No! I’m not crazy; this is what I know about life so far…

This week, I did something a lot of people would call crazy. I quit my day job.
If you are anything like me, you have harbored dreams of financial freedom and security since you discovered that your paycheck can only take you so far. My first year in employment was fun. I was making some good money, had just moved out, and the only things I did were shop, and shop some more.

Then one day I discovered that I wanted more. I felt like my job was clerical, more like inputting and outputting of data and paper work, and to be honest it was. So I began to crave more, I wanted to leverage on my thoughts and ideas. I decided to go back to school get something extra that would boost my credentials. Shortly afterwards, I was promoted to where I could be part of the conceptualization process. I was enjoying this part quite obviously and the money made me sleep better.

Then one day I woke up and realized, I wanted to do more, learn more, grow more. I needed to sharpen some of my valuable skills and where I had been working could not take me any further. It was at this point that I learnt one of my most important lessons;

1.An organization can only go as far, as the person who leads it.

The head of an organization carries its vision and shapes its destiny. If you work for someone who does not carry a big vision, it can be very frustrating. When you let out your ideas and get shot down constantly, or you work where there is only one way to do things, then you can relate to what I’m saying.

So I went on a quest to find someone I believed I could learn from. I had for a long time committed my time and energy to study world renowned entrepreneurs. I wanted to know how they think, how they see life, and do things. Most of all, I wanted to know what their back stories were. Anything I could get my hands on, I read. I went online, joined their free classes, and even subscribed to their direct emails. So I had a pretty good idea what to look for. For me the key thing was passion. If you do not have passion for what you do when you get up in the morning everyday, you need to think twice.

I was lucky enough to find such an entrepreneur. In my opinion, one of the greatest business minds I have ever picked. I made a decision not driven by money or work benefits and moved on. This was to be a turning point for me.

Pretty soon, the bug came biting again, I had projects in me that were not getting done, and if you believe in infinite ideas, then you know that until you birth an idea you will never move on to a better one. That leads me to the second lesson.

2.You can’t live in fear

It amazes me how many people are unhappily employed but because of fear, they will never try to make it on their own or carry out their big projects. The fake sense of security their paycheck gives them, convinces them to stay put, and sadly many of them will die without ever bringing those ideas out of them due to a bigger paycheck, bigger benefits. As an accountant fried of mine put it quite eloquently the other day, employment is equal to slavery. Don’t cringe, think about it really hard, and then try to convince me otherwise because I agree with him.

I listened to a radio show a few weeks ago where the host was talking about how some of his friends have given up their dream of ever making it out of the rat race. They have been waiting and dreaming of their big break but it never happened. Some people called in and sadly, some of them said that the only they will make it out is to take kick backs and bribes. This is a reality you can avoid.

A very good friend of mine, who also had the courage of starting her own business, told me something I will never forget. She had encountered 40 year olds who were coming into her office to rent some space. However, they were trying to negotiate Kshs. 10,000 rent downwards. These were people much older than her, with big kids, and families. So she asked me something I will never forget. Would you rather make the sacrifice for a big paycheck and benefits now for a better life ten years down the line or wait until you are 40 with a mortgage and loans to pay to make that leap?

More than 50% of retirees in Kenya die within the first five years. I am sure there a lot of you with parents who demand money every month and you wonder how it’s possible for them not to be able to make ends meet. Again, this is a reality you can work to avoid.

3. You must live by faith

As I spent time interacting with colleagues and team mates I realized that the sense of security a paycheck gives people is so strong, it totally blinds them. A lot of us work in places where you can be summarily dismissed at anytime. During the recession, people lost their jobs overnight. Others got huge salary cuts that took them back a few years. Then in most organizations, there is a system used to dictate increments. Depending on your level at times but on average, annual income increments are done at par with inflation or by at least 10%. That tells you how long you need to be there in order to make it to your financial goal.
Do yourself a favor. Don’t fall for that false sense of security. Develop a plan and work at it. If you don’t know where to start, check out the article on life planning.

So that brings me to today. Another turning point by all means. If you have ever had the chance to play the game cash flow quadrant, then you know how long, and what kind of effort it takes to get out of the rat race. If there is one thing that game taught me, it’s the signs you need to look out for. There is a wealth of opportunities all around you. But you must train your mind to notice them and capitalize on them. You can only do this conscientiously. It has to come from something deep within you that changes how you see things. I know that all of us will take unique journeys in this life and there is no one formula to making it. However, the principles are the same. Early last year, I met an entrepreneur who completely blew me away. She told me that she sees so much opportunity everyday that sometimes she wants to tell God to close her eyes because she can not do everything. This young lady told me in quarter 1 2009 that she was going to make half a billion in 2010 quarter 1. This is a young Kenyan, very much like you and me, not Chris Kirubi or some hot shot Indian businessman.

So whatever it is you have deep within you, do something about it today. Every moment you let pass, it time lost that you will never find again. You better fail for trying, but not to have ever tried at all.