest so the process is improved. Do not have showdowns but call things the way you see it. Challenge your boss, but always let them save face in the end, as it is not about ego but shaking things up a bit.
- Some jobs are good and some are bad, but what do I care about the next guy. Stop comparing yourself to the next guy. Everyone has different life circumstances they are born into. What do I care about some laborer getting paid 8 bucks an hour working hard, while another self-impressed bloke in wingtips shoes is getting paid seven figures a year pushing paper for some Wall Street firm? Any power people have in this life given to them from above. Each of us is here for different reasons. Stop looking at the next guy. Focus on you.
The bottom line is if you do not like your job, leave it. Leave it today. Find something that you feel is interesting to you. Money is not the ultimate motivator in life. If you do not like your job you are not doing your employer justice anyway.
What about the bills?
First, look at your expenses. When we first moved back to the USA after living in Eastern Europe we had household expenses of about $1200 a month for a family and felt we were living quite well. Of course now a year later I have doubled that with opulent living. But I live on a semi-tropical Island in historic St. Augustine on the beach. I think our family expense could be about $900 in another part of the country if went to austerity measures.
- The bottom line does not let your ridiculous lifestyle imprison you in a job. Cut expenses. More is less.
- Your priory is your kids and needs money for them? Prove it. Teach them chess. Chess not with a computer but with pieces and a book, it will develop their cognitive diligence. You want to enrich your children, go to the Library and spend time with them more than sending them to some expense daycare. Do not buy food in packages, just potatoes and apples and greens, and meat or go fishing. They will be healthier than processed food you are buying.
- Cars, do you really need them, it is debatable. When we got a car, we started shopping all the time. When we did not have one we bought what we needed.
- You can survive, on less. Focus on doing what you love not to be a slave to your expenditures.
You do not have a good idea of what to do?
Then go back to what you loved when you were younger. I loved history and languages and write language software. Find some interaction with what you liked. If you liked history, work for the park service, that is a great job, or write books. If you need a job coach, go to elance.com and hire some experienced professional for job coaching. There are a lot of talented experienced people who can guide you to find your next step in life even if you do not see it.
I mean there are a lot of jobs you are not even considering. I am doing property management right now to pay the bills. It is kind of a fun job, I run a resort hotel on a few famous golf courses. I like to golf, I like hotels, so I am the director of a resort. I could go back into accounting and eventually will finish my software but for now, this is a fun job. Think along the same lines. Do something fun.
In conclusion, I can not take responsibility for your life, but I can for mine. I choose not to take counsel of my fears but rather live with confidence and courage in the job market because in the end, it is just a job.
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