When I departed my 20-year oil/gas career in 2015, I was 43 and I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I just knew that I didn’t want to be part of any industry that treated good people like temporary consumables, easily discarded because of bad leadership decisions.
I was tired of the office politics, power-tripping ineffective middle managers, and a few unethical actions I was witnessing.
The hardest part about leaving is the fear of the unknown. We are led to believe that jobs are “steady” paychecks. We pretend that there is stability and certainty, because that is what we’ve been conditioned to believe.
We carry those beliefs because it’s what the people around us have convinced us of, and when so many people repeat something – surely it must be true, right?
If you are a great employee, or consider yourself a high performer, keep reading. The rest of you can drop off here. You don’t have what it takes, if you aspire to lead an average life.
You’ve got to learn to bet on yourself. You must realize that no decision is final, and that you always have the power to change your mind and make new decisions later.
That job that you dislike is just one decision away from being removed from your life. That decision could be your supervisor’s, or it could be your own decision. Just one decision.
The worst case scenario is that your true calling fails, and you eventually may have to go get another job. That’s a low-risk “worst case” currently, because so many companies are short-handed and looking to hire, anyways. Great performers will always have job offers.
2016-18 were two of my lowest income producing years that I had experienced in over 20 years. I was taking on some contractor gigs, starting a couple businesses and writing my book. I sold off a few assets and reduced my monthly bills. I stopped buying cars every year, and put my racing hobby aside. I became focused on what really matters.
There were a few people that I once considered friends that couldn’t understand why I was doing what I was doing. They laughed when I told them I was going to write a book. They thought it was dumb that I was learning to become a public speaker. They thought my podcast was a silly hobby that would never amount to anything.
They didn’t see what I see. They didn’t understand how strong my beliefs are. Even though I’ve had a long history of doing what I say I’m going to do, and win at it, they likely judged me based on their own mediocre accountability levels and their own lack of drive.
What I’ve come to realize is that I wasn’t downsizing my life. I was buying back my freedom and my time. Something I never got to fully experience during that 20-year corporate career.
Nowadays I’m earning far more than that previous career. I’m also able to do what I do, anywhere in the world. Rather than paychecks, I find my source of fulfilment in helping thousands of people find confidence and build successful businesses.
Imagine where I would have been, had I listened to all the negative voices and limiting opinions of others.
I’m just getting started. Are you?