Five Lessons I’ve Learned Through Not Suddenly Quitting My 9 to 5
Sorry Coach! I won’t be quitting anytime soon.
I received the following cold Facebook message on 23rd May 2018.
“Hi Ruth! Great business. How’s it going?”
The kind of lead-generating message I now sigh at and ignore because meaningful online relationship building prior to selling doesn’t seem important to online business ‘gurus’ these days.
This one was different. I’d noticed this coach, with a colourful backstory, appear frequently on my newsfeed. He was a former prisoner with a history of drug and alcohol addiction. I was intrigued.
My reply confirmed my ‘business’ was a blog which was more of a passion-led hobby.
He responded:
“I’d love to help you turn that into your full-time passion!”
Scared to Share
I was an academic pharmacist wanting to share my life and business experiences. I’d been through business success and failure, divorce followed by finding new love, and chronic illness. I knew I had a multifaceted life story which could help and perhaps inspire others, but I was scared to share it.
How could this young man with a hefty criminal record and a history of addiction help this middle-aged woman overcome her fears?
My New Coach
DMs proceeded to voicemail. The intelligent voice I heard didn’t match my perceptions of an addict and ex-con.
This was no thug!
This was someone who’d taken a few wrong turns, was now rehabilitated, and was on the right path in his life and business. I joined his group coaching programme where I thrived, and both my confidence and online audience grew.
My new coach held one new, big goal for me. To quit my job and not just blog, but to also become a full-time coach with the freedom to work from anywhere in the world.
But there was one big problem with this. It was his goal! Not mine!
The Part-Time Coach
Whilst I did then train to become an online transformation in life and business coach, it was, and still is, my side hustle.
I’m not for quitting my 9 to 5 job any time soon!
Something my digital nomad, Bali-based, ‘free as a bird’ coach just couldn’t accept or understand.
The Boring 9 to 5
I swear I will squeal if I see one more social media post criticising people who have a job, especially a good and well-paid vocational job.
How boring? OMG, you have a boss — that’s terrible!
Isn’t there more to life? Life’s too short!
How much do you earn? Make 7 figures in 7 minutes doing this instead!
Am I Really a Boring Failure?
I’ve had more than one coach question my seemingly unreasonable and stubborn commitment to my ‘boring’ job.
Fed up with these opinions, I scheduled a Zoom coffee catch-up with my Dutch friend Sandra who was in a similar position — a successful professional (corporate lawyer) with an online side hustle. When I suggested my fulfilling career as a pharmacist was regarded by many online coaches and entrepreneurs as a failure, she raised her hands and voice in horror!
“Ruth, you are a pharmacist. A pharmacist! You are highly educated and a member of an honourable profession. How on earth can you be made to feel like a failure?”
It felt so good to hear those words and to speak to someone I respected, who understood my side of the ongoing debate.
Why I Refuse to Quit
Employment versus self-employment will always hold differing appeals for different people based on their goals, values, perceptions, and experiences. I’ve been both over the years. I understand the pros and cons for each.
After having experienced the downside of being a self-employed entrepreneur (I literally lost my house!), I now appreciate the financial stability gained from my monthly salary. My profession is rewarding, and I gain satisfaction from knowing I can potentially make a difference within a challenging UK health service.
Concurrently pursuing online business ambitions, which boost my income, satisfies a need to explore and expand my entrepreneurial ambitions.
Honestly, by not quitting and continuing to build a side hustle, I feel like ‘I’m having my cake and eating it.’ I’m not causing myself undue pressure and worry about where my next dollar/pound is coming from.
What are the lessons in this for you?
As I wrote this article, I realised there are several lessons in this tale.
- First up! Make sure your goals are just that — YOUR goals. The irony of this experience is that my coach taught me to check this with my own clients.
- Be proud of who you are right now. Look at all you have achieved and overcome in life. Congratulate yourself for that today.
- The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Don’t be influenced by the glamorisation of the self-employed online working world. Every upside has a downside, and vice versa. Yes, I answer to a manager and organisation within my 9 to 5, but I also have autonomy and stability. Whilst my online coach friends have a perceived ‘freedom’, the financial instability of self-employment can be torturous.
- It is possible to satisfy the need for a regular income from a job whilst also increasing your income and scratching the entrepreneurial itch via a side hustle.
- Finally, never say “never.” I’m not saying I’ll never, ever quit and go all-in with my online business.
But for now, I say this with love to my coach and coaching peers:
“Sorry Coach: I Won’t Be Quitting My 9 to 5 Anytime Soon”
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