Who says people don’t change?
Although I couldn’t tell you the exact date, around 12 months ago something huge happened in my life. It was so big that no one saw it. It took place very quietly – in my head.
It was around 12 months ago that I decided I was going to quit my job. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to do it. And to be honest, for many months there was a voice in my head that told me it was a complete pipe dream.
But no quantity of self-doubt could reset the mental switch that had been flicked in my head. It was like my mind would adjust to the new plan in whatever way was necessary.
And it turned out that the necessity was a complete change in my attitude towards life. That change may well have been the most positive and productive thing that has happened in my adult life.
Desire
You see, I grew up wanting to be rich and successful. That was my aim. Work my ass off, make loads of money, be awesome. That was the plan. So I did the whole 60 hour week thing, working over weekends, going weeks at a time without a day off, and so on. And in some masochistic way, I enjoyed it.
But then one day I realized that none of what I was doing was mine. I wasn’t working to advance myself. I was potentially working towards advancing my salary, but let’s get something straight – a salary isn’t really yours. If you get laid off tomorrow, what are the chances of you finding another job paying the same amount? Perhaps you could, but how long will it take to find that job and what will you have to sacrifice to get it?
It took the pretty monumental personal step of quitting a job for life that would have almost certainly made me a very rich man to teach me that having lots of money isn’t the most important thing in life. In fact, I discovered that it’s not even a close contender.
A New Beginning?
Having quit my job, I started this year with the kind of feverish drive that I had once enjoyed at the peak of my employed career. I was back on the 60 hour work week, pouring every last drop of energy I had into my new projects.
But so much can change in such a short space of time. I don’t quite know when it happened, but at some point in the past few weeks I decided that I was in no rush to get rich. I rather like my life at the moment. I like that I can roll out of bed at 9am if I want to, or take the afternoon off to meet a friend. I love that I can take a day off if things just aren’t clicking. Or that I can go on a last minute golfing holiday out of the blue.
None of this is intended as a boast. Because let’s be honest – I’m not making millions, am I? You only have to look at my monthly income reports to see that.
The point is, enjoying life is so much more important than the amount of money you make (tweet this). It may sound obvious, but I think it is a fact that many people (my former self included) completely lose sight of.
For me, the key to happiness and progress in your living is to achieve a good balance between enjoying every single day, and ensuring that you have a secure and affluent future. In my opinion, life itself should come down to that balancing act.
I’ve actually said most of this before – and yet I haven’t been listening to my own advice.
Being Your Own Boss
I was chatting with a friend the other day about my new working life, and I was keen to point out that it is tough being your own boss. You have to provide your own motivation – you have to enforce discipline on yourself. And let’s be honest, it is far easier to be told what to do by an authority figure, to fear consequences, than to put pressure on yourself to perform.
So striking the aforementioned balance between enjoying your days and working for a secure and affluent future is difficult. And to be quite honest with you (as I always am), my balance is probably tipped in favor of enjoying the present at the moment. Not to any potentially disastrous scale, but enough for me to bear it in mind.
What About You?
I’d love to know where you are in your professional life at this time and how you are driven. Do you feel like you have struck a good balance between enjoying the present and working for the future, or do you have work to do? Or do you feel that my philosophy is flawed? Let us know in the comments section!
Creative Commons image courtesy of HikingArtist.com
Hey Tom! Come visit Ukraine, it’s really close to where you are!
@GalynaParker When you say *really* close, what are you comparing the trip to? 😉
@tomewer Oh.. I thought that you are from US, but looked at your About page and saw that you are actually from UK. :))
Then hey, why you are not in Ukraine yet? Lol Are you a soccer fan? We have Euro 2012 coming up. 🙂 No seriously, you should come visit. 🙂
@GalynaParker Looking forward to Euro 2012 (even though England probably won’t get out of the group stages ;-)). So many places to visit, so little time (and money!) 🙂
No worries about euro 2012 soccer
Italy will take care of that 😉
I need to work for a living ,i have no choice …
Most of us do!
