In the last couple of weeks – as I have been working my way down the west coast, most notably stopping off in Portland for the World Domination Summit – I have been inspired time and time again. Not only will I get back to the UK on Friday morning with what I consider to be three extremely exciting business ideas, I also have a far clearer (though certainly not transparent!) view of what I want to do with what I already have.
And that leads me to this post, which acts as a milestone for Leaving Work Behind’s next stage of evolution. If you want to find out more, read on.
A Sign of the Times
I’ll be honest with you (as always!) – I recently haven’t had as much passion for this blog as I have in the past.
I’ve been busy with so many other things that I have tended to push that lack of enthusiasm to the back of my mind, but the ample time I have had for reflection in the past several days has opened my eyes to the situation.
So I asked myself the question: why aren’t I as passionate about Leaving Work Behind right now?
A few different things came to mind, but the clearest thought was plain to me – to a great extent, I am now living the leaving work behind concept vicariously.
How so? Well, I quit my job at the end of 2011, so Leaving Work Behind couldn’t have been any more relevant to me then. Then I spent 2012 building up my income and 2013 adjusting my business model (from freelancing to contracting).
But now – especially with my most recent plans – I see myself becoming only less relevant to this blog. And since Leaving Work Behind was originally an accountability journal for my own journey in quitting my job and building a successful online business, it has become tougher and tougher for me to adjust, as my own experiences don’t always align with what I want to help others with.
So much of my time now is spent thinking about how I can invest financially in my business to automate processes and act in an almost entirely strategic role. I’m even thinking about launching a bricks and mortar business. I’m making decisions that many of you aren’t yet in a position to make. I’m in a different place to many of you, and I feel like this blog isn’t offering you enough as a result.
So What Next?
I want to make this issue a positive thing. To do that, I need to make some changes.
First of all, I want to offer you more of the resources that you need in order to succeed. We currently post about twice a week on a not-particularly-organized mishmash of topics that all relate (in some way) to leaving work behind. But that’s not good enough. I want to know exactly what you’re struggling with so that I can give you what you need to succeed.
Next, I need to bring leaders to Leaving Work Behind that (a) embrace what we have built and (b) have the skills and experience to help others in the community. After all, there’s so much I don’t know about online business, and it only makes sense to heavily augment my relatively limited skill set with the expertise of others.
Finally, I need someone who will live and breathe this community – who can complement my presence with their own on at least an equal footing.
I don’t have a clear view of what the above will look like yet, but the bottom line is simple: you can expect big changes around here soon. Changes that (I hope) will catapult Leaving Work Behind onto a new stage of evolution, so that will look back at this blog and remember it as being a resource that helped you change your life for the better.
I need your help to make this happen though. I’ve put together a short questionnaire that I would love for you to fill in. It’ll give me a much better idea of what your goals are, so that I can create the resources that you need.
I know this is all pretty ambiguous right now, but I would love your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below. Let me know what you think!
Photo Credit: Nanagyei