Episode 415: Want To Quit Your Job? The Truth About Your Career & Financial Independence

Jamila Souffrant 0:02

Whether you have a job or not, whether you are financially independent or not. You are you. So before you think quitting or the job is the issue, before you think running towards something and escaping something is going to be better. Run towards yourself. Run inward. T minus

10 seconds. Welcome to the journey. To launch podcast with your host Jamila Souffrant as a money expert who wants her talk she helps brave journeyers like you get out of debt, save, invest and build real wealth. Join her on the journey to launch to financial freedom in 54321, 4321,

if you want the episode show notes for this episode, go to journey to launch.com or click the description of wherever you're listening to this episode. In the show notes, you'll get the transcribed version of the conversation, the links that we mentioned, and so much more, also, whether you are an OG journey or brand new to the podcast, I've created a free jump start guide to help you on your financial freedom journey. It includes the top episodes to listen to, stages to go through to reach financial freedom resources and so much more. You can go to journey to launch.com/jump start to get your guide right now. Okay, let's hop into the episode. Hey, hey, hey, journeyers, welcome to the journey to launch podcast. I am your host, Jamila Souffrant, and today I have a solo episode for you, asking you the question, do you really want to quit your job? Or are you just bored? Now I thought of this topic for the episode because I know the draw to achieving financial independence. So this idea that you don't have to actively work ever again because you can live off of your investments comes from, for a lot of people, a place of unhappiness in their current job. And I'm raising my hand here, because when I first found out about the fire movement, financial independence, retire early, it was because I was pushed to search for a solution of being unhappy with the prospect of working in a job forever that I did not love, and in a commute that was just terrible. And so I thought to myself, Well, okay, the I can, of course, look for another job or think of something else to do, but I didn't. I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to be free. I wanted to have freedom of my time.

