The other day I talked with a guy who recently started working. He said that he liked his job but that he also felt like he wanted to start his own thing.
He also told me that he had a lot of pressure. His girlfriend started talking about getting married. And having children. A house. The bills are getting bigger and bigger. That he has to do something now. Change things. Maybe even quit his job to start his own show.
The clock is ticking. Time is running out. I think a lot of people think that way. People think that the clock is ticking. That they're running out of time. What most people tend to do then is that they go all in. And quit their jobs. Or want to quit their jobs.
But the thing about going all in is that most of the time you'll end up with nothing. Not only will your own show not work out, it's also very likely that you might never really start that family. And lose that precious little diamond of yours. That you'll never turn that rough diamond into a beautiful piece of art.
Because what's going to happen is this. What's going to happen when you quit that job is this:
It won't work out. It won't work out like you pictured it. It never does. And then you'll start freaking out. Not a lot. At least not in the beginning. It's a slow process. But you'll go crazy over time. Not necessarily crazy. But you'll change. For sure. People always change when things don't work out.
You won't sleep well anymore. You worry about the bills. All the time. You worry about the cash not coming in. About that one guy who said he's going to do this. And then he doesn't. He just doesn't show up. They never do.
And then you lose your way. You don't know what to do anymore. You lose focus. And to fight back you work even more. You lose your energy. Work that would usually take you about an hour or so will take you an entire day.
And when I say you, I mean myself. That's what happened to me in the past many times. I learned my lesson. Or at least I hope I did. I really do. It's not nice when it happens. But it does..
So don't be like me. Don't go all in. Because going all in never works. Unless you've been playing the game for the past decade or so. Unless you really not what you're doing. I never knew what I was doing. It always went wrong. Unless you've the energy to go all in multiple times in a row without going crazy or going bankrupt.
So instead of going all in, place many small bets. Keep your job and place many small bets. Don't quit your job. Start planting tiny seeds. And maybe one day one of these seeds turns into a big enough tree. Maybe not. But then you'll still have your day job.
And when it works out then this tree can nurture you. Your family. And your kids. And you won't lose that precious little diamond. You can turn it into a real piece of art. Your art.
And maybe one day I'll be able to tell my kids this story. Maybe one day you'll be able to tell your kids this story. Or a similar story.
What a great story.
I would love to listen to that story. Or read that book. Watch that movie. Or listen to that audio book..
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