There’s been a lot of energy and conversation lately around the topics of lifestyle design and following your passion.
Some people will tell you that quitting your job and doing what you love is a panacea for all of life’s problems. It’s the cure for what’s ailing the stressed out, overworked, and underengaged human.
The truth is obvious: quitting your job will definitely not solve all of your problems. Just as finding your One True Love, or the One True Religion won’t magically make all of your problems go away either.
With anything that we strive for, the grass usually seems greener on the other side. It can be hard not to romanticize the achievement of your goal. But the truth is that the road to the summit may not always be easy, and when we get there, we may find ourselves with the same mind we came there with, asking “What next?”
If you’re relying on something external to solve your problems, and you attain that external solution, you’ll likely be in a position to create another ideal, and another set of problems. With that comes another set of judgments about where you want to go, and inevitably, more striving.
The truth is, nothing beyond yourself will set you free. Freedom is a state of mind. You have the choice, right now, to do whatever you want. Will there be consequences or ripple events created based on your decisions? Yes. But that freedom to do what you want is always within your grasp, now.
I think a lot of people want to quit their jobs because the situation of working for yourself brings a sense of more freedom and control. And that is a real shift, in a situational context.
But there are limitations to working for yourself, to the perfect relationship, or anything else we might want.
So maybe it’s not the lack of limits that we’re seeking. Maybe we simply want to choose how we create our own limits, on our own terms.
Looking back, that’s why I wanted to quit my job. I thought it would bring me freedom, and yes, I too romanticized what that reality would be like once I “escaped.”
But these days I’m realizing more and more that freedom is something that we have access to right now. Anytime you rely on something else for it, you give your power to that something else. And that’s definitely not freedom.
If you want to quit your job or pursue any dream, realize that it is not a destination that brings you freedom. It’s exercising your power to be free right now that allows you to choose working for yourself.
Sometimes we need a reminder that freedom is something freely accessed, regardless of our life situation.
Let’s not forget that.
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103 Comments on "Why Quitting Your Job Won’t Solve All Your Problems"
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Topic reminds me of Larkin’s poem – Poetry of Departures (http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/philip-larkin/poetry-of-departures/): ‘… But I’d go today, Yes, swagger the nut-strewn roads, Crouch in the fo’c’sle Stubbly with goodness, if It weren’t so artificial, Such a deliberate step backwards’
It wasn’t until I made the choice to change my attitude and show up whole hearted and committed to where I was in the present that I was able to start making authentic changes in my life.
This is a pretty good article! Be your own boss, why work for someone else and make them money. I wrote a similar on my website, you can check it out if you click my name. Thanks!
I knew that quitting my job wasn’t going to solve any of my problems, but I felt so overwhelmed at one time earning a living at something I hated. While I built my business, I took 4 sick days to recoup and then I put in 3 hours everynight at my blog. It has paid off. I think that following your dreams can sometimes make you more of a prisoner! Thanks for this!
You can quit your job but you’ll still take YOURSELF with you into whatever you do next.
If you do make the brave move of quitting your job I think it’s best not to do it as a form of escape, but more as a result of growth.
5 years ago I quit my job to be my own boss, It was a great feeling of freedom! 5 years later my business is super successful and I’m a slave of my own business….I have NO TIME for anything that is not work, I feel miserable and unhappy and I want to quit on myself! HELP! I don’t enjoy my work anymore! the grass is not greener on the other side!
Completely agree with this! I often tell my clients “who you are doesn’t change with your circumstances – be the person you want to be now.” A lot of people think things will be different “as soon as”, but once they get there they realize that the same mindset, struggles, and habits that made them unhappy in the first place have followed them to their new situation.
My own boss, It was a great feeling of freedom! 5 years later my business is super successful and I’m a slave of my own business….I have NO TIME for anything.
[…] Jonathan Mead in Why Quitting Your Job Won’t Solve All Your Problems […]
I’m in this dilemma now. Sometime ago I did read a post where the author quit the job to take up travel writing and the instances she underwent to get courage, talk to her boss and the initial plan up.
The contrast I read here does actually make me think more. Overall a great insight. Thanks!
Great post! it took me a while, but finally following my heart!
Hi Jonathan,
Is it possible to enjoy whatever you do if you come from a place of wholeness and connection to yourself & others, e.g. being an RN? Nursing can be drudgery but also a contribution to others. Just curious about your take on it.
I agree with the post and i’d like to say you guy has done very well. I love your content very much!
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I think fundamentally, the 9 to 5 is great for some and a prison for others. For me, the 9 to 5 is stultifying and has sent me through a crucible to discovering my passion. I don’t think a simple change of mindset can make someone happy, when they’re in a job that is fundamentally unsuited to them.
I think it takes an incredibly brave person to quit their salaried job. I haven’t yet been that brave, but will be soon.
Great article!
Ultimately, it is about how well you know yourself that will solve problems!
Thanks
Ganesh