The new year tends to bring about quite a bit of self-reflection. We take a look back over the previous year and analyze it: what worked and what didn't. It's something we all do in a bid to be happier and make our lives more valuable and worthwhile. And who can blame us?
Last year, I entered the new year hating my job and not wanting to return. And I'm sure I wasn't alone in feeling this way. But to make ends meet I had to continue going to work and putting off thoughts of quitting. Finding and getting a new job is a lot of hassle. Especially when you're already in a job. Where's the time for interviews? W
here's the time in the evening to even apply? Throw kids on top of all that and it's a disaster.
That's the trap, that's where you get stuck and that's where your happiness starts to take a back seat. And while it happens, we should avoid doing this at all costs. Because we do have the power to change our lives. We do have the power to make a choice and find the time, to take the next step.
After a few months, that's exactly what I did. My new year's resolution wasn't exactly to ditch the 9-5, but rather find something that was more of a fit for me. I'd spent half my life in one career, which brought home a stable paycheck month after month. And leaving that was possibly the scariest decision I'd ever made. But looking back now, it was the best thing I could have ever done.
Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith, sometimes you just have to jump. Close your eyes and have the faith that everything will work out if you work hard and have a lot of perseverance.
Sack Your Boss, a new book by Kingston author Christian Rodwell talks exactly about the same thing. And if I had it a year ago, it would have been a tremendous nudge in the right direction. After a 16-year career in the music industry, Christian decided to leave the security of the monthly pay cheque in search of a new challenge.
He built a community of more than 2,000 members with his Escape the Rat Race brand and has since organised over 200 events and launched a podcast on iTunes. Based on a five-step formula for ultimate freedom, Sack Your Boss: The Ultimate Guide to Escape Your 9-5 and it might just be the frustrated employee’s key to freedom.
If you're thinking about making a change but don't want to do anything drastic, I would highly recommend you read it, even if it motivates and inspires you to do something totally different. You can find out more about it here.
