It’s Monday morning and your alarm clock buzzes at what feels like the sound of an emergency fire alarm. In your sleepy state you reach over to slam your hand on the snooze button with a vengeance.  “Just 10 more minutes,” you tell yourself. You’re not the least bit excited to wake up and go to your job for which you have no passion.
I know the feeling. I’ve worked jobs that didn’t fuel my fire. Jobs that I either dreaded going to or just wasn’t that passionate about.  I’ve had jobs I liked, but didn’t love and knew I was destined to do something else. 

If you spend any time on social media I’m sure you’ve seen the many posts meant to inspire you. 

Pursue your passion!

Follow your dreams! 

Reach for the stars! 

You’re destined for greatness!

I’ve  written and spoken about those exact things.  All well meaning motivational posts meant to inspire you to make a change in your life. Giving you the excitement to take a leap of faith and just do it.  You read stories of people who quit their jobs to pursue their dreams. Some are amazing success stories and can really inspire you. 

Then you start thinking, “I should quit my job and go after my dreams too.” 

It takes real courage to leave the familiar and try something new. You’ve got guts when you quit your stable job in the pursuit of your dreams. Now I’m not going to discourage you from pursuing your dream, I’m totally in support of leaving behind a job you’re not that excited about to go after your dreams.  I mean, heck I’ve done that, but I want to give you some solid advice before you quit your job.

Think it Through

Don’t be spontaneous when making the decision to quit to pursue your dream.  I went to a network marketing event once where a man boasted about now making millions after quitting his job to pursue the business. It was fantastic and really inspiring, but the reality is he was a rarity because most people won’t put in the same type of work he did to get where he is. Network marketing is hard and if you’re not willing to put your blood sweat and tears into it, don’t fool yourself into thinking that quitting your job will make you a success. The same goes for any dream or passion. If you don’t put in the work it’s  not going to happen. 

Even when you do put in the work, sometimes you still don’t make it as quickly as you want to. 

Success Builds Slowly

The promises of wealth and riches that we see every day from ads on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter that promise you will make a fortune if you quit your 9 to 5 and focus on the goal, don’t tell you that it’s going to be hard. 

Media paints a picture as if success is overnight and has a quick-fix solution. It’s not. Most of the people you see being praised have been toiling for years at their craft. They were doing things you weren’t aware of because it wasn’t publicized. Ever notice how a famous actor or musician seems to come out of nowhere? Then you start to see old pictures of them from 10, 15 or even 20 years before in some cheesy commercial or performing in some seedy nightclub nobody even heard of.  That’s proof they’ve been doing it for years.

Success builds slowly. Understand that before you leap. 

Make a Plan

Besides not having to wake up for a job you’re not excited about, what’s your desired outcome? When you know what your outcome is, you can make a plan accordingly. 

Ask yourself how much money you will need for a period of at least six months while you’re pursuing the goal. Statistics have  shown the average person is one or two pay cheques away from financial disaster. That means it would be less than a month and you could be in deep trouble if you quit your job without enough security funds. 

Before you choose a date to quit, calculate the expenses you need to manage and save that amount of money. Once you have it, you can leave your job and not have the stress of finances looming over over your head. 

Also ask yourself, does your goal, dream job or career require the assistance of other people? If it does you should find out how much their services will cost or if they are donating their time. 

Networking

Make sure you are networking with the influencers in the field you are hoping to transition to. Look out for events you can attend after work or on weekends. That way you’re slowly building contacts with the people you can learn the most from.  Also doing online webinars and joining virtual groups in the field can help you.

Assess Yourself

You should really take the time to get to know yourself. Truly. Pray, meditate and get some balance about who you are and where you are in life. Sometimes the urge for change doesn’t mean you were meant to leave your job or blindly pursue a passion you may not even have. 

The world can make people feel a sense of pressure as if your life is not enough.  The reality is, we’re all wired differently. Not everyone was meant to be the next big thing. Some are content with the routine and simplicity they already live. Perhaps you only need a small passion after work like a hobby or activity that allows you to explore another side of you.

You could also be more fulfilled if you simply ask for somethng more at your current job. A lot of people are afraid to ask for a promotion, raise or change in position. If you’ve proven yourself at the job it doesn’t hurt to ask for what you want.

And now?

Well those are my suggestions, based on experience and my own mistakes on what you should do before leaving your job to pursue something else. I hope this has been helpful.

All the best!