Want to quit your job to follow your passion but don’t know when or how?
This article will give you some clarity and peace of mind on how to make that happen, including a plan of action you can follow.
In 2018, I quit my job to go back to running my online business (and achieve my dream of moving to Thailand).
This job had all the main characteristics of a job most people want to quit.
I had to go in to work from Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm (who actually works 9-5, right?).
I was doing work I was good at but didn’t care about. I wasted time in pointless meetings and calls, took extra long bathroom breaks, and felt like a caged animal that just wanted to be free.
In the beginning, I appreciated the money and the financial stability, but the novelty quickly wore off as I started dealing with the usual corporate routine of meetings and deadlines.
Essentially, I was trading my time for money.
I spent a huge portion of that time daydreaming about living the life I’d been dreaming about for almost four years – traveling around the world running my own location-independent online business.
I’m happy to say I quit that job once my contract ran out. They asked me to renew, and I politely declined. My soul couldn’t stay there any longer, despite the financial security it offered.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate that job (now) because I saved about 50% of my earnings from it.
This gave me the savings to quit and achieve my dream of moving to Southeast Asia later that year and go back to working on my business. This is what I really wanted to do.


Not to mention, I also found my life purpose out there.
So…while I struggled with having to go to work at that job, it still helped me get to where I wanted to be.
But I needed to quit to do what I really wanted to do to make that happen.
If you’re thinking about quitting your job to follow your passion, I’m going to share exactly how I did it, the decisions I made, and the thought process I went through, including what I would’ve done differently.
I’m also going to give you some factors to consider so you can determine the best time for you to quit your job, and I’m going to help you create a plan of action to make it happen.
Let’s dive in:
Table of Contents
First Off, You Are Not Alone
Many people who want to quit their jobs to follow their passions feel like they’re alone.
They feel like they’re the only ones who actually want to do this, and sometimes they feel like there’s no one they can really talk to about it.
I often get emails from people describing these situations to me, and I empathize every time because it’s heartbreaking.
They’re in jobs that drain their energy and suck the life out of them, and it has negative effects on both their happiness and their health. My job was like this for me, as well.
I’d come home from work on Friday too tired to even hang out with my friends. I’d take a nap in my car during every lunch break to try to to get some energy back. I developed a health issue, as well, and it felt like every day was a struggle to get through.
The only thing that really kept me there was the money, so I have an idea of what you might be experiencing if you’re in this situation.
Related: Why No Business or Job is Worth Sacrificing Your Health
At the same time, I know you aren’t truly alone. Far from it.
If you’re not happy at your work, guess what? Over half the population isn’t.
TeamStage aggregated some of the most interesting job satisfaction data from surveys done over the last eight years. Here are a few of the findings:1
- 49% of employees are happy with their current jobs (meaning that 51% are not).
- 55% of Americans claim work exhaustion.
- 67% of respondents listed anxiety as the main cause of their unhappiness.
- 66% complained of fatigue.
- 58% said they suffered from depression, all of which are symptoms of job burnout.
- 52% of American employees are uninspired and under-motivated.
- Only 15% of Americans are working at their dream job.
Maybe you can see yourself in these statistics, and I’m sure these findings aren’t that much different for many countries around the world.
The fact of the matter is that most work sucks, so it’s no wonder people have such a negative relationship with work in general.
I’ve heard tons of people over the years wishing they didn’t have to work at all – wishing they could just win the lottery and sit on a beach all day.
And I’m not talking about old people. I’m talking about people who’ve barely started their careers.
Things need to change, and we can’t expect companies or employers to do it. We have to do it ourselves.
We have to find our own passions and what really makes us happy. And we need to take matters into our own hands to follow them and do the work that matters most to us.
Here’s how I did it:
Related: How to Heal Your Relationship With Work
How I Quit My Job to Follow My Passion
Step 1: I Crafted My Future Vision and Made The Decision
Let me take you back to February, March, and April of 2018.
These were my last three months at that job. To this day, they are still some of the longest months I’ve ever had in my life.
By this point, the novelty of making consistent income had worn off completely, and I was tired. I was completely drained by this monotonous, boring, time-wasting corporate routine.
I was dealing with a health issue as a result of this job, as well, and I knew I needed to get out and back to the life I truly wanted to live.
Way before I quit that job, I had a vision of what I wanted. I wanted to move to and travel around Southeast Asia, starting in Thailand. This was a dream I’d had for almost four years, and I still wanted to make it happen.
So I knew this job was a means to that end, not an end itself.
I was going to quit at some point. I wasn’t going to stay there any longer than I needed to. I made that decision firmly. That was step 1.
I had a clear vision of what I wanted (to go back to running my business and move to Thailand), and I made the decision that at some point I was going to quit.
No doubt about it.
Step 2: I Reclaimed My Financial Power
Based on my vision of what I wanted and that decision, I knew I needed to save money.
Money in the bank was going to give me bargaining power and decision-making power, and it would give me power back over my life.
Essentially, it would give me the power to quit and not need an employer, business income, or another source of income until I had enough time to generate one based on what I really wanted to do.