And I know a lot of people come to the show or to my work, and that's one of the major things. It's like, you know, I just want, I want to not work. I don't like what I'm currently doing, but ultimately I don't want to work. But I want to ask this question. I want you to reflect with me in this episode, is it that you really, really don't want to work and quit your job, or are you just bored, or this is not the right fit for you. Because even if you do, and I hope we all get there, have all the money we ever need, and we don't have to actively work, you're going to want to do something. There are a handful of people that I know that, yes, maybe they just chill all day. They're they don't really have a active goal that they're working towards. Maybe is it is, you know, Pina Coladas on the beach every day, all day. But even for me, I don't know about you, I would want to do something to have something that I'm working towards. So before you think that quitting your job or reaching financial independence will be the answer to everything in your life, we should reflect on these questions while we're on the journey to financial independence and freedom, so we're better prepared and can really craft a life that feels good, not just what we think in the future will feel good, but right now. Okay, so let's get started. Some of the topics that we'll go over are questions that I'll ask you to reflect on in terms of thinking about if you want to quit your job or not, or you just border it sound a good fit is, Are you the problem? Yes, we're going to go there. Are you the actual problem? Not the workplace, not the people. Are you the problem next? Is it the work or the workplace? Is it about the money that you're getting paid and the respect that maybe lack of respect, would you actually enjoy doing nothing? Remember, these are questions we're going to go into detail in the future, but I want, I'm just previewing some of the questions I'm going to be wanting you to reflect on, do you actually really want to be entrepreneur, because that is another lane that you can go into while you are building your financial freedom, independence goals and dreams. And do you actually just need a break, not a resignation. Do you just need a break? Okay, first, are you the common denominator? I want you to look at past jobs and situations that you've been in, and is there a reoccurring complaint or conflict that keeps coming up? Have you struggled in different work environments? So you know, regardless whether it is maybe school or even home, growing up and then workplace environments, meaning, is there a issue that comes up no matter the environment, whether it is like just how you respond to people or situations, do you often feel underappreciated or disrespected? So not that there is actually not a level of disrespect happening in your job, but do you get that feeling? Do you feel the world is against you or people are against you? Often right? Let's self reflect here. Are you expecting too much from a job or from the people around you at that job, maybe the passion is not there, the purpose you don't feel is there? The financial security they're not offering you happiness. Now, I think those are all things you can get from a job, but they won't always all come from one place, from your workplace. So here's some self reflection questions I want you to ask yourself, to see if you're the common denominator in not feeling like a job is a good fit, or that you are where you want to be. What are your work patterns? What are some things that you can take accountability for that are not working right now, that you can honestly say, You know what, I had a part in that conflict, or I could have done that better, or maybe they have a point. If there is some maybe criticism from upper management or your co workers about yourself and how do you contribute to your dissatisfaction? I often say, if you fight back against a situation and make it an enemy, even a person, if you, if you look at a person and automatically say, I don't like this person, everything they do will be an issue, just like in the workplace. And so are you contributing to that dissatisfaction from your perception and making things worse? And had you, have you actually received constructive feedback about your attitude or your work ethic that you could actually work on? I think in this instance, really coming to terms with if it to you is really important. Because no matter where you go, whether you reach your ultimate dreams of financial freedom or independence, you change your job, you don't work at all, you will have whatever that issue is, that it is your issue and not anyone else's will continue to come up until you can solve those so actionable tip here for you, journal, reflect, sit down for a bit and see what responsibility you can take for whatever is going on in your environment. Maybe talk to someone else that you actually respect and trust, maybe a mentor, maybe a friend in the workplace, and really ask them, like, Hey, is it me? Like, what am I doing? Or how can you reflect to me what's really going on? Because maybe I'm not seeing everything. To assess your role in the workplace. Okay, next question for yourself, is it the actual job or type of work, or is it just a bad fit? Maybe right now you're bored in your current job or career because the work doesn't challenge you. It's not something you should be doing. Do you feel drained because of the job and it misaligns with your strengths and interest? This is really important, because I do really believe that we as humans want to strive towards something, and that good stress meaning waking up and feeling like, wow, I am working towards a goal that not is not necessarily just going to be handed to me. Feels good. It feels good when you accomplish something. So perhaps you're feeling drained or uninspired because whatever work you're doing is just not aligned with your strengths. Do you even enjoy the industry that you're in? Maybe you enjoy the industry, but not the current role. Have you actually taken a personality or career assessment? I think those can help in terms of maybe figuring out where you can be that fits to your strengths. So that could be like a Clifton Strengths test or MBTI test to understand what work fits you. And then think about maybe pivoting. So this is going to be important, because thinking about where you want to be in your career, especially if you are in the beginning stages of the financial independence journey. So for those of you who are in the stages of you are just getting started. You're trying to be able to pay for your expenses, maybe you're not investing or paying off debt aggressively. Yet, maybe you're just paying off debt, and maybe you're just accumulating right now your investments. You need to bring in money like it's just a fact. You need to work. So it's not a matter of not working at all, right, right away. If you're just starting this journey, it's a matter of, okay, how can I actually enjoy what I'm doing while I'm on the journey. So what does a pivot look like you in your career? What industry excites you or is of interest to you? Maybe it's not just, you know, walking and releasing yourself from the workforce. It's just finding the lane in that workforce or in the workforce that works for you. So think about here's an actionable tip in terms. Reflecting on this question, what other career paths are possible for you? Are there some side projects or volunteer work and networking you can actively do to help figure out what you are really interested in? I know when we're younger, we are encouraged to especially like if we're in our college years, I remember doing this, we had people come to us and we went to college fairs, or at least work fairs came to the college and we can see what type of industries or jobs were available for us to do. I think, as adults, even if you're in your 30s or 40s, even 50s, like we can start thinking about, wait, other things to do so that can look like going on LinkedIn, looking at career profiles or people's profiles, Googling, researching, talking to your network about your possible career opportunities that you might not even know are available to you because you just haven't asked about them. And you can start talking to people about what they actually do. It's so funny when you think about there was this funny meme, or not meme, it was a video where friends were putting up slide shows with their friends explaining what they did for work, because most of us cannot explain what our friends actually do for work. And so realizing that there are people out there with jobs you don't even know exist that might actually not be too bad and a good fit for you, if you knew about it and you could apply your strength to them. So what pivots can you take? How can you start to research that? How can you start to network and ask questions about different career paths? All right, next question to reflect on this is about, do you really want to quit your job or you just bored? Is it the pay or the disrespect. So are you quitting because of low pay, which is super valid because your income is a driving force to you reaching your financial independence goals? If you don't have enough income to pay for your expenses and then to also invest and save, you can't reach it. So if you don't have a good income, that's going to be a big issue, obviously, and I think that's the case for a lot of people. But first you need to understand, are you actually getting paid at your industry standard? So if you research what your salary standard is for your industry, are you making what you're supposed to make? Because there are, for some places, some lanes that is the maximum. So first you want to understand like, are you actually earning what you're supposed to earn in this industry that you're in? Can you also negotiate a raise before walking away? You need to prepare for that conversation. Obviously, you need to be able to assert why you should have and make more money based on your contributions to your job, but maybe before leaving and assuming that it's not going to work or they won't give you more money, how can you negotiate a raise?

