Are you ready to quit your day job? Jon Acuff did … after a lot of practice. He describes himself as a serial quitter and earned that label by leaving eight jobs. He quit six, was fired from one and lost one when the company went out of business. How long did this all take? Just 12 years. While this may sound like a lot of quitting, Jon is not alone in his desire to land that dream job.
In his book, “Quitter,” Acuff takes career discovery to another level by labeling the process as recovering the dreams you have held in silence for years and putting them into action.
Today’s job market has more turnover than in the past with many experiencing a job change every 3-10 years. Depending on your age group, your longevity in a job could be less than 18 months. The latest career reports indicate more than 70% of those in the workplace are looking to transition to a new job.
Be cautious about leaving your day job too soon however, because doing so can create chaos in your home life and disrupt your finances. That’s why Acuff encourages you to transition slowly, keeping your day job while working toward your dream job in a realistic way. Before you decide Acuff’s story might be just another inspirational tale, it took him three years to leave his last employer and when he did, he was confident that his dream job would take off.
How many times have you been around people who look like they are going to prison on Monday morning and escaping on Friday afternoon? It would be interesting to study the conversations overheard in elevators at the end of the work day. How many employees would be relieved the day was over, acting as if their lives began as soon as they got home.
I spoke with Acuff recently, and we talked about the stress of staying in a job that doesn’t match your goals. He said he “used to turn into a ‘Sunday jerk.’ Saturdays would be great, I would have fun spending time with everyone. Then on Sunday, I would turn into a jerk because (I) was counting down to Monday.”
Acuff mentioned three fears that keep people from achieving their dream job.
1. Fear of starting: When some people talk about quitting their day jobs their minds go blank; they don’t know where to begin. This can be a recipe for perfectionism, or the fear of starting a job because it might not be 100% perfect. To counter this, Acuff says “90% perfect and shared with the world always changes more lives than 100% perfect and stuck in your head.” Perfectionism is an unnecessary barrier.
2. Fear of failure: People are terrified of failing. It’s much safer to have a secret dream than to fail in pursuit of that dream. Pursuing dreams will give you an idea of what you really are made of, and playing it safe by avoiding wrong decisions guarantees the failure of never trying.
3. Fear of success: Many people plan for ways to come back from failure, but people don’t plan for the challenges they’ll face once they achieve that dream job. It’s important to think beyond the getting-the-dream stage, and plan for the sustaining-the-dream stage.
Life is too short to make escaping job after job your career strategy. It’s never too late to find your dream job. How long you’ve been in the workplace just doesn’t matter. What does matter is your plan for a successful transition. You do not want to live your life regretting what could have been.
Dreams are so important, but keeping your job in this tough economy is a noble cause, even if it means you take a job for financial reasons alone. But don’t lose your motivation to keep seeking a job you love. Be patient and look at this time in your life as a period of growth that will lead to what you were meant to do.
Acuff did close the gap between his day job and his dream job in 2010 when he joined the Dave Ramsey team to become a full-time author. If you’re looking for more inspiration, you can hear Acuff live at one of these events.
Have you quit your day job for your dream job? How did it work out?
