Have you ever thought about leaving your day job to pursue something that is more inspiring to you and that allows you to have the freedom to live life on your terms?

Many of the people I work with are professionals, such as lawyers, psychologists, teachers, holistic doctors, etc., who entered their field because they wanted to help other people.

What they found, though, is that they are now ready to leave and shift into doing something where they feel like they have the freedom to create the impact and change that they truly desire.

Whether you are looking to become a coach, solopreneur, entrepreneur, or create a business where you can work from anywhere, one key thing many people overlook when leaving their day job to live a life of freedom is their intention behind it.

If this is you, before you leave your job, ask yourself this…

Are you leaving from love and inspiration or are you leaving because you dislike (despise, hate, etc…) your current job?

Essentially there are two ways you can leave your job. You can leave from inspiration, or you can leave from fear.

I recommend you take the time and do the work necessary to leave it from inspiration. This will save you time, money and a lot of life lessons down the road.

The truth is, anything you do not love, you just keep attracting over and over again until you learn to love it. 

It’s the Universe’s way of helping you learn that lesson. If you don’t love what you are doing, and you don’t see the perfection in it, you’ll just recreate the same lessons, the same emotions and the same challenges in your next vocation.

This is why I recommend taking the time to dissolve the emotions and come from a neutral, loving perspective when you leave.

Most people know this but they don’t want to believe it.

To have a successful business, where you have people coming in steadily and have a good rhythm in your business, it takes approximately three to five years.

Knowing that it takes on average three to five years to create a sustainable and profitable business can help balance some of the fantasy that comes with leaving your career and starting your own business.

When you first decide that you want to leave your career, it can feel exciting knowing that you can create something where you have more freedom to grow your income, have a more significant impact, and live life on your terms.

The truth is having a business can and does allow for more freedom, AND it also requires a ton of work and asks you to step up and grow personally as well.

When you can see both sides and see the whole picture, it will help you be more grounded. 

There are tons of advantages to going out on your own. There are also advantages to what you are currently doing.

The key is to see both sides.

Ask yourself, how is what you’re doing currently actually helping you to be able to have the life and the freedom that you want later on?

By seeing the positives in your current job, you’re able to leave with more love; you’re able to leave from a place of “I choose to” leave as opposed to “I have to” leave.

This is powerful and will save you so much time and energy down the road because you won’t have to recreate the same feelings and emotions, and situations in your new career or new endeavour.

The purpose of this is to help you have a balanced perspective of leaving.

Many people get infatuated with leaving their career and having their own business because they hate what they are currently doing and see their new vocation as the answer to their freedom and happiness.

If you are only looking at it from one side and this unbalanced perception, you’ll end up swinging in your emotions and be on a rollercoaster ride. It will also end up in you resenting your business.

Instead, try this!

 

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Exercise A:

Ask yourself, what are the benefits of your current job/ career? Write out at least 25 benefits of working in your current role.

Ie. You have a steady paycheque. You don’t have to go out and look for clients, etc.

Keep writing until you can’t think of anything else. Check all the eight areas of your life, including spiritual, vocational, financial, social, physical, familial, mental, and environmental.

 

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Exercise B:

Ask yourself the drawbacks of being self-employed (insert business idea, coaching, stay-at-home business, etc.).

Write at least 25 drawbacks to you going out on your own. What are some of the disadvantages of being self-employed?  Think in terms of all the eight areas of your life. Aim to have the same number of drawbacks as you did benefits.

 

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The truth is being self-employed, and having a job that gives you a steady paycheck every week, are two different ballgames.

By neutralizing some of those charges and seeing the reality of what is, it will help you have more love for the process and move forward much faster.

As you navigate this, just know that pursuing your dream and taking the next step in living a life of freedom can be scary! It is common to experience both conscious and subconscious fears when you play bigger.

What if I make a mistake?
What if I’m not safe?
What if I lose my security?
What if I fail?
Etc. Etc.

When playing bigger, it’s essential to have tools and resources to help you navigate the limiting beliefs.

If you are serious about moving your dream forward and living a life of freedom, reach out to me to schedule a free clarity call: https://andreaparkercoaching.as.me/clarity-call.

 

One of the top mistakes new entrepreneurs make when transitioning from their “steady job” to going all-in with their business is that they put too much pressure on their business to support them financially.

When I first considered leaving my policing career to start my own business, my mentor Dr. Lise Janelle, instilled in me that it takes time to start a business and the importance of this principle. 

This is something I have passed down to my clients and that I think is worth highlighting.

On average, it takes between three to five years to establish a successful business.  

Depending on the industry, it can take more time or less, but it’s three to five years in most cases.

Like most things worth lasting, it takes time!

 It doesn’t happen overnight. 

Knowing that it takes time, the key is to plan your strategy accordingly. 

Having a financial strategy not only will take the pressure off you and your business to perform, but it will also allow you the freedom to build from a place of love and inspiration.