Hi Tom. I think your philosophy is spot on. I also quit my job last year, and although I’m earning much less now, I am also much happier and more fulfilled. It is difficult to achieve the right balance, but I tend to think that enjoying the present is always slightly more important, as we never know what will happen tomorrow.
@rightbrainrockstar Hi Dan! Sounds like we’re traveling along similar paths. And I really like your philosophy on enjoying the present being slightly more important…that actually makes a lot of sense.
This is a great way to live – balancing work, play and money. Good on you mate!
@eezytrade Thanks John!
Agreed Tom, and wholeheartedly too – quality of life is far more important than quantity in life. I think a large part of getting this equation right is by surrounding yourself with like-minded people – be that offline or online or both. Folks that KNOW that there’s far more to having a thoroughly valuable life than having a large bank balance. In fact, having a large bank balance can be most detrimental to the equation.
josepharch I agree Joseph. It doesn’t help if you have people questioning you, or even ridiculing you, for making decisions that are not within the status quo. Most people thought I was (and am) crazy for quitting a lucrative job to try my own thing – but most of them are kind enough to keep such thoughts to themselves! 😉
Hi Tom,
I totally agree with you.
The only way to us to be really rich, is work for ourselves.
Thanks a lot for this inspire article.
@Tiago Simoes No problem Tiago – my pleasure 🙂
Great post, Tom. I rarely post, but often read, and appreciate your emails a great deal.
Brendan, it’s really great to know that, and I appreciate you commenting 🙂
@tomewer great post Tom. Especially with how things are going for so many online businesses lately, you really can’t be in it short term
@GiReviews It’s definitely a long term process for me! Thanks 🙂
Well said Tom! I couldn’t agree more! In my opinion, the money will come when I chase the really important stuff. Chasing the money could get me there too, but at a much higher cost.
@deaconbradley Indeed. At this point, as long as I feel that I’m not moving backwards, that I’m on an upwards trend, I am going to be satisfied. Perhaps the test is when I am making really good money (it will happen ;-)) and go through a decline. I think it’s then when my outlook would be truly tested – because the same logic would still apply. As long as the decline wasn’t life-changing, I should still be happy and not work my ass off to try and reverse it. Life’s too short!
I’m never going to be a millionaire with this attitude 😉
I like the theme of this post but for me I need to earn more money to be able to enjoy life so it is a bit of a Catch 22 – can’t enjoy life until I make money and can’t make money while I’m enjoying life.
This post did make me think whether I enjoy doing internet marketing and making money online and I’m not sure I do. If I made decent money from it I think I would enjoy it more but until I do make some money then I feel like it might all be for nothing or I’m doing it wrong.
Will I ever make it grow into a proper income that could realistically support a small family?
Hi Joe,
Define “more money”, calculate what you would have to do to earn that money, then decide whether or not it is worth all of the work. You might surprise yourself.
I am not a minimalist – I like material things. But at the same time, I do recognize that the best things in life (family, friends, and quality time spent with the aforementioned) really are free. Getting that new 60″ TV, or the Gibson Les Paul (guitar) I am craving right now, is only worth working for if the sum total of my efforts takes less away from the quality of my life than the material object brings.
Your fear that your efforts are all for nothing is one I can sympathize with. It is only recently that I have become truly confident that I can make a good living (and hopefully a great living) out of my work. It took nearly a year of doubt and second guessing to create that confidence.
Consider this though – what I *thought* was going to get me there, is no longer what will. And what I think right now will get me there, probably isn’t it either – it’ll probably be something else.
The point is Joe, as long as you are doing *something*, as long as you are driving yourself forwards with whatever ideas and projects you may have at any given time, you are drastically increasing your chances of making a better life for yourself.
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom –
Amazing response – agree 150%. We need a clear plan, and in that plan we need to be clear we need to change that plan if we need to! So I make a plan, stick to it as best I can, then a little later evaluate and see if its worth investing money time and energy into or not. If so then great, rinse, repeat, outsource when possible – and if not, look for something better!
