QUITTING MY JOB

Today is May 30th, 2014 & I’m walking out of my job for the last time.  I’m leaving my “safe & secure” government job after 15 years working in the IT office.

I started at the Ministry of Transportation as a coop student.  After my 2 coop work terms, I returned back to school for 4 months to graduate, and within 2 months I got a contract with MTO.

The first couple of years were awesome.  I was learning a lot, making good money, and was having lots of fun.  I worked my butt off, went on training, and climbed the “success” ladder.  Or so I thought that was a success.

The more and more I got promoted, the less fun I was having and I was also losing interest in my work.  This happened around 7 years working there.  By that time, I was regularly attending networking groups and was introduced to entrepreneurship and real estate investing.  This got me thinking about other things.

When I talked about my feelings about work to family and friends, they thought I was crazy because I was making so much money and most people would die to get a safe position with the government.  Was I the crazy one?  This led to loneliness as I was shifting from my old peer group.

The more and more I attended various networking groups, the more and more I enjoyed the thought of doing something else.  I also got great support from the people I met in these groups.  I wasn’t feeling as alone.  I was getting more comfortable being the crazy one.

At work, I looked around at others who had been working there for 25+ years.  Their energy levels were low, their posture was slouching, they complained a lot, and they did not appear happy.  It was not everyone, but most did not seem like they liked to be there.  They were always counting down the years to retirement.  I didn’t want this future for me.

The timing of this also coincided with the birth of my first daughter.  In her first year, I was busy with work, and building businesses so I could spend more time with her later.  Even though I was physically present, I was not mentally present.  I was missing my little girl’s early years.  As I type this, it makes me emotional.  I didn’t want this anymore, so I started to make shifts with what I had on the go, and reprioritized the things that were important to me.  Instead of just writing down my values and talking about them, I started living them.

My decision to put a plan in place to quit my job was a combination of 3 things.

1. Be an example for my kids and others.  Live with integrity and true to my values.

2. Spend the majority of my awake time doing things that bring me fulfillment, happiness, and energy.

3. Not wanting the same future as my coworkers.

What I WILL miss about my job…

• The high paying salary
• Getting paid every 2 weeks
• 4 weeks paid vacation
• Paid sick days
• The pension
• The benefits
• A handful of people

* The majority of the things I will miss are all money-related.  Interesting.

What I WON’T miss about my job…

• The angry and disgruntled people complain all the time and don’t do anything about their circumstances.  The ones that are settling in their lives
• Being in a place I don’t enjoy for the majority of my awake time
• Being paid to do things I don’t enjoy
• Sitting all-day
• The  negative energy
• Cubicles
• Being on call
• Fluorescent lights
• The meetings
• Supporting computers and networks
• The routine.  The monotony. 8:00am – 4pm workdays.

Feelings that keep coming up for me leading up to my decision and after my decision are excitement, happiness, and being scared and nervous.  Scared of the unknown, as I’ve always lived went the “safe” route.

The question I get most from everyone is what am I going to do now?  Well…conveniently my last day coincides with when the kids have finished school for the summer.  I plan to spend the majority of the summer with my girls.  Going to parks, riding bikes, hiking trails, zoo, museums, science center, exploring, and experiencing new things together. That kind of stuff.  Then I plan to focus on helping others.  Over the years, I realized that I really enjoy helping others and it brings me fulfillment.  Since it makes me feel good, I want to do more of it.  I will focus on 3 different areas.  Helping others quit their jobs and find more fulfillment with their work… helping people bring more balance to their lives… helping people live with maximum energy by getting them healthy again.  If you know anyone that needs help in any of these areas, I would appreciate you connecting us.

This is a major life decision and it will definitely change the trajectory of my life, and others around me.  As one chapter of my life ends, a new one begins.

Here is a quick video of me walking out for the last time…

In this post I shared the WHY.  I did this in hopes it will inspire others to take similar action to find what they like to do, and start living it.

Eight years ago I made the decision to leave and today I walk out for the last time.  As you can see, it was a process for me.  In future posts I will share HOW I did it.

Thanks for reading.  Please SHARE it with others that are not happy in their jobs.

Mike