When to Quit Your Job (Don’t Let 9–5 Become 9–Forever)

September 19, 2021 — Quitting your job to start a business can be scary, but the longer you stay, the harder it is to leave.

In 2014, I started my first full-time job working as an agency copywriter, and it seemed like a dream come true…

Half an hour from NYC, Fortune 500 clients, good benefits, and a $40k per year salary, which was more than enough to save up money while I grew my freelance design business.

The problem was, I wasn’t cut out for 9–5 life.

I hated filling out time sheets, sitting through pointless meetings, and doing meaningless grunt work. Plus, an open office was torture for my introvert brain.

For a year I stuck it out, but one morning I got so depressed that I sat down in my living room and couldn’t get up…

I was too scared to quit, but I literally could not force myself to work one more day at that job.

Hack: Quit Now Or Never

Three hours later, I gave my two week’s notice — it wasn’t the “safe” choice, but I knew it was the right one.

My bullshit shields were at 0%, and to stay one minute longer, I would have had to become a different person — a person who accepts bullshit in exchange for safety.

Like everyone predicted, my transition to freelance was not pretty: I ran out of money in a matter of months, moved home, and continued to struggle for the next four years.

But I ended up making YouTube into my dream job.

And if I had waited for the “perfect business plan” or the “perfect amount of savings” or the “perfect number of clients,” it never would have happened.

I’d still be gathering dust at my bullshit job.

Don’t let your 9–5 become 9–forever.

p.s. You can find this article on fthelines.com, along with other stories about #creativity, #minimalism, and #barefoot. Thanks for reading! (: 🖖
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