Hey, journeyers, if you are loving this podcast, then you will love my book, Your journey to financial freedom, a step by step guide to achieving wealth and happiness. I wrote this book for you. This book is for you if you want a clear and enjoyable path to having more money, options and a rich life. This book is for you if you hate your commute and the fact that you need to seek approval or permission from a boss. I hated that when I worked this book is for you. If you weren't born into wealth, you didn't marry rich or win the lottery, but you still want freedom. This book is for you. If you're at a crossroads, a major decision or event is imminent, maybe a career change, marriage, starting a family, pressures are reaching a tipping point, and the discomfort and the desire for more can no longer be ignored, and this book is for you. If you find yourself zoned out at meetings, looking out the window or daydreaming about the life you truly want, so go pick up your journey to financial freedom.com. So I can show you how to map out how to get from where you are today to where you ultimately want to be and enjoy the journey. While you're on the path, head over to your journey to financial freedom.com. To see where you can pick the book up. It's available on Amazon, bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, your local bookstore everywhere. Go to your journey to financial freedom.com. To get the book now, maybe it is a lack of respect and a toxic work culture. So do you feel like you're being micromanaged? You don't have the space to have autonomy and make decisions? Are there no growth opportunities? Do you have a boss or co worker that belittles you? Those are all valid, right now, I want you to think really think about, like, is it the payer disrespect that's really upsetting you in your current job? And then with that, it's kind of goes back to the question I wanted you to reflect on before, about if it's a you thing, is it a you problem or a company problem? So some people can feel disrespected due to personal insecurities. If we're thinking about, okay, is it me like for a. Example, I just for one, I don't like authority. Like, I don't. I never liked having a boss. Never, like, you know, some people are really fine with saying, Yeah, my boss said I can't do that. Or my boss said this. I used to hate just using the word boss. So clearly that's a me issue, in a way, meaning it's not, not the boss's fault that they are at a higher level than me, but I just didn't like that feeling of having to ask someone to do something or for permission. And so with that, I had to be sensitive to okay, it's not necessarily that it's the boss's problem or fault if they're requesting that I do something, it's just I don't like being told what to do. And then so again, thinking about the disrespect, or maybe not feeling a certain way, or feeling a certain way in an environment, what do you bring to it that makes you feel that way? And then you know, ultimately, yes, I agree with there can just be a lack of respect and people just being disrespectful in work cultures, and that is the primary reason for you not being happy. Now, if it is toxic, I don't agree with saying in anything that's toxic where you feel threatened, you need to create an exit strategy, and what does that exit strategy look like? So actionable tip here is to document issues like think about it, explore what has been happening, and, again, making sure that it's not a you, meaning I am. I am perceiving this this way because of who I am. But no, this is actually not correct, or something that's not right going on. So before you, you know, quit or think about that, just make sure you are really clear about your feelings and what's going on. Okay, next question I want you to ask yourself, do you actually want to do nothing? Now this is really, I think, I think everyone feels like that, especially because if you've been working like me since you were 14, you feel like, you know what like? I just want to not do anything at all. Maybe that is your vision for your life. The fantasy could be sleeping in, you know, no alarm clock. Well, if you have kids, you still gotta get up with them, but, you know, no meetings, no stress. But the reality is, you can get bored. Now, I don't think there's anything wrong with boredom. Like when my kids come to me and say, Mom, I'm bored. I'm like, that's good. Be bored for a bit. That's where you you know, can create and relax, or things come to you because you're not distracted. Would you actually feel lost without structure? Though? Being bored, there are some people who can they don't need some structure as much structure in your life, but there are some people who structure is important, like they need to have, like, certain times that they do things and work creates that for them. So think back when you had times of extended breaks, if you were ever so lucky to have any of those, did you actually feel refreshed? Or did you feel aimless? Was there some restlessness there? Did you actually feel your time with productive things that made you feel at ease or better, or did you feel stuck? I want you to think back to those moments. And there's a difference between knitting a break versus needing like a new path. So think about what that looks like. I mean, burnout is real. Burnout is something I think for a lot of us who have been working for a long time or push ourselves like you, can really burn out quickly. So think about, is it that you need a break instead of quitting? Like, can you take a sabbatical? Can you think about what extended PTO looks like? Now, I know there is a trade off there, because taking a break maybe not earning any money in that break can mean delaying some of your financial goals, but in that break that you take, it might be able to recharge recenter and not that I'm telling you to take the break so you can come out making more money from this break and be more energized, but it can affect how much you have to slow down on your journey. So it's not that you shouldn't take a break if you can. But there are some jobs where, you know, I know, there are some teaching jobs in some other areas of work where you can request an extended PTO or sabbatical. Obviously you have to plan financially for that. But think about, is it that I just need to take a break? Maybe I need to take a vacation and not go anywhere. So oftentimes we take our maybe week vacation and we want to travel. And what about, okay? How about I do a staycation a week at home, where I can just take those extra

