This blog post has been authored by Stand Out Online Member Anggi Pradhini, Anggi Pradhini
Hey there! My name is Anggi.
If you feel stuck in your job, I made this blog special for you. I hope it helps.
I still remember the pain I feel in my guts and how I gasp to gather myself together to continue my work hour that day.
Even after I decide to quit I still hang on to that job for the next 300 days.
Why am I taking so long to quit? Well, because this girl has bills to pay.
And once upon a time in my university life, I lived on $1/day and I promised my younger self that it would not happen again to me.
That’s why I make a plan – detailed plan before I quit.
In 3 simple bullet points, these are the steps I took before I give my resignation paper:
1. Decide What I Want for My Life
This is the number one and most important of all.
I always remember that moment not because I was crying but because I remember that day I decided that I want a better life for myself.
I never liked my manager at that time.
I learn a lot from that job but still, I question myself every day: how long should I stay in this job?
Maybe I should quit. It’s a job, after all, nobody likes their job, right?
And on a certain day when my mood is bad and I feel trapped in my own life, a voice in my head screams:
hang on to this job!
We need the goddamn money to pay our bill!
Yes, sometimes I speak to myself as a 3rd party. Do you do that to yourself? I hope I am not alone ☺
Indecision, saying maybe if I got this I will feel that.
I need X to have Y.
This is the worst toxic thought we all have and the number one enemy of progress.
We need to decide what we want even though most of the time you have no idea how to make it happen.
If you know how to make it happen you’ll already be there, right?
So in summary, make a decision on what you want for your life.
Maybe you can have a short getaway with yourself and go somewhere where you can have a deep thought with yourself and really decide what you want to do with your life.
Let go of the how and all the reasons why you can’t do certain things.
At least for now.
Once you make your decision, believe me, it’s going to be easier to move ahead and make plans around it.
My gift for you:
Quit Your Job with Confidence Checklist
2. Prepare My Emergency Fund
And here we go in the most not-so-sexy part of my plan.
I love my emergency fund for real.
For me, it’s like a fairy godmother who protects me in case of emergency.
If Cinderella is a stockbroker I am sure she will understand how I feel.
Hahaha…
But seriously, I can’t just hop from paycheck to paycheck.
I never liked that kind of life.
I might not be living fabulously – at least for now – but I want to sleep well at night.
Once I decide that I want to quit my job, I know my emergency fund will be my savior.
No matter what plan I will make after saying goodbye to my 9 to 5, I need to know that I can take care of myself for a while.
For me, it’s for 2 years.
Yes, I am that kind of girl who keeps 2 years of emergency funds.
I am a bit paranoid about running out of money because living on $1/day was not fun.
So I really take my promise to my younger self as my top priority.
Of course, you don’t have to be as paranoid as I am.
In general, having a 3-6 months emergency fund saved up is pretty common advice.
No matter what you need to have an emergency fund.
Whether you want to quit your job or not, an emergency fund is mandatory in everybody’s personal finance.
The more people rely on you, I think the more you need to have more months to cover.
An emergency fund for those in their early 20s and families with 2 kids will be very different.
There is no right or wrong, you can choose any amount you are comfortable with.
Save your emergency fund in your savings account (a high yield saving account will be the best choice), but the point is: don’t carry your emergency fund everywhere every day because accidents will happen soon or later.
We are human after all, right?
If you don’t have your emergency fund, I suggest you start building it today. While you build it, it’s time for plan number 3.
3. Make Your Next Plan
It’s time to make a plan: what will you do after you quit your job?
Do you want to get another job?
Aim for a higher salary?
Try different industries?
Or build your business and be an entrepreneur?
It’s really up to you and also depends on what things you decide in the first step I mentioned before.
You can start to polish your CV, learn new skills, build your business as a side hustle to test the market, etc.
I personally think I need to get a better life once I quit my job.
I quit my job not because I am not capable but because I decide I deserve more than what I got.
That’s why I made my plan so carefully.
I made a lot of phone calls and chatted with a lot of people in my network to learn about the opportunity I might have.
And sure enough, after a couple of months, I found a better opportunity for myself.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Do you like this statement? A famous quote from Churchill I guess.
And I do believe it’s true.
But on the other hand, we need to be very careful not to be ‘stuck’ in keeping planning our move but not making any move.
You need to find your middle ground: make plans and execute your plan.
The fact is, you need to do those 3 things hand in hand.
So, those 3 things I shared are not deadly step by step you need to get it done by the order.
It’s more like guidance; you have the freedom to tweak to adjust with your situation.
Starting your journey is the main thing you need to focus on.
Trust me; just ask yourself a simple question: ‘what kind of life do I want for myself?’ can be a life-changing moment.
Don’t you think sometimes we are too busy with our lives until we forget to ask ourselves, what do we want in our life for real?
So take time to ask yourself this simple question can be life-changing and give you a new perspective about your life.
From my experience, what I learn about myself is more than just quitting my day job.
It’s about designing our ideal life and taking baby steps towards it.
Quitting my 9 to 5 is just a small part of the whole plan of designing the life I want from myself.
Even when I am writing this article, things are not as smooth as I expected.
But hey, it doesn’t matter.
Still, my decision to quit my job and make a proactive plan towards it takes me to an entirely different life today.
And I know for sure as long as I am improving and keep going, that perfect life I want to live in (well, nothing is perfect I know, but you know what I mean) is there waiting for me.
One last thing I want to state here is: start before you’re ready.
At least start to take baby steps.
Keep taking those baby steps, trust me after sometimes you will amaze where it will take you.
And once you focus on making a plan and executing your plan, the journey becomes easier.
And more fun. Funnily enough, I enjoy my job more when I decide that job is not my ‘eternal destiny’.
I will say goodbye to them.
That day will come for sure.
And while I am still here, I enjoy every moment – either good or bad – and take every opportunity to learn as much as I can.
That manager I hate, I relatively can hold myself together and don’t do something stupid.
A bit sick once in a while I will not lie, but it’s bearable.
Focus on your journey will be the best antidote for feeling depressed and overwhelmed.
A long journey starts with the first step. Nothing changes if nothing changes.
And before I knew it, that big day came!
I walk out of my office on my last day with confidence!
Big smile on my face! 🙂
Because I know only better things will happen to me after this.
It’s not going to be a butterfly and rainbow all the time, but I know every effort I put into it will take me closer to my dream life.
Wow, it’s been a long post.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
I would like to hear from you.
Feel free to send me an email at anggi@anggipradhini.com.
And feel free to grab the Quit Your Job with Confidence Checklist I made for you as a recap of this article.
So you can take it with you to track your progress.
I’ll see you soon!