Don't Quit Ya Job to Live Your Purpose!

In our Level 2 workshop workshop, we show people how to live their true purpose in life, and one of the first steps we teach is to make the decision to just do it.

But just so everybody’s on the same page here, when I say “just do it!”, I don’t mean quit your job. “Just do it” simply means get started on your purpose — get the ball rolling, take steps towards making it a reality, try it out, see where it leads, see if it’s for you or not, and see how far you get.

That normally refers to people living their purpose as a passion, hobby, or some other after-hours lifestyle. They do it in their free time, when they’re not working.

Meanwhile, they keep their 9–5 job, because it not only funds their new purpose, but also pays the bills, feeds the family, and puts a roof over their head.

Just so we’re clear.

But if that same person wants to quit their job and dive into living their purpose as a full-time living — such as a business or career — then that’s an entirely different conversation.

First, I’d assume that person knows their true purpose with confidence, genuinely wants to do it, has the time and resources to do it, and has their partner’s or family’s agreement to pursue it as a full-time living.

Second, a lot more caution is advised if a person plans to live their true purpose as a business or career — especially if their livelihood depends on it. That decision should be made very carefully — ideally with guidance from a business mentor with expertise in your field, and after completing Levels 1–3 of the workshops to give yourself the best chance of success. That goes without saying.

Third, I still wouldn’t quit the day job — unless that person had enough financial resources to cover a 1–2 year stint of zero to very little income, and a 2–5 year stint of low income (worst case). Because anyone who has worked for themselves or started their own business knows you’re usually not expected to make a profit in your first 1–2 years … and even that can be optimistic, depending on the industry you choose.

If you’re lucky enough to have the financial resources, the opportunity, and your partner’s support to quit your job and follow your dreams — then run free!

I should say, I’ve personally always jumped straight in and done what I’ve loved for a living — but I’ve been doing that since my early twenties (I’m now 57), so living my purpose has been more of a full-time lifestyle for me than a sudden change. I’m used to it.

If you don’t have that freedom, don’t quit your job. You need an income.

The reasons for that are fairly obvious, especially if you’re honouring the responsibilities of the 4M’s — Marriage, Mortgage, Money, and Munchkins (kids). You still have to service the mortgage, honour your partner’s needs, pay the bills, and feed the kids.

But there’s one other reason a lot of people forget: money worry will sink your ship. If the bills are piling up on your desk and you don’t have a steady income stream to cover them, you’ll constantly worry about money. That worry keeps your internal resistance active, which will subtly sabotage your new purpose before you’ve even had a chance to make any decent money out of it.

The better course of action is to keep your job for now. Sorry, but ya gotta pay the bills! Work on your dream before work, after hours, and on weekends. That way, you don’t have the constant pressure of money “digging its knuckles into your temple.” You can relax and enjoy your new purpose in your spare time, using your job to fund it, grow it, and enjoy it even more.

Money is freedom from lack and limitation.

Yes! You Do Have the Time

And please don’t tell me you don’t have the time to live your purpose after hours. Be honest with yourself. It’s not that you don’t have the time — it’s that your time is currently allocated somewhere else.

For example, in Australia, the average adult burns up 3–5 hours a day watching television, gaming, and scrolling social media. If they simply got up an hour earlier, cut back on screen time, and reallocated some weekend downtime, they could easily spend 15–20 hours a week building their dream. That adds up to almost one hundred full 8-hour days — around three months of full-time focus.

If your dream is important to you, and you want to make enough money out of it to say “Ta-ta!” to your soulless suck-ass job, then say “Ta-ta!” to snoozy sleep-ins and soul-sucking screen time.

For US readers: “Ta-ta!” means “Goodbye” — in the old British way.

Keep Going

You basically keep living your purpose after hours until it overtakes your job. In other words, your purpose makes so much money, takes up so much of your time, and you enjoy it so much that you really have no choice but to quit your job and work on your purpose it full-time.

That said, it should always be a gradual transition out of paid work and into a paid true purpose. Maybe as your purpose grows, you cut back your work hours, go part-time, or work from home, etc. That’s something you have to work out with your boss — if you even tell them about your plans, which again is a choice you have to make. Or maybe you miss so much work time they fire you (that’s happened to me on a few occasions)!

The entire point is to transition from paid work to paid purpose without the money worry.

The only sticking point with this plan is this: as soon as you make the decision to do what you love for a living, your old job can start to feel like a real drag — especially if it’s a soulless job you hate (and I’ve worked plenty of them in-between to pay for the dream).

But there is a solution. Go to work with a whole new attitude. Remind yourself daily (silently, in your mind): “This job might suck, but at least it pays for the dream — and I’ll leave this job soon and live my dream full-time.”

That affirmation only works if it’s done with genuine gratitude, without resentment. Because let’s face it — you’re lucky to have a job. That gratitude will make you feel better, make your workdays easier, make the time fly faster, and start your mind imagining great outcomes for your new purpose.