moments, hours to myself and kind of try out this mini retirement, or a think about what your life could look like in financial independence, and bring those qualities to your life today. So taking the moments you need in right now, instead of waiting and in that, I want you to be intentional with that break. Sometimes that break is, I'm just going to sleep in. I am going to relax. I'm going to watch movies, or, if you have, you know, a week or two weeks that. You can take, what does that look like to think about a passion you want to explore or a side hustle that you want to start, be intentional about what you want that break to look like. Next thing is, do you want to be an entrepreneur? The alternative to working for someone else is to work for yourself, is to be your own boss. And that is appealing. That's the route I took when I started my journey. Thought I would reach financial independence in seven years. That's when I first started a journey to launch the podcast. I said, Okay, I'm gonna work and save and invest all the money so I can quit my job. And when I started my journey and started to save and invest, I realized, like, I didn't want it to take seven years working for someone else. So the path that I chose to step onto, almost like this parallel path, is, instead of working for a company, I create my own business. Generate income from this business, use that towards my financial independence journey and essentially become an entrepreneur. And I know it's touted online entrepreneurship is amazing, and it can be. It's, you know, it's a very rewarding experience to create something and have the flexibility and ownership of your time in this way. But it's not easy, and it's not for everyone. I mean, I gotta be honest sometimes, I think you know what, it wouldn't be so bad just getting a consistent check from someone else that I can depend on, you know, quote, unquote, because even That's none of that you as you know, and that sometimes is not dependable. But let's just say I know that check is coming in, I know how much it is, and I know exactly what I need to do. Someone is telling me what to do. So an irony, even though I disliked having a boss and I didn't necessarily like being told what to do, now that I am my own boss and I have to tell myself what to do, I see the benefit in actually not having the responsibility of planning and creating goals for myself within my business so meaning it was so much easier to show up to work and I knew what to do because someone else told me what to do. Because for me, that was enough. When you're an entrepreneur, you actually really care about, I hope, if you're an entrepreneur, you care about what you're doing there. You know, there's really no not a nine to five. It's almost like a nine to five, five to nine, like the hours are flexible, but they can be ongoing and non stop, because you care so much, because you eat what you kill, in a way, meaning, you know, you earn money based on what you're doing, versus in a job, when someone's telling you what to do and you know you're going to do this, the stakes, to me, are a lower depending on your drive within that company. So the question of, Do you want to be an entrepreneur, versus working is really important for someone else, because you might think, well, if I was I, if I'm my own boss, all this will go away. I'll be happy, you know, I can set my own schedule. And again, some of that stuff will happen, or hopefully will happen for you to become that. But there's also some things that come along with that. Again, no guaranteed paycheck. So no boss, no guaranteed paycheck. You have freedom, but I believe you have more responsibility. You have more creativity, but there's also actually a risk of more loneliness and feeling more alone on the path. I often joke like I don't really interact with that many adults in the day time, because typically, especially because I'm working from home, everything's more virtual if I if I am talking to anyone at all, but it's really a solid it's really a solo, solo work, unless you have maybe employees or people that you're working with in your own business. So it could be a good fit entrepreneurship, if you do have a clear idea, if you're willing to test it, you can be disciplined and you can actually handle uncertainty. There are some people who can handle that better than others, and you enjoy doing things by yourself, independently, versus it can be a struggle for you. If you don't like structure, but you don't want to create your own structure, maybe you actually do need a lot of external motivation to stay productive. You need someone telling you what to do. And then, if you dislike financial instability, which is a big part of this journey being stable and consistent, even though you might need to take breaks that's that's going to impact how well and how you can withstand this journey entrepreneurship. Feel like I need to do just a episode on entrepreneurship. So I want you to start thinking when it comes to your path to financial independence and then currently working, if you're currently working in the workforce,

