How To Know When To Quit Your Job To Pursue Your Dream
You don’t need to quit your job for your dream
One day, a friend asked me, “how do I know the right time to quit my job to chase my dream?”
I’ve heard this question many times from friends and clients of mine. And it’s a very interesting question.
How do I know I’m ready to go all in on my dream?
Do I need to quit my job to pursue my dream?
When is the right time to quit my job?
This question plagues the hearts of many dreamers. They stay in their offices dreaming of the day they will be rescued from the dry, monotonous life.
They are often held back by the fear of becoming broke. They ask themselves every month, “can I cope financially if I quit my job today?”
Some people say you should have at least 6 months of your current salary in savings before you quit your job. I agree with this but not completely.
You could have all the savings in the world and waste it within one month.
The decision to quit your job is personal and unique to you. You need to be comfortable with it.
My Story
I quit my job in February 2016. I informed my colleagues I was going to explore. I wanted to see what the world had to offer me. I had worked for 10 years non-stop and I needed a break. It was time.
I had always been a workaholic. I didn’t know any other kind of life. Life was beautiful or so I thought.
Before this decision, I felt restless. I’d lost my passion for my job. I thought I had wasted my best years.
I got fed up in December 2015 when I went on a three-week leave. It was heaven for me and I didn’t want it to end. At the end of January 2016, I resigned from my job and gave one month’s notice. I was excited and ready to conquer the world.
If you’ve ever quit your job, you know this feeling. You feel excited when you resign and then a few days or weeks after you get home, you ask yourself, “what on earth did I just do?”
That happened to me.
I wasn’t prepared for the outside world. I wasn’t prepared for the life of an entrepreneur which is totally different from the life of an employee.
I applied as an affiliate to an Internet marketing company. I paid a huge amount of money to join this company and I kept paying monthly membership fees. I didn’t know there were fraudsters in the world. I spent my life savings and became broke.
I couldn’t sell anything. I went to ground zero. I was able to get some money and then got conned by some ‘recruiters’ who promised to get me a job overseas.
I realized I had been in this ‘sheltered’ world of employment.
I was very successful at my job but I didn’t know anything about the outside world.
I found blogging in the midst of the madness. And I am grateful I did because it has changed my life completely. I think I could have found it without going completely broke.
In January 2017, I went back to paid employment. I couldn’t pay my bills. I was depending on friends and family who had gotten tired of helping me out and I needed to be a responsible adult.
Now, I’m working on my full-time job and on my business at the same time. I have a clear path on how to achieve my dreams. I am also working towards achieving my goals.
How To Know When To Quit Your Job
I could start by saying you should quit when you are financially stable.
But the truth is I was ready financially. I had savings but I didn’t have a clear plan on what I wanted to do with my life. And I got conned two times.
Being financially stable is not the only factor for quitting your job.
You should quit your job when:
You have a clear plan on what you want to do with your life.
Some people have resigned without a clear plan and they achieve their dreams. But this is too risky.
You should know what you want to do. You should have started working on your plan. And seen some results or progress. It’s up to you to measure what results or progress means to you. Most people would say financial results is important but a clear plan is more important.
You have maximized the opportunities on your current job.
Jeff Goins calls this cultivating patrons in his book, Real Artists Don’t Starve. Don’t underestimate the people around you. You never know what they can do until you get to know them more.
Maximize your existing network.
A colleague of mine is into importing/exporting. She has made huge sales from her colleagues.
Don’t be afraid to discuss what you do with people. Your current network is your circle of influence. Maximize it as much as possible.
Working on your business and your job has become impossible.
If your business is taking up too much of your time and you can’t combine it with your full-time job, it’s time to leave.
Don’t leave your current company with a bad taste. If you keep calling in sick or giving excuses, you will earn a bad reputation.
Leave peacefully and focus on building your dream.
But this means you are confident your dream can pay the bills. It might not buy you a 1st class ticket but it should be able to pay for basic needs such as utilities, food, etc.
Conclusion
Quitting your job is hard.
But living depressed and frustrated is harder.
“No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams” — Maya Mendoza
If you’ve lost passion for your job, if you have dreams that are not in line with your job, it’s time.
Start planning today to leave.
Don’t only plan.
Work daily towards achieving your goals.
Don’t give up.
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