My mission with this blog is to motivate people to start online businesses so that they can escape their unfulfilling jobs and do something they love.
But the truth is that only a small minority of people will actually do it.
I know that this sounds very pessimistic, but it’s been proven that people prefer what they know and are used to. This study from 2010 shows that we attribute more value to what has been around for longer, over newer things.
In this case, what’s been around for longer is your job. You’ve been doing it for a while and it’s not terrible. It’s fine, and at least it’s safe, right?
The 3 Reasons That Won’t Let You Escape Your Job
Breaking away from the status quo is not for everyone, which is why I think that there’s a high chance that you’ll stay at your job - even if you don’t like it.
1 - You’re afraid of the unknown
As humans, we are programmed to have fear as a safety mechanism. It has been incredibly useful at keeping us alive and away from predators and other dangers - but it’s ruining your ability to change and live a better life.
It takes guts and effort to take the leap and start something new, especially when it’s as life-changing as starting a new career. The worst part is that you don’t know what it will be like.
You’ll have these sorts of questions niggling in the back of your mind:
Will I be happier? Will I make enough money? Will I fail and be forced to go back to my job?
These are all important questions to answer, especially because escaping your job and running a business isn’t for everyone. But if you know that deep inside you want this, let me ask you something:
Have you always let fear make decisions for you?
This is where most people will stumble and never take action. If you manage to get past the fear of the unknown, you still have two more obstacles to overcome…
2 - Your money habits aren’t great
Let’s say you have the burning desire to escape your 9-5 job. You have a dream of making a living around something you love - something that will let you make a much bigger contribution to the world.
That’s great and much better than most people, but unless you have control over your finances it’s not going to happen.
An estimated 38 million households in the U.S. spend every penny of their paychecks, which suggests that they have allowed their spending to creep up to their income.
The reality is that a new business isn’t going to make much money at the start, so you need to lower your financial target to be successful.
If your expenses are something like $10,000 per month, you’ll need to create a big business to cover those expenses. It will take much more work, time, and risk to get it working.
However, let’s say you’ve managed to lower your expenses by focusing on what makes you happy and trimmed off the unnecessary. You’ll then have a lower target to hit, meaning that you’ll be much more likely to succeed sooner.
Getting into the habit of spending less while you still have a 9-5 job also means that you’ll be able to save money to build an emergency fund. This is what I did by saving $20,000 in a year so that I could start this website and work full-time on it!
3 - You worry about what they’ll say
I know this feeling all too well.
Throughout my life, I always cared deeply about what people thought of me. I wanted to meet their expectations and succeed at life.
That’s what led me to become a mechanical engineer (one of the most prestigious careers here in Spain) and start buying status-defining objects like a sports car, an Armani watch, and the latest and greatest consumer electronics in the market - seriously I bought a new flagship phone every single year.
It wasn’t until I broke away from this life of spending that I realised something:
People don’t really care about your success as much as you think. Most people have their own problems and don’t care about yours. The people you want by your side will support you because they love you.
If you always fear the opinion of others, you’ll never grow and you’ll never achieve your true ambitions.
I love this story of a woman who quit her high-paying job in New York to move to the U.S. Virgin Islands and work in an ice cream parlour. She did what most people are too afraid to do: she stopped caring about peoples’ opinions and did what made her happy.
What Can You Do About It?
If you think you’re one of the few who’ll read this article and actually take action, then congratulations - you’re way ahead of most of your peers.
Following your dreams, desires, and ambitions is super tough, and there is an inner battle against self-doubt that you must win if you want to succeed. In fact, it’s more of an ongoing battle, but you must come on top most days - except on bad days. We all have bad days! 😉
Here are the two things that I want you to do now:
If you’re struggling with any of the 3 points above, get my free guide which will teach you the 7 steps you’ll need to follow to escape your job, start a business and take control of your finances:
Secondly, please share this article on your social media using the buttons below. You may be helping one of your friends out by sharing this with them, and you’ll definitely be helping me 🙂
Scared of the unknown is my biggest set back for going off on my own. I know my money habits are good and I really don’t care what other people think but it’s the chance that maybe I’ll fail or won’t be as successful as my current career that has me second guessing. So I’m dipping my toes in the water and going to see how it goes as a part time gig.
That’s the best approach! Try it and see how it goes. If you end up making a decent enough income, you can always take the leap then. Having a large amount of money saved up can also give you the peace of mind you need and prevent you from failing altogether 🙂