I am documenting my journey on my blog and I think its really good to do this, it helps me order my thoughts and hopefully inspire others along the way.
Best wishes Clare 🙂
I like this philosophy, Tom. The only thing that worries me personally, and it may or may not be valid, is that I’m not saving adequately for the future despite being happy now. But you do point out that securing the future is important, too. I think as long as that remains a goal, too, then this is a great way to live.
@Jeffrey Trull Hi Jeffrey,
I have a similar concern to yours, although I approach it from a slightly different viewpoint. I worry about whether or not I am establishing a viable long term business that will earn me an income well in excess of what I need to support myself. I figure that the whole saving thing comes into effect automatically at that point 😉
Nonetheless, you make a very pertinent point, and one that should be considered carefully. Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough in the article, but working for future security is very much part of the balance, and something we must all be mindful of.
Cheers,
Tom
This is really inspiring, Tom. I’m kinda where you are…in the middle. Not making *tons* of cash (yet), but enjoying the freedom that comes with being about to direct my own life and commit myself to projects that are inspiring to me.
It’s taken a while to get there…to even figure out what it is that really inspires me…and it is all the journey. That’s the fun part…it never ends…There’s no final destination. (At least IMHO)
@Steve_Rice Hey Steve,
Here’s the thing – I like where I am – earning a modest income, “getting by”, but having huge amounts of freedom. It’s awesome. But I also recognize that my attitude has a shelf life. I won’t be content to be earning this much forever. But as long as I can see progress, I’ll be content. That’s how I see your “no final destination” comment. I’m not going to get to a point where there is “enough” – I’ll always work in an effort to improve my life (and that certainly doesn’t necessarily have to do with money).
Cheers,
Tom
This topic has been on my mind a lot lately. I spent over 25 years working my tail off in an industry that went bust, and got the entrepreneur bug. Once I was my own boss, it became much harder to work for others. Whenever I wound up working for someone else again, I felt like I was slaving away to make someone else rich. At some point I decided I would rather be my own boss even if it meant struggling.
As I have grown older, I have also become much less motivated to stress out over the almighty dollar. I figured as long as I can get by, it’s more important to be happy and enjoy life.
Now the dilemma where balance comes to play… I met a wonderful lady and moved to the Philippines to be with her. Working online gives the opportunity to earn enough to survive. While I would be happy to kick back and live modestly, on the other hand I need to work harder and earn more to afford to travel and enjoy more out of life, as well as to save and invest for the future.
I’m 57 years old now, and several people I know the same age as me have recently passed away. It really gives me a gut check about enjoying this life in the time I have on this earth – but also lends a bit more urgency to earning more $ in order to enjoy it.
Few people lay on their death bed at an old age saying how they wish they had worked harder or earned more. Most would regret not spending more time enjoying life with the people they care about.
The key seems to be balance. Work hard enough to provide for your needs and the future… but don’t work yourself to death, or work so hard you never have the time to enjoy the benefits of your efforts.
🙂
@virtualend Forgive me for providing you with such a relatively short response, but you have left me with little to say! Your story sounds fascinating and your attitude to me seems really sounds. You might be interested to read this: http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying/
@StevenERice Thanks Steve!
@deaconbradley Thanks for the RT Deacon – have an awesome weekend too 🙂
Hi tom i really like your style of writing, very honest.yes sometimes in our quest for more money we forgot that we have to enjoy life too. .not let ourselves to be confined in a cubicle for 8 hrs or so…some people are lucky to have found a way to balance work and life just like you but for many of us we are still finding a way out…..i tried internet mting but sadly my sites dissapeared overnight after google let its pets out namely mr.panda and mrs.penguin. Just wondering when ms.peacock, mr.piranha,mdm pangolin and sir panther will be coming. Thanks for sharing tom..i will never give up though. Life is too precious to just sit and watch. Write a blog about your time in bulgaria will ya and share with us here. Thanks for the inspiration.
