What Happens After You Quit Your Job
Making the decision to quit your job and to venture out on your own is not easy. That is why so few people actually do it. It’s much safer to do something you don’t enjoy but are familiar with than to venture out into the unknown. What happens when you do finally build up enough courage to go after your dreams though?
Well, speaking from personal experience, don’t be surprised if you’re all of a sudden filled with a sense of feeling a bit lost and panicked. While still working, and trying to move on from a job, we have a very clear and direct purpose and goal – to quit your job. Once that goal is achieved though, all of a sudden the playing field is thrown wide open and it can take you for a spin.
The best way I can describe the feeling is imagine that while you’re in a job, you’re in a 10×10 room with walls around you and a door. You can look around the room and you see the door, and you know that your goal is to walk through that door. You don’t want to be in the room as you don’t like the walls, so you make your way to the door. Once you walk through that door though, the room disappears and now imagine that you’re all of a sudden standing in the middle of a huge football field arena and there are 100′s of doors at the top of each set of bleachers. You’re now free to go through any one of the doors and you stand there in the middle, spinning around trying to figure out what to do next.
That’s kind of how I’ve been feeling the last few days. I’ve got so many projects that I can work on which I’ve been putting on hold or delaying due to being so busy at work, and now that I’ve got some time to work on all of them, all of a sudden I began feeling lost.
I’ve read before that one of the most positive times when people in North America felt the absolute most positive about their lives was during World War II. At first this may sound totally rediculous since there was a world war going on, but what the war did for people is that it gave them a unified goal to stand behind. Nobody during the war was sitting around wondering what their purpose in life was. Everyone was focused on winning the war.
The most depressing time came right after the war ended. At first people were celebrating, but then afterwords, all of a sudden people realized “Oh oh…now what? Now what do I do with my life?” Having a goal like quitting your job is like that. It’s an objective. We bitch about our jobs, but secretly we enjoy having that goal. What’s scary is what happens after you achieve that goal.
I don’t have a “boss” anymore. I’m in full control over my destiny now, so there is nothing for me to complain about. Any morning, I can wake up and go in the direction of any number of doors. That is so exciting and so terrifying at the same time.
Yesterday I was feeling really spun, because I have so many cool projects to work on now and whereas before I was always able to rely on my strong intuition to tell me exactly which thing to focus on when, at any point in time during a typical day, all of a sudden it felt like my intuition abandoned me yesterday.
It’s like walking into a giant candy store with 10,000 different types of candy, and you have no clue which one to pick.
At one point during the day while walking across the room, I actually left slightly dizzy and lightheaded. That never happens to me.
Luckily, I was able to talk to a few really good friends of mine about the situation and get some advice to really get myself grounded again and to find my bearings.
I’m one of those people who is able to attract things and manifest things really quickly when my brain goes into overdrive, so when even a slight concern of feeling a bit lost or unsure enters my mind it can quickly escalate and spiral into feeling totally undecisive.
I think one of the reasons this happened is because most “normal” people, when looking to quit their job, find a project to work on after leaving their jobs which can replace their income so they can pay their bills etc. Because I’m so into this topic of helping people realize that there are ways to make money doing what you love, I created like +50 totally different opportunities I could pursue. Having too many choices like that is not always a good thing. 
Anyway, I just wanted to talk about this for anyone who is leaving their job soon. Don’t freak out if all of a sudden you feel a lot less clear about your future, because you just removed one big goal (quitting) from your mind, so it’s probably going to feel like you’re without a clear direction all of a sudden. Don’t panic, it’s totally natural to feel this way.
In the end what really helped me out besides talking to some people who have gone through the same thing in the past was to sit down and to write down my short term and long term goals and to really get clear on what I want. Once you give your mind a goal/target to go after again, the fog dissipates and you can start to see clearly again. All of a sudden it becomes pretty clear exactly what you need to do next and then it’s just a matter of going out there and doing it.
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Paul Piotrowski is a highly ambitious and passionate self-improvement fanatic who has spent over 13 years relentlessly pursuing and studying personal development wisdom in almost every area of life. His highly intuitive drive to seek wisdom and truth in life has led him through very diverse areas of experience ranging from entrepreneurship and business, natural [...]
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This really moved me. But the moving part was thinking myself in your position. Just quitted the job, without any finance problems (?), and open to although dizzy with all these new opportunities. I’m sure that your dizziness of unbossness is also a joyful experience.
From personal experience… its not always a good feeling to ‘walk through the door’.
