This weekend I went out with a couple of friends. They all seem to loathe the organizations that pay them. Some complained, “I don’t trust my manager, he/she is trying to get ride of me” or “The company is run by greedy bastards who didn’t give me the bonus I deserved” or “I cant believe we had another four hour meeting.”
Come on, if they really hate it, why don’t they just quit? Here are 5 reasons why it’s so hard!
1. Fear of what parents, friends, colleagues and society will say. Every one of my clients and a bunch of my friends are stuck in this state of thinking about what would everyone else think versus what will we think of ourselves. It’s easier to be a banker or lawyer than take a year out to write a book or learn to cook. I love my parents, but the truth is that the path of success has completely changed, and the old myth that working for a corporation will give you security is less relevant today. And of course, maybe that desire to find meaning in life and contribute to making a difference is an example of western education. Taking some time to think about why are you here or how will you make the world awesome can help you decide if you should quit. Don’t be afraid to discover that your purpose could lead you down an unfamiliar road to a place you’ve never been before…Embrace fear!
2. Myth of safety for working for a corporation: I use the word myth because over the past decade with the growth in outsourcing, mergers, reorganizations and market instability, jobs have become less secure. It’s like being in a messed up relationship where we think that maybe – just maybe – if I just work a little harder, I will get noticed and maybe I will get promoted. And to succeed in the entrepreneur world, there are a lot more factors than just hard work, but you can start to create mini-experiments to explore different potential careers and businesses.
3. Mother of all uncertainty – fear of self-employment: Work might suck and you might complain, but the chances are, you feel comfortable because you know the rules of the game. It’s a regular paycheck and you don’t have to think or work hard. Launching your own business on the other hand, you need to think about accounting, legal, sales + marketing, product development and distribution. That freaks most of us out and we prefer to opt for certainty, but getting clearer of what you want really helps, so working with a coach or even joining our career program can really help.
4. But, fear about losing the benefits? Everyone loves the benefits; health, dental, insurance, sick leave and so on. If you have family or kids it can be a massively impact your decision to stay in an average job and could be the reason behind your fear of leaving. This totally matters, but hey, what kind of life do you want to live? Do you want to be average or awesome?
5. Fear of not having enough money. I love this response. I love it so much that I spent 9 months trying to understand if it was legitimate, and guess what….A lot of times we don’t actually need as much as we think we need; startup costs vary! One great book is Lean Startup, because it walks you through the process. Another approach is transitioning from being an employee to an independent contractor. You can stay in your job, search for VC money or start with a minimum viable product and begin generating money and see where that goes.
Now if you don’t know exactly what you want, and you want to invest in knowing more about your purpose and the fears that are holding you back, then my free 14 Day Free Fear Challenge is right up your alley! Sign up here to get access to the program when it’s out!
What other excuse do you think is the reason why you, or others, haven’t quit their job?
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