@SusieSimon Hey Susie,
Although luck often plays its part in life, my present situation has very little to do with luck. A year ago I was in a job that didn’t fulfill me, and was struggling to see a way out. A year later, things couldn’t be better. It wasn’t easy, but it was certainly worth it. Just keep plugging away 🙂
Cheers,
Tom
I really enjoy my profession right now and I’m honing my skills for later life. On the other hand, I also take the time to enjoy my hobbies such as blogging, so I feel like I’m getting the best of both worlds for now. If it ever changes, I will make a change to maintain my equilibrium.
@richescorner Sounds like you’ve struck a good balance – congratulations! 🙂
Well said sir.
I enjoyed my masochistic days as a software marketing manager too, but now that seems like a previous life. I left to work on my own terms about 15 years ago and will never go back to the corporate world. But I also ended up working even more hours, driving my home based business forward. Before we knew it my wife and I looked back and ten years had passed us by. We had grown a successful design firm, but it was costing us our lives.
Enjoying the present is what it’s all about. I learned that when my dog Jerry was diagnosed with cancer, but that’s a long story. It did, however, inspire us to truly live life on our own terms. So we sold off our home and business, and nearly everything we owned. We have been traveling in our RV ever since, working from home wherever we go. And now we are helping others learn how they can follow their own dreams too.
We’re not making millions (yet) either, but life has never been more satisfying! Thanks for asking.
Jim, that’s awesome. Sounds like you’ve achieved a really good balance 🙂
Whenever someone tells me to get a job I think what would William Wallace do so I stand on the nearest table and scream “FREEDOM “.
IT’S not that bad working for yourself.I for one am getting more accustomed to it and I’m starting to think it’s weird getting a job.
@william Freedom is what it’s all about! And the thought of going back to any traditional J-O-B is way weird indeed. Enjoy.
Haha! Yes, quite. The idea of getting a job again now is very unusual. You could call me “unemployable” now, I guess 🙂
I like this post, because i’m also leave my work exactly one years ago too. Feel great if we don’t have someone tell us to do, but in motivation part it feels so empty. But not like you Tom, i still in rush to get rich. Because i want to give all to my family and to people around me. I enjoy giving something, not only money, but also knowledge, time and skill.
Anyway, thank you for reminding me with this post.
No problem Tito – it sounds like we have a similar outlook on life 🙂
It’s really difficult to weed out all the get rich quick information that many websites are pushing. That is why I find it refreshing to hear your story.
Hi Tom,
I also recently left my “real job” and now am a full-time freelance writer. Please read more of my personal story here: http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2012/01/09/halinas-journey-to-become-a-full-time-freelance-writer/
My wake-up call was rather profound; my father passed away suddenly in 2010 of a heart attack and, in the same year, I found out that my mother had dementia. It made me realize that our time here on this earth is too short to waste. I wrote about that experience here: http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2012/04/11/meet-ive-tried-thats-newest-addition-halina/
One question I have for you is why you haven’t monetized this blog. Do you just generate income via product placements? I’m just curious. Also, you may have this info posted somewhere else, but do you write mostly to online sites or do you also write for newspapers/magazines? I’m beginning to branch out now to more high-paying websites/blogs but am still having trouble with print publications.
Thank you and good luck!
-Halina
Hello Halina,
Congratulations on quitting your job! I am sorry to hear from your loss, but out of the most terrible of situations can emerge profound actions.
This blog is very lightly monetized with some affiliate links, but nothing major. Making money from this blog is not priority at the moment – I more just want to help people in similar situations to mine as much as I can.
I only write for online publications, and at this time I have no intention of moving into print.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Tom
Great post! I’ve been having talks with a friend about this lately. We both work from home and LOVE it!
It does seem like the more money you make, the less time you have. Most of the people I know that make 6 figures work 60+ hours a week. The few that I know who make 7 figures, work even more than that.