So I minimized all of my expenses and saved as much money as I could from that job. For me, this was about 50% of what I was earning. To give you context, most people barely save 5% of what they earn.
And it’s not always because they’re not earning enough. It’s often because they’re undisciplined with their spending.
People waste money on crappy fast food, alcohol, weed, and Amazon purchases to make themselves feel better to make up for the crappy job they’re in.
But all this does is keep them in a place where they need that crappy job to stay afloat. They have little power to actually quit because they have no money left over from their undisciplined spending habits.
I knew that if I really wanted to make my dream happen, the least I could do was save as much money as I could from this job and use it as a stepping stone to what I wanted.
So that’s what I did.
I minimized all of my expenses. I stopped eating out. I canceled all the subscriptions I wasn’t using. I didn’t go on Amazon shopping binges (or any shopping binges).
I kept as much money as I could, and my bank account quickly started to grow.
I was in an entry-level marketing job in the Bay Area (one of the most expensive areas in the world), by the way, so the pay wasn’t that great and my expenses were relatively high.
Even so, by being focused on my goal and disciplined with my expenses, I managed to save more money in six months than I’d ever saved before.
Despite despising this work, I was at least making important progress toward what I really wanted, even though I had no clue when or how it was going to happen yet.
That was step 2. I minimized my expenses and saved as much as I could.
Step 3: I Researched What I Really Wanted
Next, I spent time researching Thailand and Southeast Asia. I was doing one of the important things I could do during this time:
Dreaming.
Related: The 4 Levels of Dreamers
I started to imagine myself in Thailand. I read travel guides. I watched videos. I started looking at prices and the cost of living as if I were planning to move there soon.
I started getting excited about the food, the people, the beaches, the girls, the sunsets, and the parties.
Even though I wasn’t sure when I was going to leave yet, I was building up the excitement and the anticipation. I was preparing myself, and I was making the dream real in my mind.
It wasn’t just a want or desire. It was a concrete goal I was working toward. Remember this. This is important.
Saying or thinking you want something and doing something about it are two different things.
When you start doing something to move toward what you want, even if it’s a small action like looking up some travel guides, you’re putting the forces in motion to turn your dream into a reality.
In my free time, I collected all of the information I needed to eventually make the decision to go to Thailand.
- Flight prices.
- Locations I wanted to visit.
- Average cost of living.
- Where I wanted to start my trip.
- Where I wanted to end up.
I planned out the first few months of the trip before I even knew when I was going to leave.
Again, this made the dream very real. It meant that when the opportunity arose to make my move, I would be ready.
That was step 3. I researched what I really wanted to do as if I was going to do it ASAP.
Step 4: I Toughed It Out During The Last Three Months
The last three months at that job were some of the most difficult of my life. I’ve had some difficult times since then, and those three months are still up there.
This job was so against everything I wanted in life that those three months felt like an eternity to get through. I was counting down the days, the hours, and the minutes until my contract was up.
The only reason I stayed was to save as much money as I could. I didn’t even take sick days when I needed to so I could maximize my savings.
I toughed it out. It sucked, but I knew it would end at some point. I was going to make it end when my contract was up, and that would be it.
It didn’t matter that I didn’t have another income source lined up yet. I just needed to get out of this place and onto my true path again.
So, when my contract was up…
Step 5: I Took The Leap of Faith and Quit
They asked me to renew. They even offered me a remote position.
I had achieved some great business results for them, but I couldn’t work there any longer, even if I would’ve had slightly more freedom as a remote worker.
I needed my freedom. I needed to taste it again. And I needed to achieve my dream.
So I politely declined their offer, I took the leap of faith, and I quit when my contract was up.
It was one of the most glorious feelings ever.
FINALLY! I was done. I was out. I was free to live my life again.
As I was leaving on my last day, one of the other employees, a woman who worked in the accounting department, came up to me in the parking lot.
I still remember the look on her face as she looked me dead in the eye and said, “You made the right decision.”
She was also toughing it out but for much longer than I had.
If there’s one thing I know deep down in my bones, it’s that work should not be like this. Work should not be something you have to tough out day after day just to get by.
Not anymore. Not in today’s day and age.
All of us deserve to be happy. And the work we do is a big part of that. A massive part.
I quit that job in April of 2018, and in August of that year, I flew to Thailand and achieved my dream. I went back to working on my business, and I lived in and traveled around Southeast Asia for 10 months.
It was one of the best times of my life, and I made some unforgettable memories.
Looking back, despite having succeeded in quitting that job and achieving that dream, there are still some things I might’ve done differently if I could go back, so I’m going to share them with you now just in case they can help you with your decision.
What I Would’ve Done Differently
As I said, I had a strong vision of what I wanted, I saved up as much money as I could, and I made the decision to quit that job, which led me to achieve my dream of moving to Thailand.
I wouldn’t change any of that. But with the wisdom and experience I have now, there is one key thing I would do differently if I could go back.
First off, I went back to running my business, which is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be my own boss, running a location-independent business while traveling around the world.
But here’s the thing:
I wasn’t in the right business.