do you view entrepreneurship as replacing your current job? So you still need to earn money, you still need to be dependent on money being actively earned to reach your financial goals, or are. Be looking at entrepreneurship more as a fill in the gaps, like you can reach, you reach financial independence, or a level of freedom. Maybe you're in the work flexible stage the journey, or stage four, and you feel like entrepreneurship is an add on. It's what I do because I want to do something. When I reach financial independence, it's not because I need it. It's because I I want to do something. I think actually those are two different ways to approach what entrepreneurship looks like. Because if you're depending on your your own business to earn money so that you can reach your financial goals, I do believe that's more stressful, or it requires a lot more thought and process behind building a business, a sustainable business, because you need that income still so you can reach financial freedom and independence, right? Versus I kind of am at a great spot financially. Anything I earn in my business is an add on that feels different. So really thinking about where you are on the path, maybe it is that you do need to put it in some more hours, more years at a job, so that entrepreneurship is not the sole factor of you reaching your goals. Or maybe you're like, you know what? It's better for me you weigh the pros and cons. Entrepreneurship is a lot better for me, even if it is a little bit acid pros and cons versus working while I'm on the path, either way, while you're working, I do suggest starting a side hustle and really fleshing out what you want your business to be, because you can consider the current job you have your investor, right? Because once you quit and you don't have that money anymore, that's even more stressed financially on yourself. And yes, it's gonna be more work if you're able to work your nine to five and then come home, work on that business all hours of the night and put that work in simultaneously, you can start to build something and see if it works. Okay. So let's just recap, because this episode was all about you reflecting and thinking about, is it really the job or you? Is it really the job or not a good fit? Are you wanting to reach financial independence, to escape a current situation or reality? Is it the job yourself or the specific position? Would quitting actually make you happier? Do you really want to be an entrepreneur, or do you just need a break? I want you to really take a lot of internal action. Here. I love talking about the internal steps we need to take before the outward steps before making big decisions or declaring it's the job or it's the other person or it's this thing. Talk to other people. Journal, write down your thoughts. Make small changes in your current work environment, in your life, and become curious if you switch out variables, if you switch out whether you know it is maybe, how much you move in the day, what you do for fun, how you respond to walk into a workplace. If you switch out variables that make your day, your day, right? Like every little thing, become a become curious, become a scientist, almost to see if I change these variables and move these things around, how do I feel? Become more aware how you're moving through the world to understand who it is you actually are, because whether you have a job or not, whether you are financially independent or not, you are you. So before you think quitting or the job is the issue, before you think running towards something and escaping something is going to be better. Run towards yourself. Run inward. If I can give you any advice, as you continue on the journey, while in the moment, we all feel like it's the job, it's the people, it's this, it's the situation we don't want to get to, financial independence, to the place we are working towards. And feel like, wait a second, I got I had it wrong all along. It wasn't those things, maybe they contributed to that, but it was me. So now's the time to start reflecting, thinking about what you can do right now, before you have all the money, before everything's figured out to create a life you desire. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please let me know if this was insightful, if maybe you thought to yourself, Okay, maybe it's not the job. Maybe it's me. Let me know. I'm on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I mostly hang out on Instagram at journey to launch and at Jamila Souffrant, screenshot, let me know what you're thinking. Share this episode with a family member or friend, continue to talk about it, and until next week, keep on journeying. Journeyers. Don't forget, you can get the episode show notes for this episode by going to journey to launch.com or click the description of wherever you're listening to this and you can still grab your jumpstart guide for free. To help you on your journey to financial freedom by going to journey to launch.com/jump start. If you want to support me and the podcast and love the free content and information that you get here, here are four ways that you can support me in the show. One, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast wherever you listen, whether that's Apple podcast, that purple app on your phone, your Android device, YouTube, Spotify, wherever it is that you happen to listen, just subscribe so you are not missing an episode. And if you're happening to listen to this in Apple podcast, rate review and subscribe there. I appreciate and read every single review. Number two, follow me on my social media accounts. I'm at journey to launch on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And I love, love, love interacting with journeyers. There three, support and check out the sponsors of this show. If you hear something that interests you, sponsors are the main ways we keep the podcast lights on here. So show them some love for supporting your girl. Four, and last but not least, share this episode, this podcast, with a friend or family member or co worker so that we can spread the message of Journey to launch. All right, that's it until next week. Keep on journeying. Journeyers. You

Transcribed by https://otter.ai