I had a breakthrough similar to this post where I finally decided that earning a solid $40k – $60k working from a year is totally fine as it gives me the flexibility I need and the 30-35 hour work week I want.
If you’re smart with your money, stay out of debt, follow a financial guru (like Dave Ramsey), invest what you do have wisely, you’ll end up with your millions for retirement, all while enjoying life in the process. That’s they key. Enjoying life…the journey.
You have to enjoy the journey because most people do not realize there really isn’t a “destination”. They think there is…they define a “destination” they want to be at. But then they get to that destination and it’s not enough…so they set an even higher destination that they have to work even harder for. It’s a bad cycle of disappointment and your family and loved ones end up paying the cost.
My two cents….thanks for this blog! I’ll start following… =)
Very wise words John! Couldn’t agree with you more. The key for me is in leveraging your time to increase your earnings without working more hours, but only doing that if you still enjoy the work. Like you say, there is no destination, so I’m working on enjoying the day to day! 🙂
I have recently taken this leap. Thanks to support from my awesome boyfriend and a nudge from my health I realized there is more to life then working for someone else. I am still depressurizing for 20 years in an office but pieces are beginning to come together. I agree that money isn’t and shouldn’t be the point, with a J-O-B you are selling you life and your time. I am not sure where I will end up with all of this. But getting off the treadmill for awhile or maybe forever is a really good start. Thank you for writing this…it makes me feel a bit less crazy for doing what I am doing.
Hey Cija,
Quitting your job isn’t crazy, if it is a manageable risk. On the contrary, I consider it a brave and brilliant move. I wish you the best of luck! 🙂
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom,
I think quitting your what I will say ”conventional job” to become self-employed and doing what you are passionate about is something I think many people would wish to do especially within my entourage here where I leave in Senegal (West Africa). But now what do you do when what you are passionate about or what you wish to be doing while being self employed needs to some extend some financial start up? Now this is an example of my case, cause I currently work for a corporate and I get an average pay. For sure I need to survive on the pay/ salary I receive, but actually what I am passionate about or is my ideal job is starting my social enterprise. So because of this, I need to work to be able to save money enough to invest in my project, thereby to some extend having an 80 – 20 equation of the living life or the moment & the working for money equation.
So in such a case, I want to quit my job, but would say stocked for now as I dim the risk not to be a calculated one.
I want to quit my job and go travelling for a couple of years. My job is good, my life is comfortable. It’s a big decision.
Listen to your body though – it knows when it’s time to quit and do something else.
Absolutely right Brett. I had a good job and a comfortable life, but I knew it was time to move on (and up).
I’m aware it might suck for a while but I’m ready to take that chance.
Man,
I will do the same thing, starting June 26 2012!
I have some plans but I can totally understand what your feelings are.
I am looking forward to enjoying life more, doing what I love as work (hopefully) and trying to find that motivation.
Good luck!
The same to you Dragos! 🙂
Amazing blog and articles Tom, I’m a big fan of your writing, and I guess we have very similar backgrounds and aspirations. Bookmarking this blog!
Fantastic Jean – glad to have you here! 🙂
To some extent you are dropping out because the constraints on your lifestyle will be totally different from the average person that works a job. Some people don’t like this and even feel lonely so like someone else already mentioned, aligning yourself with like minded people can really help.
A thing that is often said by people that have time freedom is that you have to work out what to do with it. Although this is a nice problem to have, you would think, it scares some people and work fills the gap…even people in their own business might do this because it is kind of noble and self sacrificing.
I would suggest that you are really living when you let all these distractions and noise damper down and listen to the voice that comes from inside you. Without sounding pretentious or indulging in spiritual self flagellation, I’d say you would be living outside of time when this occurs…..but I could be wrong 🙂
Interesting thoughts Ade…I especially like your point that it can be tough to fill the gaps when what you should be doing is not dictated to you. We tend to act like sheep at times, don’t we?
