For months I contemplated what would happen if I just quit.
Would I be able to sell one of my deals?
Will my ideas work?
Can I support myself without a boss?
If it doesn’t work, what would I do?
Will my ideas work?
Can I support myself without a boss?
If it doesn’t work, what would I do?
All these questions held me back and engulfed me in fear. Like most people, I always imagined a smooth transition. That I would slowly replace my income and when the moment was just right - I’d quit!
I quickly learned that as always, life never turns out as planned. That as we stand still and stick around at our crappy, lame ass job, we lose an opportunity to serve people with our unique gifts. We miss out on the possibility of who we could become. We let our power slip further and further by the wayside.
After having transitioned from one business to another over the years I’ve distilled some of the biggest questions and insights I believe will support you in your journey.
1) The perfect moment never comes.
When’s the best time to have a baby? When’s the perfect moment to dump somebody?!
If you’re waiting for the stars and planets to align you will forever be a dreamer wondering “oh what could have been.”
As I look back at the times I ignored the begging and pleading of my soul to quit a dead-end job, things always got worse.
The elusive moment of perfection was a fantasy. The sooner you make your move, the sooner you can find out if you’re business, relationship, new idea, etc. is going to work.
You will never know your true power when you hide behind ‘perfect timing.’
2) Is this in line with my values?
Our core values tell us so much about ourselves and how we want to live our lives. Any time I compromised on my values I felt twisted inside.
Any time I was aligned, life seemed harmonious, abundant and fluid.
In 2014 I was contemplating quitting real estate (finally!) and wrote down a pass or fail beside each of my five core values.
It was not surprising that it passed only 1 out of the 5.
Seven days later I quit that shit.
3) Does this feed me or eat me?
I’m talking in time, energetically and intellectually.
Life is way too short to do things that make us feel less than we are. Real estate ate at my soul. Coaching grew me to my edge.
You know you’re doing the right thing when it fills you up, keeps you moving, interested and wanting more!
4) Is my present in line with my future?
We need to get crystal clear about what we actually want for ourselves and our future.
When I envisioned what I wanted in my future compared to my life in the present, I was disgusted and ashamed. I felt spiritually bankrupt.
I was not taking ownership of my life. Truly feeling these emotions and becoming more aware is what inspired massive action. I could not go back to the way things were.
This is the score card of life. Feel bored, tired, unchallenged? Look at the gap between what you want and where you are.
The more your day-to-day life reflects your vision the happier you’ll be.
5) It’s not about replacing income.
I had a client who thought his side business needed to replace his $5,000 a month income before he could be a full-time entrepreneur.
After taking a true snapshot of his finances, he realized his expenses were only $3,000 a month.
A 40% difference!
He actually only needed to replace 60% of his income.
Some people need to cut their expenses, sell their extra car, downsize, quit eating out, purge, donate and sell a whole bunch of useless crap to actually get to the real number.
What’s the monthly burn? Get to the real number.
6) Fear and drama is expensive.
I was droning on and on about my personal dramas and worries with my coach when she bluntly interrupted and said, “This is way too expensive for you.”
This was a major a-ha! moment.
Our time and energy is so damn valuable. In fact, I believe they are the most valuable resources we have.
Time is something we can never get back. Using our time and energy to serve others is what results in money in our pocket.
On the other hand, spending it on fear, worry and drama is time and energy you don’t get to use to create value or turn into income.
Keep that shit far, far away!
7) It’s about way more than your paycheque.
We get way more than just a pay cheque from the job we hate and refuse to break free from.
We get to stay small. We get to be half our potential. We to get stay comfortable.
No risks. No change. No challenge. No power.
There are so many other payoffs to staying in our shitty jobs. We focus so much on the paycheque we forget there is more than just money every two weeks that holds us back from quitting.
Go find out what those payoffs are.
8) You can always change direction.
I believed that my first company would be my last company. That real estate investing would be my life until the day I died.
Such a sad mistake. When I shut down my rent to own business the long-held vision I had for myself evaporated beneath my feet. I was forced to reinvent, to change directions.
Everything is temporary. Your new direction is not forever. Be okay with not having to make “lifelong” decisions.
Each project will probably get old and boring after a few years anyways. What’s important is following what fills us up, feels good, interests us and is aligned with our future and values.
Quit making everything such a big permanent decision. You are not a tree.
9) Energy and confidence is the prerequisite.
Robin Sharma often says that:
“the person with the highest energy wins.”
The biggest thing that holds us back is not having enough energy and confidence to make big, bold moves in the direction of our purpose.
It’s important to perfectly lay every brick to build a sturdy wall. Same goes for energy and confidence. We build or rebuild it brick by bloody brick.
The more energy we have the more confident we become. We become strong and confident in our ability to survive, adapt, reinvent and come up with ideas and solutions.
Grow your gas tank. Dig deep and discover how much you have in your reserve.
Because trust me... there’s a lot more where that came from.
10) Drop your pride.
You are meant for more, yes.
I truly believe you have a TON of potential.
At the same time, we must be willing to look at things straight in the eye. We have to be able to prove that we are worthy of our ideals. We have to rise to the occasion.
But to contradict some of what I said, maybe you shouldn’t quit your job just yet.
I love when Ashton Kutcher once said:
“I've never had a job in my life that I was better than.”
So what if starting the new venture means putting our pride aside? There is no shame in doing the needful in order to make ends meet.
I don’t care if it’s bagging groceries, data entry, driving for Uber, whatever - it’s all temporary anyway. Just keep moving.
That’s the price of admission. Grinding it out while you build your dream.
In the meantime, build yourself, invest in yourself, get better at your craft.
11) Use herd mentality to your advantage.
Back in the day we needed to be accepted by our tribe just to survive. Otherwise, who would make your clothes, get the food, or raise your kids?
Living like this got us pretty far then eventually it holds us back from our highest aspirations.
We can only rise to the level of our peer group’s belief in us.
So begin to surround yourself with people who lift you up to a new level, care what they think, be accountable to them. Let their power radiate and rub off on you.
12) You can always begin again.
Colonel Sanders started KFC in his sixties. Ray Kroc was fifty-nine when he bought McDonalds. Perhaps they are the exception in the enormity of their success but they are certainly not the exception when it comes to starting over at any age.
So what that you’re 30, 50, 70 and should be, do or have more.
I have had clients from 19-67 who have stepped into reinventing themselves and created new possibilities for their lives. If you’re alive, I will guarantee at some point you will need to begin again.
Plus, walking towards the new also means walking away from the old. It’s the being stuck in between that kills our souls.
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One morning, the new VP whom I hardly knew said “You’re fired!”
“Thanks for doing what I didn’t have the balls to do,” I said.
The universe kicked me out and it was time to prove myself. My first business thrived and I experienced a newfound confidence. I knew I would never need a boss again. And I haven’t.
In 2012 I said “I quit” to my first business. Fast forward to 2014 when I quit real estate to pursue my purpose as a breakthrough coach.
I didn’t wait for the universe, I knew deep inside what needed to be done and did it.
I followed my truth. And I could never have predicted how many inspiring entrepreneurs, leaders and creatives that I get to in giving their gifts and living more authentic lives every single day.
Perhaps one day I’ll have to quit something else. Then another thing. And another.
Until then, I’ll just quit trying to make this post so perfect so I can get back to my new job.
The one I never thought was possible not too long ago.