How to be an amazing Quitter to redefine your life?!

 

I have a treat for you – I found somebody speaking my redefining language! Tiffany blogs at damngoodmom.com and I think her text about how can you change your life by being a conscious quitter is amazing. It’s redefining at it’s best! I’m leaving you in good hands:

Hi there!

I’m Tiffany Green. I am Chemist turned WAHM and I love it. I believe in working hard and living a life that makes you happy, even if that means you must make some sacrifices. My current goals are to be the best mom to my newborn and to eat less brownies!

I’m a quitter

Yes, you read the title right. I’m a quitter, I plan to teach my child to be a quitter, and I think you should consider being a quitter too. Let me explain.

I’ve worked several jobs and most of them, I have quit to pursue different opportunities. Notice, I wrote different and not better. At the time that I was quitting, I didn’t know if the path I was choosing would be better. Instead, I was taking terrifying risks:

Each of the jobs I quit were decent jobs, with benefits and longevity. Yet I quit. I quit when learning and opportunity became unattainable in a job. I quit when an opportunity to pursue a passion presented itself. I quit when my purpose in life changed.

Related post: What’s the motivation behind redefining

I didn’t give up on being a success, I quit to pursue different paths. You can do the same!

I understand that we all have bills, but we often give jobs too much power over how we live our lives. We have all thought or said “I can’t do ____ because I have to work.” This is always true for a season, but when will that season change?

You Can Quit Because You Are Rich

You may be thinking, I must be rich.  I’m rich but not financially. In fact, I’ve been on a journey to pay off debt since I graduated, with more than $40K in student loans. Some of you may be thinking, well you have a husband to help you. This is true, I am blessed to have a husband who supports my dreams wholeheartedly, but I’d never want to burden my husband or put undue stress on our relationship. Also, my momma taught me to always be able to take care of myself.

How Can You Afford to Quit?

Quitting doesn’t happen like it does in the movies. On the big screen, actors and actresses decided they don’t like an action by their boss, they rashly pack their boxes of stuff, and dramatically turn and storm out. This is unrealistic.

A good quitter plans and budgets for the unknown. A good quitter gives a two weeks’ notice and leaves without burning bridges. A good quitter, quits with a plan. This is how I quit.

Of course, you can’t plan for everything, but you can plan for what you know.

Don’t Quit Without Knowing These 3 Things:

1. Money and Monthly Expenses

If you know your monthly expenses and how much money you have in your bank account, then you should know exactly how long you can go without any income. Now, you can budget accordingly. In fact, quitting without another source of income will force you be an amazing budget-er.

I’ve met people who tell me how hard it is to stick to a budget, and it is hard, but imagine if you had to budget for your livelihood. Treat your budget like your livelihood and happiness depends on it… because it does. Even if you don’t quit, there is no guarantee that you will not get laid off or fired. Create a budget that helps you be prepared for most circumstance changes.

Quitting without another income is unrealistic for some people, especially those with family responsibilities, but quitting is still an option. Find another job with similar or better pay and benefits, then quit. Also, there is the option to side hustle, until you can afford to quit. Don’t let your finances keep you in the same place, year after year, if you aren’t happy.

2. Skills You Can Monetize

When you have skills, you have options. This is the reason I will take a job earning less money, if it will give me the opportunity to learn something I want to know, without compromising my livelihood. When you have skills, you have options. When you have skills that other people need, you have even more options and more opportunities.

You don’t need a degree to have skills. Some of the most educated people I know don’t have degrees. Instead, they have hands-on experience and years of life. Think about it, you probably know a street mechanic that can fix your car from top to bottom or a construction man who can build you a house. They have skills, but they don’t have degrees.

The idea that success requires a degree is a joke. There is a whole generation of young adults with degrees who haven’t found success yet.  Yes, if your dream is to be a doctor, you must get the appropriate degrees; however, if your dream is to be an entrepreneur, you can do it without a degree. You just need skills and sometimes a certification. How you go about getting those skills is up to you. Tip: Google, a community course, your local library, and people you walk by everyday are great resources.

I encourage you to learn what skills you have or can gain that can be monetized. If you can bake, have a bake sale; everyone loves a good treat. If you know a difficult area of study, you can tutor. Whatever your skill is, just hone it and learn how to monetize it, to serve others. You can earn money without a traditional 9-5 job.

3. A Working Plan

When I was working one of the jobs I quit. I started taking a TEFL course to get certified to teach English. I used that certificate to teach and earn money, while I traveled around Europe solo in 2015.

The point is, I didn’t just up and quit with no idea of what I wanted to do next. I had a working plan or a researched path, to get to where I wanted to be next. I saved money to pay for an on-line course, I took that online course in the evenings, after work, and I pursued my plan with intensity.

Many of us get caught in a cycle. Work. Eat. Netflix and Chill. Sleep. Repeat. What an uninspiring existence! Even if you love your work, it’s important to have hobbies and goals and dreams. It’s important to have something you are working towards, something that will motivate you to leave your comfort zone and quit, so that you can advance further. That something should start with a plan.

Related post: Planning systems for Moms

I am a quitter and as a result: I have taught in Prague, danced the salsa dance in Guatemala, sipped tea in Denmark, stood in awe of the Opera House in Australia, kissed my husband at the Eiffel Tower, and was able to make the decision to work from home, to be with my daughter. By the grace of God, quitting has made all this possible.

Quitting Is Not Easy

The first time, I quit one of the good jobs with health benefits and retirement options, I was terrified.  I had become comfortable with my situation. I knew the people, I knew the job, and I knew the expectations. I was comfortable, and I doubted my decision to quit; I even considered requesting my job back, in the last two weeks. It didn’t help that some of the people in my life weren’t supportive.

Many wondered if I was crazy for quitting. I ignored the people who told me not to go. I ignored the people who called me stupid. I ignored the voice in my head that kept asking me Whatcha Doing Willis?

I share this to let you know, not everyone will want you to be a quitter. You’ll have to make your own decision and stand firm in it, even if you are standing solo. Just make sure you have God with you.

Quitting Can Be Applied to Every Area of Your Life.

I’m an organized, planner, with a heart for travel that quits but never gives up! I want to encourage you to be a responsible quitter too. Especially, if it gets you to the place you really want to be!

• If you are in a job that you hate that is stressful and heading to nowhere, search for another job, so you can quit.
• Quit not budgeting. Budgeting and responsible money management are essential for success.
• If you are using products that aren’t working but the bottle isn’t empty, quit using it. Move on.
• If you are hanging out with people who don’t encourage growth, quit hanging out with them.

You see, quitting can be achieved on various levels.

One last thought:

What if you quit and it doesn’t work out? I had these same thoughts and fears. I thought what if I quit and returned to no other job opportunities?

What if you quit and the grass is not greener, or you hate the experience? The reality is… you will not know, until you try. No one can promise you rainbows when you take a risk, but what if you succeed, after you quit? Wouldn’t that be amazing?!

 

Related post by Tiffany:  

Are Your Excuses Making You Broke And Unsuccessful?

 

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