However, let’s say you decide to leave your “steady day-job” and expect your new business to support you financially. What often happens next is that you become “needy” and desperate for new clients.

I’m sure you can think of a time when someone was trying to sell you on something, and they came off as “needy.” 

No matter how badly you wanted it, if the salesperson came off as too desperate, or wanted it more than you wanted it for yourself, then it became a huge turn-off, and most likely a “No Thank You!” 

Rather than creating something from love and inspiration (like we talked about in the last blog), it quickly turns into fear and desperation, which are not attractive business qualities. 

A more loving and long-lasting approach is coming up with a financial plan to support you while growing your business.

Here are four ways that can help you lovingly transition into having a successful business:

1. Have a partner who can help support you financially.
2. Get a part-time job to cover your expenses.
3. Have at least two years of savings (aim to have enough money so that if you weren’t to make any money in those two years, you would be ok).
4. Stay in your current job and build your business on the side.

Choose which feels most in alignment for you.

It may even be a combination. 

The key is to remember that it takes time to start a business. 

The more you try to force it, the more you’ll get frustrated.

One of my key takeaways from transitioning from my policing career into my business is how important it is to have a coach or mentor in your corner. Or at the very least a blueprint or strategy that can help get you there faster.

Although it takes time to start a business, there are also things you can do to move forward with less resistance and greater ease. 

One way to do that is to find someone who has a track record of success and has already done what you want to do.

If you are looking for more guidance in moving your career or business forward faster, you can apply to work with me directly. 

There is also an opportunity for you to attend my upcoming Career Fulfillment Masterclass.

This workshop is for entrepreneurs, executives and professions looking to reach the next level of success in their lives. 

During the 1-Day virtual event, you will:

• Gain more clarity on your top career goals and map out your long-term vision.
• Gain more purpose, freedom and fulfilment in the work you do.
• Create a blueprint with the next best steps and how you can move forward with love, inspiration and get to where you want to go faster.

To learn more about the Career Fulfillment Masterclass, CLICK HERE.

 

I am often asked my thoughts around the “best” time to leave a steady job before transitioning fully into your business or career.

In most cases, this is what I would recommend:  

Until you can love it, do not leave it!

I’ll be honest… my answer may not always be a fan favourite, especially if you feel frustrated with your current role and are ready to get out of there. 

But the truth is if you cannot leave it from love, you are wise to wait until you can.

Here’s why…

There are two ways you can leave something. 

You can leave it from inspiration and love, or you can leave through desperation and fear. 

If you don’t take the time to balance out your charges to see both sides and have gratitude for what you are currently doing, you will likely just repeat the same patterns and lessons in your next role. 

As Dr. John Demartini teaches, what you do not love, you attract, create, or become.

Essentially, you’ll keep repeating the same lesson until you learn to “love” it and see the perfection in it. 

Here’s an example of what it looks like when you leave from desperation. 

A friend from a mastermind group was working a corporate job working for a Fortune 500 company. After being with the company for a few years, she began resenting it and wanted to leave to do something else. She felt like her boss didn’t appreciate her and was too controlling. 

Rather than doing her inner work to find the gratitude in her current role and leaving from love, she left out of desperation, which came in the form of resentment towards her boss and the company. 

She ended up taking a role in an upcoming business where she was drawn to the freedom to create and an easy-going boss. 

After a few weeks, after the job’s novelty wore off, she started experiencing similar feelings of resentment and became frustrated with her boss. 

This time it was because of the extra responsibility and lack of financial stability. Soon she started to miss the structure and the opportunities her other job had provided her. 

After a few months in her new role, the business experienced greater financial issues, and she was out of a job.

On the flip side, I have a client who transitioned from love by doing her inner work, and the outcome was very inspiring!

Whether it’s a career, relationship, house, etc. unless there is a safety concern, it is wise to take your time, learn to love what you are doing and then leave from inspiration.

See how it is serving. Learn as much as you can. And at the end of the day, if you still can’t love what you’re doing. Then leave it! 

Life’s too short to be doing something you hate. But at least you know that since you took the time to do your inner work, you’re choosing to leave because you want to (which is inspiring).

This process is crucial because it helps you increase your self-worth and confidence, which are key ingredients to success.

So once you know that you are leaving from love, what are the next steps in transitioning into your business or a new career?

Be sure to tune in next Thursday for my new blog, where I answer just that. 

In the meantime, if you are looking for more information on how to take your career and business to the next level, my Career Fulfillment Masterclass is coming up soon.

In this workshop, I personally walk you through my 3- step process that will help you:

• Discover what’s most important to you and have a plan you can implement right away.
• Experience new levels of inspiration, creativity, and gratitude in what you do.
• Achieve new levels of career and business success.

The workshop is designed to help you have the clarity, tools, and strategy to move forward faster from inspiration and love!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!