Self Made Guy

I’ve read Seth Godin’s book “The Dip” a couple times but I still don’t think I get it (well, now I do, but I didn’t…).

• I understand the idea that in life, quitting isn’t always a bad thing.
• I understand what he means when he mentions choosing the right time to quit.
• I also know how to recognize whether I’ve reached a dead-end or a cliff, but for some odd reason, I still take too much time to do it.

Today I made a list of reasons I quit my previous jobs, and a pattern emerged. I realized that if I had noticed this pattern 3-months earlier, I would have quit my jobs that much quicker.

Here are my signs of trouble:

• I stopped learning and being challenged
• I frequently arrived late and/or woke-up dreading the day ahead of me
• I became irritable towards my family and close friends
• Evenings and weekends were spent learning new things and starting personal projects (as opposed to relaxing and enjoying life with my family and friends)
• At work, I spent more and more time surfing the internet, idling and sometimes pretending to work
• Work conditions slowly deteriorated
• I resented my superior(s) and didn’t enjoy working anymore

This list is probably familiar to many people out there. So what gives? Why do we let ourselves behave this way?

I think my reason can be attributed to a lack of confidence and guts for taking big risks. I need to realize what I’m worth and what I can contribute to the world. With this knowledge, and the courage to make the right decisions at the right time, I will be able to recognize a dip worth leaning into in order to be successful. I’m not advocating quitting as soon as things appear bad, but rather being quick to know what’s going on and react accordingly (working harder/smarter VS moving-on).

On that note, I would love to know how others go about quitting their jobs. Do you wait until it is absolutely necessary?

Please leave your comments below.

I’ve been known to change jobs often in very short timespans. Interestingly, the longest “job” i’ve ever held was being a self-employeed freelancer/consultant. Despite this, i’m not what employers consider a “bad employee”. I’m usually always on-time, I have a great attitude and deal well with people, I’m pretty good at what I do, and I always help them save/make a lot of money.

When things go wrong, they are usually due to my inability to express my creativity, and the fact that I don’t like being told what to do… I guess it’s a problem with authority lol. Having a boss who prevents this side of me from surfacing is a sure-fire way to make me quit. Everyone wants freedom and the chance to use their imagination. Throughout the years I’ve learned that the corporate world is not the place showcase your creativity.

Sure, some jobs allow and even require you to do this, but there is usually someone or something there to stop you. I’ve discovered that working for yourself is the absolute best (and probably the only) way to have complete control over your time and creativity, thus allowing you to pursue your passions.

My mom thinks i’m crazy. Everytime I get annoyed or bored in a certain job, I quit. To her, my reasons are never valid, but to me they are the best reasons on earth. I want to enjoy life. I want to enjoy everything I do and be in control of it along the way. Most people don’t think it’s possible, but I know it is.

In retrospect, I think the real question I should ask myself is “Why do I keep taking new jobs?”. The answer for me has always been one of money. I’ve never actually made a sustained effort to make money as a freelancer & consultant. I always thought being a freelancer was the best way to be self-employed, but I was completely wrong because I still ended up working crazy hours.

Separating your time from your work is an important move to make. I need to start a business, go back to being self-employed, without relying on my TIME as the only way to make an income. I understand it requires a lot of time initially to start-up and get things rolling, but it has to be done.

This time I want to do things differently. I realize that doing the same things (which didn’t work) will not work the next time around. If I want to leave my job for good, i’ll need to stick to THAT goal and focus a lot of energy on working smarter, not harder.

I guess that’s what would really make me a Self Made Guy.