Damn Tom, it’s scary how much of a similar path you and I are on AND that I somehow found your blog….I can’t remember how I got here but glad I did!
I’ve felt like I should be sharing more of my own journey with my blog readers but I have to admit it is a bit scary. Your site has really inspired me that it is a good idea. I’ve debated if sharing my story is beneficial to anyone else but after reading your posts I realize that it is beneficial to share our stories, especially when they are not quite the “norm”.
Lastly, I am finding that making less money but having the freedom to spend your time the way you want is without a shadow of a doubt so much better than getting a paycheck and having someone else tell you when and how you should spend your time. No thanks, I’ll take less money and lots of fun, relaxing time with my friends and family any day.
Oh, and with that freedom comes the opportunity to make more money too if you want 🙂
Hey Tim – sounds like your attitude is spot on. But given that it is exactly the same as mine, I would say that 😉
Hey Tom!
Pleasure reading your blog and getting in touch with you today. I have to chime in on this post because I’m a generation X’er and I can wholeheartedly relate to chasing dollars and riches in my earlier years. I’m not saying MS still tempted by that mindset, but what I realized is I don’t necessarily need to be wealthy to live the type of lifestyle I want.
Pre-recession, all of my time effort and money went into sustaining a lifestyle – specifically a house – that I really could barely afford. I was neck deep in debt and stress. It really sucked.
A few years later (post-recession), I’m living in a house about a third of the size of my other one and could not be more excited about life. Why? Because my situation is completely temporary (we are renting our current house), it is completely sustainable (we are paying a ridiculously low amount for rent and utilities). we can go anywhere and do anything at any time. Within a reasonably short amount of time, we will be location independent and will travel fulltime with our kids.
In addition, all my cars are paid off and we are putting my wife through nursing school with no loans – all paid in cash. The less stuff we have, the less debt we have, the more flexibility we have. The rules never change.
Do I sometimes miss the size of my old house? You betcha. But I’m sure my wife and kids don’t miss how stressed out and angry dad was most of the time as he works two jobs to bring in enough income.
Anyway, thanks for shining the light on this important topic and being willing to be gut level honest about it. I look forward to more thoughts on this.
Hey Brandon,
Awesome to hear about how you’ve made a shift to prioritizing quality of life, rather than the same old chase for material wealth that most people seem to covet above everything else. The more people who realize, the better!
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Your post really struck a cord with me. I would really love to quit my job but it is easier said than done. It is hard when you have a mortgage and a family but I don’t really want to give up trying. Just like you, I don’t see the point in working my ass for the next 30 yrs doing the same thing, advancing my career but not enjoying much of life. I do write a lot, I own a few niche sites myself, but I’ve not tried freelancing. I may have to dig deeper into your blog to see how it is done
Hi Jim,
It is of course easier said than done, but that doesn’t make it impossible. I didn’t have a family to support when I quit, but I did have a mortgage. At the end of the day, having a family to support just means that you should be more risk-averse, and start with a bigger financial safety net. It’s all just numbers when you drill down to it.
Don’t give up!
Cheers,
Tom
Tom, how many years did you work before quitting your job?
I worked around 5 1/2 years after leaving university before quitting my job.
Gotcha. Was there an original target goal you had first, or did you just one day decide you had enough?
I originally wanted to work for 18 years until 40, but after 13 years and discovering online income potential, decided to engineer my layoff then. Another 5 years would have been too much.
Not quite just one day, but along those lines…if you read my two recent “story so far” posts, it’s all in there 🙂
I’m really curious to know your thoughts, and other people’s thoughts about whether people think we’ve turned into an ADD generation? Has the internet made us want things, and want things now before putting in the effort?
I get the feeling that we are cutting the chord too early, only to realize self-employment is not for us, and that “success” takes a lot more effort than we realize.
Thoughts?
I think that we are overwhelmed by choice these days, and that makes us impatient.
I personally wouldn’t generalize about people cutting the cord too early, as you put it, but it is fair to say that most people’s ideal of success does not match reality.
