Quit Your Job Now!

Work by human beings is a wonderful thing. It produces goods and services we need and provides a way for us to have money to take care of our needs. Doctors and medical technicians help us maintain our health, and creative people give us nice objects to look at and use. 

There is a right and wrong use of work, however. In much of the world, work is used to define an individual: where you work or what you do is who you are.

This was painfully shown to me a few years ago. Newly married, I left a low-paying, high-stress job at a bank for a much higher salary in the textile industry. The bank was considered a much more socially accepted place to work than a mill. People remembered when the mill owned all the houses and the workers were low-lifes who could not even afford a place to stay. My family was suddenly shut off from all social functions, and many friends deserted us.

At the time, I was just disgusted and saddened. Now I know it was a manifestation of the idea that one's work is who you are. I eventually realized this and quit with no job and no retirement; no nothing. 

After surviving some really bad years, my mission now is to show everyone that they don't have to work for a single company or in the same profession all their lives. There are ways to spice up life, provide more time for things you really want to do, and yield the desired income at the same time.

The Internet has made this more possible than ever. 

My Daddy, a minister for 66 years, showed me most of the ideas here. I didn't realize what he was doing for a long time, and he had no clue. He was totally focused on his ministry. Daddy tuned out the world, tried to avoid the news, and never spoke of retirement. Health forced him to stop when he was 85, and he just started to go away because he had nothing else to do.

You'll never get me to stop! 

During his life, Daddy had seven active pastorates. He said he retired at 65 for a few years, but he preached at a church every single Sunday and held a few revivals. More money was never a challenge in his life, but Daddy was always looking for a larger group to influence. He always moved up, until later in life when he kind of relaxed so he could keep on doing what he loved.

So, what did I learn about work from my Father? 

Stay focused on your main ideas; this can include more than one, but don't run in every direction. Constantly look for a challenge and never think about quitting.

These are my life goals and I suggest everyone—doctor, lawyer, accountant, or anyone—adopt these plans. It's the only way to have the money you want in a stress-free environment. 

Here are some tips on reaching these objectives: 

Something common among new entrepreneurs is the inability to see a project through to its ending. Internet entrepreneurs often change businesses every day or two. This infects many brick-and-mortar people, too. Several of my affiliates have this problem. I get stuff all the time about some great new thing someone has found. Others get so tied up in lotteries and casinos that pop up, there's no time for working one program until it becomes profitable. You must decide what you intend to do and stay with it. Written goals are necessary to do this well. 

A few months ago I reviewed "Die Broke," by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine. Many of the ideas in this book are similar to my own.

To have enough money to get through life the way you want takes some effort. "Die Broke" elaborates on the idea of quitting your very first job just as soon as you begin…in your mind, that is. This means constantly changing employment when more money (or benefits = money) opens up for you. You will have more money to invest or just to enjoy. 

If you have a job, you already have a resumé. You also have many contacts, so keep an up-to-date account of your abilities in front of these people. Sometime they may need you and be willing to pay you more than you're currently making. Always network. Who you know means everything. Join any organization where you have interests and make sure everyone knows you and your qualifications. 

You may even ask your contacts to review your resumé. Ask for an interview with them about their business because you want to know all about it in case you decide to apply for a job. All this will keep you in front of decision makers who will be able to hire when you apply for that high-paying job.

Cultivate a good attitude about retirement. To remain mentally and physically healthy, one must have a compelling reason to get up in the morning. There must be something you just have to do. 

The unhappiest retiree I know plays a little golf, travels a little, and sleeps most of every day. He sleeps so much because he wants to forget that his stock investments are going up and down all the time. He has nothing to get up and do. This is why no one should retire. Why live if all you do is sleep? 

At every stage in life a person should build income streams as they become available. A very good discussion of this is in "Die Broke" and "Multiple Streams of Income," by Robert G. Allen, John Wiley & Sons. 

So how do we live a happy, low-stress life with enough money? Do these three things:

• Stay focused
• Look for more income
• Never retire