That’s what they all used to tell me.
But I tendered my resignation anyway. Not once. Not twice. But thrice.
It’s my third resignation letter that finally set me free from a soul-crushing job.
That’s 3 years ago.
October 17, 2016. My official last day at my day job.
I honestly can’t believe it’s already been three years.
I’m extremely grateful that I’m able to make a living writing in this competitive online space. Having more time to reflect on life, traveling to new places, working together with loved one and writing this blog post from the comfort of my bed.
I’ve gone over how I quit my job and work from full time. Here’re six things I learned while quitting my career and made money online.
Related Reading:
- Elon Musk’s Advice for Starting a Business
- How Einstein Inspires the Pursuit of my Dreams
- How to Start a Business with just $50
I Quit My Job Three Years Ago Today! Here’s What I Learned.
1. Quitting your job is harder than you think.
Quitting a day job is not as easy as you think, at least that’s my case.
That’s why it took me so long, 4 years (from my 1st to 3rd resignation letter) to finally have the gut with strong determination and preparation to make the jump.
September 2012, I tendered my 1st resignation letter.
My boss’s boss’s boss’s convinced me to stay and I stayed.
August 2013 was my 2nd resignation letter.
I was counter offered and I stayed.
I promised myself, the 3rd would be my last.
That’s it, I made it in 2016.
A raise and a promotion. I admit, because of the monetary reward and promising career, I continued to trade my happiness for money.
But getting a promotion isn’t really bad at all. At least for a month or two, I worked even harder, thinking that my boss really likes me.
Then I was awarded the best performing manager of the year.
Still, however much I try to convince myself that I should stay at this well-paying job, my heart knows better than my minds.
I get it. We all need money. We all have bills to pay and commitments.
So make your decision based on reality and not on emotion. Else you’re not going to go very far.
2. Stop hating yourself
Maybe you have a job you enjoy doing and you like the people you’re working with.
I’m happy for you. You know what, I wish I were you.
But if like me, you’re dragging your feet to work every morning, perhaps you need to start loving yourself.
Respect yourself as a human being and not as a money-making machine.
The truth is, money is compensation for less freedom.
For staying obedient rather than living your full potential.
For pleasing your boss rather than producing something of value.
A job gives you money in return for your freedom.
It’s the price you have to pay for all your unhappiness.
There’s a time, I was so obsessed with titles, things money can buy, and what people think of me.
But now I love myself more.
3. Health
I had terrible acne when I was in a job.
I was so stressed.
And having acne made me even more stressed.
Trying to get back my self-esteem and image, I spent my paycheck as soon as I get it every month on premium skincare products, expensive facial treatments, healthy food and more…with zero improvements on my skin.
Then, my friend recommended me to see a dermatologist.
First, doctor gave me a 3-month course of antibiotics and some facial creams.
It worked wonders on my skin. My acne went away.
But the effect was only temporary.
Medicine is only used to suppress the symptoms, not treating the underlying problems…
Not only it didn’t cure my acne, but it made it 100x worse…
After six months, red, painful and large bumps (filled with pus) infected deep into my skin.
To make matters worse, the doctor prescribed stronger medication, this time 3 or 6-month (I can’t remember exactly because I didn’t finish the course) Accutane and cortisone injections.
I started to experience side effects from taking the medicine. One day, I wake up and threw all the medicine away.
Literally, I dumped few hundreds (if not thousands of dollars) into the dustbin just like that.
Nothing in life is black and white. Everyone has a unique experience. You might never experience and understand the turmoil that I’ve had.
But…
Did you know two out of five employees in the US blamed their present jobs for weight gain?
Studies after studies have linked jobs to chronic diseases like diabetes, heart problems and depression.
The point is a toxic job is costing people more money on their health care.
A job that you hate doing can make you sick in a multitude of ways.
Interestingly, my boss even coaxed me to stay. That, if I worked for another few more months, I’d get a medical card. Provided by the company for loyal staffs who have serviced at least 5 years, he said.
4. Nine to Five is a myth.
No one works a 9-5 anymore.
Working in retail settings, my standard nine to five became ten to ten.
When I was working a “ten to ten” my day really looked like this:
Get up at 8:00 AM. Shower and get dressed in uncomfortable company uniforms and shoes. Breakfast then drive forty minutes to work. Badge in at ten exactly. If I’m getting late, it’ll affect my performance rating which will then affect my annual salary increment. Also, be prepared to receive a warning letter.
Spend the next 12 hours chained to the office, juggling many roles- a sales assistant, a manager, an optometrist, a consultant for Laser Eye Surgery. Then commute.
That’s a sixteen-hour a day. And another 8 hours of sleep. Nothing left.
By paying a salary to workers allows company to squeeze productivity out of employees by making them work longer, harder with multiple roles.
Back then, I was time poor and money poor.
If time is money, time saved from daily commuting to work can instantly make you richer.
Well, money can mean different thing to different people.
One thing great about working for yourself is that you have a lot of time for yourself.
Every moment of your life is yours.
I’m definitely not an ultra-rich, but one thing for sure I’m time rich now!
5. Don’t be afraid to do something you’re not qualified to do.
There’s no job requirements or qualifications needed for you to work for yourself or to pursue your genuine passion.
If I’ve learned anything from self-publishing, it’s don’t be afraid to do something you’re not qualified to do.
I’m no expert in any kinds of writing.
And I never thought that someone would buy, let alone read my books.
It never came across my mind that one day I would be a self-published author and also a blogger.
Watson and Crick didn’t know about their chemistry.
They weren’t qualified to work on DNA.
But they won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering the structure of DNA.
Naval Ravikant once said,” If I had always done what I was qualified to do, I’d be pushing a broom somewhere.”
6. Don’t quit your job tomorrow
I was scared to quit.
I was too afraid to cut the rope.
I didn’t quit my job until I had my side hustle going for 31 months.
Looking back, if my boss’s boss’s boss’s didn’t come to meet me in person and I quit back in 2012, I seriously don’t think that I could make a living myself without needing to search for another job.
Be responsible. Don’t quit without a proper plan.
You can’t just quit your day job, start something and think that will miraculously change your life overnight.
In reality, nothing really changes if you’re going to quit tomorrow.
Being an entrepreneur or working for yourself is a HUGE risk, so you’d want to eliminate ALL risks.
Commit to working on your side hustle, over a long period of time.
But every day you’re making a tiny improvement, getting closer towards this goal.
There’s time for everything.
I’m taking the least risk path.
When I quit back in 2016, I already have a proven system that generated 2x,4x,8x.. more than my salary.
I started to value freedom> money.
And I realized that there’s someone who needs this job so much more than me.
There is only one reason to quit your job or end a relationship – the inability to achieve personal growth in the given circumstances. ~Mikhail Litvak
Have a plan.
Improve 1% every day.
Impatient with your actions.
Patient with the outcome.