Hi Tom —
I just came across your blog while doing a search for “I quit my job.” I currently work for a major Consulting Firm and I totally understand your thoughts on working 60 hour weeks to make money for another person.
I will recenlty be quitting my job to open Aquaphia Wellness Center and in Belgium. Not only will this require me to quit my job in a month, I will also be moving from the US to Belgium.
Your words are truly insprirational…I did not even consider that the work I do, not matter how much or how little, only lines the pockets of the owners of my business. Okay, in my line of business it’s possible to make partner, but how much ownership can one really have in an LLC amongst 150 other partners (just in ONE city!)?
I knew that I wanted to control my own life…but I never thought of controlling my own earning power in this way. Thank you so much for this insightful description. Your words have had more impact that I can express on this e-mail.
Best of luck to you
Hello,
First of all, congratulations on being the first person I am aware of who has actually done a Google search relating to quitting your job and actually stuck around for long enough to leave a comment 😉
One thing I often say to people is that any employer expects to make money out of an employee. After they’ve added up your salary, tax, all the overheads related to employing you, and so on, they want to make money. So anyone who doesn’t have faith that they can make equivalent or higher earnings by launching their own business or going self-employed doesn’t have enough faith in their own boss who seems to think they’re worth the money, let alone themselves.
Best of luck in Belgium — a lovely country, if a little flat 😉
Cheers,
Tom
Hey Tom! Thanks for the reply…
Belgium is absolutely colder and rainy!!! Actually rainer than the UK (lived in the UK for 4 years and Belgium for 3 years prior to this endeavor)
May be hitting you up privately for business. Stay tuned.
Best,
AqA
This is a great post.
I could not agree more with your point that balance is the key to working for yourself. But what a fantastic problem to have! For most people working for themselves this time freedom is still not an option – they still have to work 60 hours – managing, dealing with customers etc.
Online business on the other-hand enables us to outsource, automate and earn passive income.
Since firing my boss, I have always worked hard to try and maintain this balance, but lately to be honest I find that I am either sitting on a beach for 3 months or working 60 hours for 3 months. Regardless, now more then ever, I really appreciate what an awesome gig we have.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Quinn
Hi Quinn,
You hit upon some interesting points, but we all have the power to shape and mold our businesses into something that affords us more balance. It is all too easy to feel trapped by your business, but there is always a way out — it’s just a case of weighing up the pros and cons and deciding what the best path is for you.
Anyway, sitting on a beach for three months can’t be all that bad 😉
Cheers!
Tom
Love this Tom. The headline just grabs me. I’ve read this several times.
I think it’s because you highlight what it’s really all about …
Leaving behind the fight between being the person we think others want us to be, and the person we truly know we can be (if we were able to put that demand aside).
The change comes when we become friends with ourselves. When we stop hating ourselves for not being that person others want. When we start giving recognition to the person we really are.
Wanting to be rich or famous is another way of wanting to be recognised and feeling worth something to ourselves.
Instead of focusing on outside sources of recognition, such as what others think of us, or how they judge us, focus on what those things will bring you. The end product, if you like.
It’s about taking time to discover what your end products, or end wants, are, and focusing on getting those right.
It’s about spending time with who you are, even if it’s difficult to begin with, and finding out what really drives you deep down.
We stick in jobs we hate because we’re told that’s what we have to do if we’re responsible adults.
In reality, if we were responsible adults we’d get out of our boring job as soon as possible.
In the end, it’s just that: Recognition, and Acceptance – for the person we should be (for everyone’s sake), Ourselves, and to let this person free.
Everything else, such as income, relationships, calm and confidence, flows from this kind of personal freedom, and keeps momentum going.
Tom
Amen Tom. Thanks for such a well-considered comment.
Cheers!
Tom
Why is it possible for US bloggers to make it better than Nigerians?
Hi Daniel,
I’m afraid I don’t understand the question — can you rephrase it?
