Monday, April 16, 2007

3 Steps to Finding the Nerve to Quit a Job You Hate

Do you feel like this guy every Monday morning? Today, many are heading into jobs they hate. The commute, time away from family, office politics, etc. --- arrgghhhhh! Do you just want to get away.

For this reason, I thought today was perfect for this post -- 3 Steps to Finding the Nerve to Quit a Job You Hate.

Enjoy, and find that courage!

Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Blue Sky at www.sxc.hu
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Fear and love. These are the two emotions that rule every decision we make. Sure, they are masked as insecurity, jealousy, inertia, complacency, bliss, etc. But, as human beings, these are the two primary emotions that cause us to act, or not.

So, what does this have to do with getting up the nerve to quit a job you hate?Most never examine why they fail to act. Take the case of quitting a job you hate. All you know is that the bills are constant and doing your own thing won't pay the bills. It's too expensive to start a business, you have no clients and the paycheck you get, at least, is steady.

This is as far as most get when they sit at a desk, silently wasting away because they're so miserable.

So, how do you find the nerve to quite a job you hate? By doing the following:

POST CONTINUED BELOW
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WORK-FROM-HOME E-BOOK REMINDER: Inkwell Editorial's work-from-home freelance writing e-books have been offline since August of last year. I've been planning to migrate them to Clickbank. But a series of life events, coupled with work, have delayed this process. So, I've decided to put them back on InkwellEditorial.com until I can find the time to do the migration. They'll be back up this weekend.

Editorially yours,
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
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1. Go subterranean: What do I mean by this? In short, explore the fear behind why you can't quit. Are you insecure about your skills and abilities? Are you afraid that you don't have what it takes to make it on your own? Will your spouse look at you like you've lost your mind? Whatever the fear is, examine it. AND, counter it.
If it's skill-based, then take a class to conquer the skills you need. If it's money, then get a second job to cover six months to a year's worth of expenses. If it's your spouse, talk to them about your dream and how doing what you're doing is slowly killing your spirit.
Whatever it is, examine it and come up with a solution for it. Whenever I don't think I can do something, I examine why. And, I remember where I came from.

Finding the Courage
To digress aminute for a personal story: One of the figures I admire most in history is Harriet Tubman. For those who don't know, she led slaves to freedom in the underground railroad. Some accounts say 300; some say 3,000.

Whatever the number, she risked her life and again, coming back from the North to the South to lead slaves to freedom. I often ponder if I would have had that type of courage. Most of us don't have the backbone to risk our necks one time, to do it over and over again -- well, it still blows me away.

So, when I get uneasy about doing something, I think of Ms. Tubman and I find a way to go over, under, around, on top of, below and/or right through any obstacle that may stand in my way.

My point? To achieve a dream, this is what is required. Nothing more, nothing less. So, you might not be able to quit in a month, but you can plan to do so in six months, a year, two years.

2. Create a plan: This piggybacks off the first idea. Create a solid, concrete plan of what you will do daily, weekly, monthly, etc. to get to your goal. Put your plan in a place where you can see it every day. You can even put it several places. Remind yourself at every turn what you should be doing to get where you want to be.

3. Visualize: As in, visualize the life you want to have. Whether it's I will get up at 6am and work until 5pm.

I will work four days a week. I will be able to walk my kids to school. I will take three consecutive weeks off in the summertime to vacation with my family. I will grocery shop in the afternoon when the stores are less crowded. I will do housework on Friday, that way I have the weekends free to socialize with friends and family.

Now, don't get me wrong, you are going to have to put in some long hours -- and the lifestyle you envision may not come to fruition for several years.

BUT, the fact that you have a dream -- and are taking active steps to get there -- should keep you motivated to achieve the life you want.

Good luck!
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