Last week I had a powerful conversation with performance catalyst, Mia Hewett. We were chatting about my business and how I made my own transition from employment to entrepreneurship. Mia made a powerful observation that could have saved me mountains of stress had I been aware of it before I handed in my notice:
My decision to quit law was more about running away from a job and lifestyle I didn't like and less about running towards a business and lifestyle that would serve me.
In making the transition, I said all of the right things.
"I want more time."
"I want more freedom."
"I want more flexibility."
But in all honesty, I was really trying to get myself out of an uncomfortable situation. One where what I was doing wasn't fitting with who I wanted to be.
I knew what I didn't what to do.
I wasn't really clear on who I wanted to be, though.
The result of this? My decision to quit didn't come from an empowered place.
It wasn't until after I quit that the effects of this became very real to me.
If I could go back and advise my former self on what I know now, I would encourage her to change the following statements:
From: I'm quitting because I want more free time.
To: I'm quitting to create a life where my time is filled with the things I genuinely want to pursue.
From: I'm quitting because these parameters for success don't fit me anymore.
To: I'm quitting because I want to dedicate time cultivating high quality relationships with the people I love and also use my divine gifts to serve this world.
From: I'm quitting because I can't stand corporate politics and people clawing over others to get ahead.
To: I'm quitting so that I can create a tribe of individuals who are supportive and believe in the saying 'A high tide rises all ships.'
From: I'm quitting because I don't believe in what we do.
To: I'm quitting so that I can do what genuinely fills me up.
From: I'm quitting because I can't stand rules and red tape.
To: I'm quitting so I can live in a world that gets created as I go along.
From: I'm quitting because I don't get the acknowledgment I deserve.
To: I'm quitting because I don't need acknowledgment from anyone. I rather show up as me and serve the world or I don't.
From: I'm quitting because I don't want to look back in 20+ years and think I wasted my life away.
To: Standing here in the present moment, I have the power and choice to make a shift that can change the trajectory of my life in a powerful way.
I'll be honest. I wasn't interested in tweaking the above statements while I was still employed, which explains why I didn't do it. It was much easier to blame my employer for my discomfort and unhappiness because it meant I didn't have to take responsibility for my life and the way I was living it.
Once I quit though, I immediately became responsible for my world. There was no more employer to blame. There was only me. Transforming the statements above would have given me a better sense of the world I was creating for myself. Instead, I floundered for the first several months as I tried to get my bearings. I held onto familiar patterns that were no longer serving me because I didn't know what else to do.
With the support of my amazing family and powerful coaches, I eventually got myself to an empowered place. I began to deliberately create my world. I began to actively uncover my passions and gifts. My life and perspective dramatically improved and I began to feel better about where I was heading.
I share this with you so that you can tweak any disempowering statements that you're holding onto as you prepare for your journey from employment to entrepreneurship. How can you turn them around so that they speak to that part of you that wants to show up in the world and 'be' from an authentic, passionate place?
Those are the exact statements you want to keep with you as you make your way from employment to entrepreneurship.