Why You Can’t Leave Your 9 to 5 Even Though You Hate It.

So I’m gonna go on a whim here and assume you’ve been thinking of leaving your job.

Or maybe you’re one of those who overcame the hurdle and left already.

Nowadays, everyone wants to earn $100k/year without slaving away for someone else’s dream. But they cant seem to make the big move and leave their jobs.

You might think that it’s simply because they’re afraid of losing the stability that comes with it, or that it’s a risky move.

Valid reasons, but it goes deeper.

Reasons embedded deep in our subconscious that we aren’t even aware of until someone, or something points it out.

These are our cognitive biases.

They’re the reason why we tend to act in irrational ways, and it’s because of our limited ability to process information objectively. Systematic “errors” in how we think based on our construction of reality.

They aren’t always negative, but they can be harmful when they cloud our judgement.

A huge cognitive bias for our inability to leave our 9 to 5s is the Sunk Cost Fallacy.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes how we tend to continue something that we’ve already invested into with time, money or effort, regardless if the costs outweigh the benefits.

It’s called “sunk cost” because it’s an expense that can’t be recovered.

Think:

• Finishing a boring movie because you already paid for the tickets.
• Ruining your diet by overeating at a buffet because it’s all-you-can-eat.
• Committing to a university degree you hate because you already studied it for 2 years.
• Refusing to get rid of clothes you don’t wear anymore during spring cleaning because they were expensive or you used to really like them.

Why does this happen?

Because you, me and every other human being on this Earth are not purely rational decision-makers.

We are heavily influenced by our emotions.

Even though our logical brains tell us one thing, once we invest in something else, we end up feeling guilty or regretful if we do not follow through.

So let’s circle back to your 9 to 5 and think about what you’ve invested into it.

It’ll mainly be:

• Time
• Money
• Effort

And all these investments came at the costs of:

• Time with friends and family or to travel.
• Money for shopping, nice restaurants, holidays.
• Effort to pursue your hobbies or to learn a new skill.

These are big, meaningful things that you’ve had to let go of to climb the career ladder.

And sacrificing them was difficult.

So to leave your 9 to 5 and effectively throw away all that previous investment and sacrifice?

“Why would I even do that? I’ve spent decades of blood, sweat, tears and kissing ass just to get here. I’m finally earning a sexy salary. I must be stupid for wanting to give it all up just because I hate it.”

Spot on?

You see, the sunk cost fallacy manifests itself as an escalation of commitment, aka commitment bias.

Commitment Bias

Commitment bias is our tendency to commit to past behaviours, especially those that have been publicly exhibited, even if they don’t have desirable outcomes.

This may sound exactly the same as Sunk Cost Fallacy, but it’s more that one leads to the other.

And this happens, why?

Because we constantly try to convince ourselves that we are rational.

We’re resistant to 180˚ changes because we love to think that we made the right decisions. So we stay consistent and defend our decisions to those around us, even though we know the outcome isn’t what we want.

It’s self-justification.

Which is especially true if sometime in our past our choices led to unfavourable outcomes.

I mean, who likes admitting they’re wrong? It’s difficult and makes us feel uneasy.

This is how our past compromises our future.

Unfortunately, the sunk cost fallacy and commitment bias are a vicious cycle.

The more we invest, the more we feel committed.

The more we commit, the more we feel we should invest.

So how am I supposed to get over something that is clearly a part of being human?

How to overcome it

Sure enough, it’s difficult to overcome cognitive biases…

Unless you’re aware of it.

Awareness breeds control.

You can control what you focus on. So focus on the present and the future because the past is gone.

The first step is realising that consistency isn’t everything.

If you think that certain past behaviours or commitments no longer align with your values and future goals, then there’s no reason to stay faithful to them. Stop wasting your energy on the feeling of wastefulness or guilt that comes with letting go of a past commitment.

When a baby grows out of its clothes, do you force it to wear something two sizes smaller?

I sure hope not.

When you’ve grown into someone who wants to achieve different things for the future, do you force yourself to stick to the same job and choices you made in the past?

Hell no!

Like it or not, you’re not the same person anymore.

You’ve got different aspirations and need to make different choices, if not you’re gonna be stuck with the same life forever.

It’s irrational to live our lives based on a desire to be consistent and fear of change. It’s the ultimate obstacle for personal growth.

You’re allowed to to let yourself go.

And I encourage you to let yourself go.

Final Thoughts

If you think it’s a good idea and the way forward to lead the life you want, then by all means, leave your stinkin’ 9 to 5.

But please prepare all you must first.

Build up that side hustle or something, but always remember to keep your head in the game and focus on the future.

I’m with you all the way.

And if you liked this article, I’d appreciate it if you give it as many claps as you would give slaps to your 9 to 5.