I Completed a Year of Quitting My 9–5. Here’s What I’ve Learnt So Far.
I quit my 9–5 at 25 to be a full-time writer.
A year ago, my tummy was churning with anxiety about quitting my safe job.
My office was a 6-minute drive from home and my company was financially strong and the epitome of what a ‘secure job’ means. No layoffs during the pandemic as well, which was a sticky factor.
And here I was, a young 25-years-young with under 3 years of work experience, wanting to be a writer.
Sounds stupid, right?
Here’s what I’ve learnt so far about this path and life.
The beginning of everything starts from inside
If your mind isn’t hard-wired to a growth mindset, forget success of any kind. Being self-employed is about:
- uncertainty
- failing often
- showing up through it all
It takes an abundance mindset to do this. It takes grit to show up and be creative even when you don’t feel like it.
Don’t depend on others to pay your bills
Including your company. We’ve been seeing layoffs for the last two years, haven't we?
After my first client who I was depending on ghosted me, I realised I will never depend on one client for impacting my monthly finances. I didn’t even want to depend on one source, which is why I started a course and made digital products.
Start diversifying as early as possible.
Weed out sub-average pals
You don’t need most people in your life. When you become mindful of how finite time is, you might as well spend it with people you love and who genuinely mean a lot to you.
Weeding out surface-level friends makes you more energetic.
Be open to the idea of possibilities
Blame it for being naïve or overly optimistic, but I’ve always believed that good things are coming my way and I will receive nothing but excellence.
Even when things go downhill, this thought keeps me going.
In Hindi, we have a saying,
“‘उम्मीद पर दुनिया कायम है”
This translates to — the world lives on hope.
Always be hopeful because a negative mind attracts nothing good anyway. So why not.
Do the work, forget the results
I stopped getting affected by the results early in my journey after I read Seth Godin’s The Practice: Shipping Creative Work.
The results aren’t in my control. The process is. Why waste precious time whining?
People pay only for these 3 things
- What you solve for
- How you make them feel
- What returns do you put on the table
As long as you direct your products or services towards this, you will make money.
I’m not a salesperson and don’t know the theories and concepts of Sales, but this works.
Talking about money…
There’s enough money to be made
When I was earning X last year, I knew that earning 2X will take me at least 5 years. The amount seemed big and unattainable.
Now, with time, money isn’t the motivator because it's an unsustainable motivation. It’s not the reason you show up every day, and it eventually finds its way to you when you give out value.
Now, it all feels attainable.
The only limitation is your mind because the world has enough money.
How much you make is on you
As a writer, I could either:
- Take lots of clients. Maybe open an agency later and even get passive income by outsourcing gigs to others.
- Take one or two good clients.
The second one comes is what I’ve aimed for since day one. It’s also more stress-free because a high-paying client doesn’t negotiate or make your life hell. They respect creativity.
If you’re a freelancer, you have this choice.
Information diet is crucial
I still don’t get how people spend an hour watching people dancing on videos. It’s like feeding your brain absolute crap and expecting rainbows from life.
What you take in is what you’ll put out in the world.
Protect your energy and be conscious of your consumption, especially online.
Family first
I’ve noticed a pattern.
When I’m stressed out or getting close to burnout, I spend less time with my family, even when I’m not working. When I’m in balance, I’m spending more time and laugh a lot more.
Striking a balance is something I am still working on, so I can put my family first.
I don’t want to be a CEO
I’m lazy, and I truly don’t desire a stressed-out life.
When I solo-travelled to Europe at 21, I realised how we’re such a tiny speck in this world and how beautiful it feels to just live. I realised that material isn’t the source of happiness and titles and tags are just a construct by society.
Only who you are defines you, and nothing else.
It’s then that I decided I’ll prioritise living and experiences — this is being rich, according to me.
I want to take out more time to do things I enjoy instead of making a graph go up all my life.
I don’t want to be a CEO of a big company. I don’t even desire to open an organisation that makes millions.
A simple and driven life is what I strive for.
Reading The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavingia validated what I was feeling.
This makes you richer than money
In a few weeks, I’m taking a 4-week long holiday. I wouldn't have imagined doing this or afford it with my full-time job.
I won’t carry my laptop and will be away from work without an ounce of worry about my career.
Owning your time is a powerful feeling.
‘Enough’ is a state of mind
I slip out of gratitude sometimes even though I’ve been writing a gratitude journal (10 things I’m grateful for) every day since 2017.
Now, I’m moving towards making peace that enough is a state of mind and no amount of anything can be enough if you look at it that way.
Mindset matters, always.
The only fuel to the fire
Purpose comes to you when you look within.
Purpose is fuelled when it helps improve lives.
Find the two and you’ll be an unstoppable force.
Most people will never find their purpose because in this hyperstimulated world, they aren’t taking out time to look within.
Don’t be like most people.
Consider everything as an experiment
That way, either it works out, or it doesn’t. It’s not a big deal.
It was such random experiences that enabled me to side hustle, quit, and start a business.
The power of trying new things for fun is underrated. You never know where they’ll lead you!
It’s a good life
I feel good every single day. Sunday evenings aren’t filled with anxiety. I’m pumped to create, and I’m happy doing what I do.
It’s a good life.
The one I’m grateful for multiple times each day.
