9 Reasons You Should (Consider) Quitting Your Job

If you feel stuck in your job, it's time to think about what you really want from your career.

There are plenty of opportunities out there, ripe for the picking.

And maybe quitting your job sounds scary. But you should at least step back and assess your situation. There’s no downside to knowing your options and simply working through the exercise of consideration.

You owe it to yourself to at least find out what else might be out there for you.

So here are nine good things to consider as you search for meaning in your career.

Your health

During the pandemic, our physical and mental health took a pretty big hit.

And now we're back at work and also trying to play catch up on our health.

But you only have so much energy in a day.

Working for yourself trims a lot of the “time fat” that comes with employment- meetings, emails, commutes, meetings about meetings. You know the story.

I’ve used my extra hours to zoom in on my mental and physical health.

Your family

Your spouse/partner is getting older, and your kids are growing up fast.

At the end of your life, will you be glad you spent more time at the office and glued to email? Or will you be glad you built a business that gave you more time with your loved ones?

Being closer to your family lets you experience your big “why” on a daily basis.

Your Time

Time moved slowly when I was a kid.

A little faster in my 20's.

And then bang. I'm 42.

I hate to be morbid, but the sand in the hourglass is moving faster all the time. I’d struggle to spend the prime of my life missing my wife, not being able to travel the world, or not being able to see my parents before they are gone.

Owning my time is the biggest benefit of solopreneurship.

Loyalty

In case you've missed it, companies are laying employees off by the boatload.

And you may feel a sense of loyalty to your boss or your company. But sadly, that’s a one-way street. In reality, you're a line on a spreadsheet until the math doesn't work out.

The days of 30+ year careers at companies are over.

Employ yourself, and you'll get the boss you deserve.

Leverage

If you build a successful online audience & business, you create leverage for yourself.

You become harder to control. You can say “no” more often. You can take time off when you want. And you can do your best work when it works for you.

You control the effort and how big you want to go.

You're the decision-maker. You push and pull your own levers at your own speed.

Flexibility

Want to take Johnny on a fishing trip?

Want to accompany your aging parents to Japan for their dream vacation?

No more "Damn, my boss says no" while telling your friends about the great work/life balance at your company.

Say yes to everything that matters.

Purpose

When you were growing up, did you dream of sitting in a cubicle and talking to customers about some random integrated multi-platform functionality that will probably fail to IPO?

Hell no.

Instead, spend your precious hours working on an obsession and finding people who need what you're selling.

Believe me, they’re out there.

Joy

We all think we want happiness, but what we really want is joy.

Happiness is fleeting moments.

Joy comes from making a meaningful impact during our lives.

By betting on yourself and aligning with your higher purpose, you gift yourself the opportunity to live a joyful life.

Regret

Regret is one of the hardest emotions to experience.

You don't want to look back in ten years and wish you started earlier. Wish you’d given your younger self a chance at least.

Could you fail? Absolutely.

Will you make mistakes? 100%

Will you recover and always be able to find a job again if you're talented? Definitely.

_____

I’m not suggesting you walk into the office tomorrow and throw down the ol’ “I quit!”

That would be silly.

But I am asking you to ponder my reasons to consider an alternative universe for yourself. One where you choose your own adventure and live by your own rules.

Spend a few hours considering your possibilities and brainstorming what a game plan might look like for you. What would you say? How would you do it? How would you build a social media audience? What business would you build to serve them? How would you support yourself?

These are all great questions to ponder.

I hope you’ll at least take that challenge and participate in the exercise of consideration.

I'm rooting for you.