Last year I raised a few eyebrows at my office job. It wasn’t because I had put in my 2-weeks notice to leave (because frankly that was a common occurrence), rather, it was because of my reason. I was leaving and planning to start my own business.
Reactions by fellow coworkers included surprise, bewildered looks, a few congratulations, and a lot of “hmmm….okaaaaay.”
In retrospect, I guess I didn’t expect anything different. Because following your purpose and starting your own business is not a common occurrence. For most of us, we just leave a job to move on to another job (and up until this moment, that is exactly what I had been doing).
What I didn’t expect, though, was what came afterwards. Charting my own path has included ups, downs, joys, frustrations and everything in between. If you’re thinking about quitting your day job to follow your purpose, this list is for you.
5 Things To Expect When You Quit Your Day Job & Follow Your Purpose
1. You'll be high on passion and low on time.
When you first start out, you’ll have an overwhelming passion for your business. You know exactly what you envision as your end goal and what you see in the future. The problem is, you don’t know exactly how to get there. Time management becomes especially crucial because it feels as if there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. My advice? Narrow down your end goal into day-by-day, actionable steps and only focus on 3 mini goals at a time (anything more and you’ll get too bogged down).
2. You’ll no longer be able to relate to your former coworkers during happy hour.
This one was a tough pill for me to swallow. When I was in the corporate world, I loved the social chatter that occurred over happy hour. Now, if I try and join in with others I feel like the odd girl out. You’ll find that you can no longer relate to being micromanaged by a controlling boss, or a new corporate initiative that you don’t believe in, or the annoyances of the guy that always leaves a mess in the break room. On the flip side, your coworkers most likely won’t be able to relate to your everyday stressors as a business owner. However, the good news is that…
3. You’ll discover people you never knew existed.
Seriously, you’ll find people online that are literally at the top of their game that you had no clue existed when you were in your office bubble. And the more you branch out and grow, the more you see and connect with others that are doing huge things in their business too. This is a beautiful thing, because it not only gives you the opportunity to connect with other like-minded people, but it also proves to you that it is truly possible to start and build a successful business for yourself.
4. Your parents may not understand what you do.
It’s been eight months since I launched my website, and even though my parents both subscribe to my newsletter, they are both completely clueless as to what I do on an everyday basis. My mom has resorted to simply asking, “Honey, how are things?” when inquiring about how my business is going. For them, getting an education and working for a large corporation is all that they know; entrepreneurship is like a foreign language. And it’s completely understandable. Rather than try to explain everything in detail, I just truly appreciate their support.
5. Even the smallest things will be more rewarding than you imagined.
Gain a new email subscriber? Sign on a new client? Post a new blog? These may seem like small things, but when you are in charge of everything in your business, they feel like gigantic steps forward. There’s something about receiving 100% of the rewards of your efforts that is incredibly satisfying. This is a feeling that you didn’t feel in your day job (and one that doesn’t go away!).
Jessica Lauren DeBry is an MBA grad and former corporate 9-5er turned Wellness Entrepreneur. Join her on her website and blog where she runs online wellness programs, posts weekly on her blog and pick up a copy of her E-Guide: The Health, Happiness + Purpose Guidemap, it's free!The post 5 Things To Expect When You Quit Your Day Job And Follow Your Purpose appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.