Before quiting your job make sure you think about it first… i left a GREAT job, without thinking it through first and once i woke up and realized what i did, i was devastated.
I read your article and agree with you that once you have let go of your security blanket in terms of a job, whether it is voluntary or involuntary, you are subject to listening to your own thoughts, motivations and perceptions. I do enjoy the poem by William Ernest Henley called, Invictus, which ends with….
“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
We truley are the creators of our own destiny.
Thanks for your insights.
Aude Aliquid dignum
@Ace Andres: Ah yes… also “Audaces fortuna iuvat.”
@ Paul: Yes it does.
Yes. We’re happiest and most content when we have a goal and the freedom to pursue it.
It’s hard to go to the gym when you’re just trying to maintain your fitness level doing the prerequisite 20 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights. When you’re training for a triathlon, it becomes a lot easier to go to the gym, stay on a diet, and stay motivated. There’s also the potential for a vast feeling of accomplishment when you reach your goal. And when you do… you set another one.
Also, it really helps to have people you can talk to who are on a similar path. Whether you’re training for that triathlon or starting an internet business, people to walk with you on the journey help you stay motivated.
Good luck!
So did you just quit your job paul? Or have you not had a job for a while now and are just posting about it now?
@Tim: The post was written from both points of view. Firstly, I wouldn’t consider myself an “employee” for a long time now as I’ve been running companies for a while now so I kind of left the pure “employee” world a long time ago. Probably the best way to describe me was an entrepreneur under a corporate umbrella for the last 5 years or so. Secondly though, I am leaving the place of my employment and I have been getting more time to work on my projects now as of Oct 1st, but I’m still working there part time as a consultant for a while as I’m training my replacement. So I guess the answer to your question is yes on both counts.
@Lindsay: Woo, what is that? An Alliance Gnome Warrior? Or is it a Warlock I see there?
Yes .i strongly agree with your post meanings . that is a good one to encourage someone who are struggling for their intolerable job. i hope things goes along your side .but i have to say that things always have problem behind . Just like Beyaz said above . many peopel want do what they love but with finance problem . they do like to be their own boss . hate to be empoyee . so the need money to set up the first business . that is the problem why they are bearing so much to save money and one day they can take out the step to do what they love .
I like this post. actually im just a student right now and if ever the time comes for me to either quit my job someday, I wouldn’t.. Well I cant really say it unless Im up to that point already
Speaking from my own experience, I’ve done this a few times where I knew the job I was working at was not the right job for me but after thinking about it I quit and moved on to a better job. The security blanket is sometimes a hard thing to shake but having the privilege of choosing to quit or not to quit is great, you are in charge of your destiny that’s the best part.
Glad that I came across this post. I have put a goal for myself to start something online because that’s what I love to do in my life. I have already missed two deadline that I put for myself, primary reason being lack of courage. When it come to call it a day at my present job, something is holding me back. But I believe that this post have taken me one step closer in realizing my ultimate dream, to be my own boss!
Thanks
@TechTrendsBlog: One thing that helped me out tremendously is figuring out what I DO want to do before quitting my job. I started working on an online business and I transitioned to it slowly over a period of 1 year. Check out my latest post today regarding Making Money Online…that Nitro Blueprint system might be exactly what you need.
Also, let me know if I can help in any way. Thanks for visiting!
I went through very similar circumstances 2 years ago. I was afraid to leave something that was really taking me away from what I really wanted and that fear was paralyzing. When I did make the decision, I quickly realized the fear was only what I created and my life changed for the better almost overnight. I have now been working for myself and doing what I love everyday, and the great est part is I get to help people do the same each and everyday. “Do what you love and love what you do”
Hey Paul,
Good timing. I’m on the last legs of my job. I’m officially in semi-retirement from my J-O-B on October 31, 2008.
As of November 1st I’ll be working for Stephen Martile. I hear he is a nice guy so it should work out
I’ve had those feelings of panick and excitement at the same time, which is why I’m loving every minute of it. The thing that has made it easier for me to make my transition is knowing the direction I’m going in. Focus is so critical to creating positive results.
In addition to all of this, I’ve made a commitment to join the Blog Master Mind program at the end of the month. This alone will provide me with a structure, mentorship and a community to create positve results in my new venture.
Great discussion,
Thanks for showing me this blog post again Paul, now that I am my own boss reading this blog post made me feel a little bit more grounded. I am concerned about the future but at least i know that it’s not just me who has these emotions everyone does. Keep up the great posts, this blog rocks.