Cheers,
Tom
P.S. I’m English, not American 🙂
Love the post man. I totally agree. Money is pointless if you don’t have the time to enjoy it. I quit my job about a month ago and started a blog as well. I quickly realize how hard it is to be your own boss and provide your own motivation. I went through a slump for a few weeks and now I’m finally back on track and building a lot of traffic for my blog while freelance writing. Steps in the right direction.
Impressive Story, Tom. I am also on my way to freedom, but i am not yet sure if i will do it self employed. Having a goal of financial freedom in mind, after meeting my current girlfrriend, i realized that there are many other goals to be set. Money is one part of the game, but not the real thing in life. For me, i guess that i chose financial freedom as goal first, because i did not yet know what to do next. And honestly, i am still figuring out. Until then — working on that is great. I love your posts and keep on reading. Many more posts to go through on your site. Keep the good work going!
Hello Tom. This is a grea blog. I have been reading your posts and enjoy it.
I graduated 8 months ago and was the best of my class. Everybody was expecting that I will continue my education or get a good job. But none of it happened. I don’t like being bossed around and I want to have the freedom to do things I love when I want it to (play football). In October I started my own “online business” in the hope to have an income that will make it possible to live the life I want. And the life I want is not something gigantic. I saw your income reports and would be satisified with even half of what you earn. However, till now it’s not been very successful, but I hope that it will change. I am losing my motivation and feeling more and more pressure from my family so I wanted to share my experiences with someone who had something similar going on. I would also appreciate any tips you could give me.
Hey Ensar, I’d recommend this: http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/how-to-succeed-in-business-and-life/ and this: http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/how-to-beat-business-stress/. Cheers, Tom.
Great read. Keep up the good work Tom. I’ve also been working as a freelancer in web design for the past few years and never had a regular 9-5 job. It’s so much better to do your own thing than to be bossed around for years in order to make an income.
Best of luck
Thanks Zeljko!
Very interestering topic!
I come from a country where the economy situation is deteriorating (Italy) and in the last years I’ve been knowing long time unemployment, short term jobs and the terrible feeling of not being able to make a living.
I decided to emigrate and now live in a foreign country. Here I’ve found a job and I can say I’m not scared anymore by not being able to pay my bills at the end of the month but am I happy? The answer is I am not!
I just feel trapped into this circle of working full hours to earn the money which are supposed to make me happy. The problem is that I don’t like the job and material objects do not make me happy.
So I agree with you when you say that time and quality of life is our greatest value, our biggest fortune. An ipod don’t make me happy but having more time to walk my dog, study a foregn language, read (e)books or watch a movie at home with my partner do.
I don’t like the idea of working 40hrs /week and losing the chance to grow and improve as a human being, I want my life to be more balance and focused on everyday life now.
Sorry for the long reply and for my english.
I think it’s important to get out from the rush to get rich because times are changing and materialism is not the key which will make us happier.
Tera.
Hey Tera,
No need to apologise 🙂
I think you share a feeling that many of us have. The next step is to start taking action to get yourself away from that feeling. Only you can do that.
Cheers,
Tom
I’ve been self-employed for the last 5 years.
I love it, because of the flexibility and creating my own tasks.
But sometimes I hate it, because of the flexibility and having to create my own tasks.
Having someone tell you what to do every day can have its pros and cons.
That’s why I find mastermind groups or accountability groups to be so very important!
I love that Brooks — you loving and hating self-employment for the same reason. I feel your pain!
Hey Tom,
I think the reason you’re no longer in a hurry to “get rich”… is because you already are. Money isn’t the only part of “being rich and successful.”
But I’m sure you know that.
Very nicely put Joseph. If only more people understood what you already know!
I know WE have to work to fix this irrational world we live in.
Hey Tom,
Awesome post. I love how open and authentic you are. In a place surrounded with “get rich quick” schemes and gurus, it’s refreshing to see real people doing real stuff and being so open about it.
Keep up the good work mate.
Brent Price
The Web Marketing Show
Thank you Brent 🙂