I loved online business, but that doesn’t mean that every online business was best for me. It doesn’t mean that every online business was what I was meant to be doing.
At the time, I was running my own Amazon affiliate blogs. Basically, these are blogs where you review products, get your articles ranked in Google, and earn a commission whenever someone buys through one of your links.
It’s a very common business model and tons of huge websites even use it now, like Forbes.
However, for me, these blogs had nothing to do with my passion. I was writing about drones, and I didn’t give two sh*ts about drones, to be honest. Many people are passionate about drones and love them, but this wasn’t my passion.
I was well-versed in the industry because of a previous client I’d worked with. We built one of the top drone blogs in the industry, so when I stopped working with digital marketing clients and decided to start my own websites, it seemed like a natural place for me to begin.
This business model offers the allure of passive income. Once your articles are ranking in Google, they make money for you automatically day and night.
For me, this meant that once I got my articles ranked, I could travel around the world, live on beaches, and live a free life while maintaining the websites (a lot of digital nomads I met in Thailand do exactly this).
Essentially, this was a shiny object that distracted me from my true passion and purpose. I was not in the right business.
I may have wanted the money, but my heart didn’t care one bit about what I was actually creating in the world, and I struggled to find the proper alignment to make that business successful. It was too far out of alignment with the work I was truly meant to do.
Those websites crashed multiple times. One of them got penalized by Google and lost all of its traffic. I encountered tons of problems with them in the 4-6 years I ran them.
My latest one did make me passive income for two years, but I was back in the U.S. by then and I was going through my healing journey. As soon as I hit a point in the journey where I could work again, that website crashed too.
I took this as a sign and did some deep introspection. If this isn’t what I was supposed to be doing, what was it?
Long story short, I was supposed to be doing exactly what I’m doing now – a writer, author, and coach helping people empower themselves and live their best lives.
So, what would I have done differently?
Before quitting that job, I would’ve gotten really clear on what I REALLY wanted to do afterward when it came to my work.
What work would REALLY make me the happiest? What was I born to do? What was my true purpose? What was my true passion?
Once I figured that out, I would’ve done everything in my power to make it a reality, like I’ve been doing since I clarified my purpose, passion, calling, and mission.
I spent the first eight years after college in the wrong businesses and the wrong work. It served a purpose, but it wasn’t my purpose.
Now I’m doing work that’s fully aligned with my purpose, passion, calling, and mission, and I’ve never been happier in my work.
Related: How to Find Your Calling in 5 Simple Steps
Now that you know my experience and the lessons I learned, let’s talk about the best time for you to quit your job to follow your passion.
The Best Time to Quit Your Job to Follow Your Passion
When is the best time to quit your job to pursue your passion?
Honestly, you are the only one who can decide the best time to quit your job. No article on the internet can give you a cookie-cutter piece of advice that applies to you and everyone else. Everyone’s situation is unique.
However, there are some factors you can consider before quitting your job that will help you decide the right time, and I’m going to share them with you now.
5 Factors to Consider Before Quitting Your Job to Pursue Your Passion
1. Introspection and Research
This is what I would’ve done differently before quitting my job, and I think it’s something far too few people do at any point in their lives before making big life decisions.
Do the proper introspection (self-reflection) into who you really are, what you really want, and where you really want your life to go. Then research those opportunities to give you the best idea of which will make you the happiest and provide everything you desire.
With proper introspection and research, your decision-making ability will skyrocket. The right path will stare you in the face. It will become obvious to you.
Then you can work backward from that to make better decisions about how to properly prepare to quit your job and start down a new, happier path for you.
2. Savings
Do you have enough savings to sustain you once you quit? Or will you be super stressed out the day after you leave your job?
If you’re just going from one stressful situation to another, you’re likely going to suffer. I recently got an email from one of my subscribers who was in this exact situation.
She had just quit her job with no idea of what to do next, and she was afraid of what was going to happen without regular income coming in.
Savings give you a lot of power to quit, with a buffer time to figure something else out afterward. Depending on your situation, accumulating enough savings could be difficult or relatively easy (if you just discipline your spending habits).
If it’s difficult for you to accumulate enough savings to create a big enough buffer, then you may need to start your passion as a side hustle until it’s earning enough money for you to live off of (if it’s a business idea) or get a job offer based on your passion before you quit.
3. Estimated Time Until Your Passion Can Support You
If you plan to quit before pursuing your passion, try to estimate the time until your passion can support you.
This is going to vary greatly. Even with a lot of research, your estimate still might not be that accurate.
But at least having an idea of when your passion could support you will give you an idea of when you can quit.
4. Risk Tolerance
What’s your willingness to accept risk? Are you comfortable living in the unknown? Or do you need a lot of security to maintain your emotional well-being?
If you have a high risk tolerance, you might consider quitting earlier than someone who needs more security.
I personally have a high risk tolerance, so I quit that job with the security of my savings and without my next source of income set up yet.
But if you have a low risk tolerance, you might consider quitting with both your savings and your new passion-driven income source set up (or at least the new passion-driven income source).
5. Support and Guidance
Lastly, do you have support and guidance? This doesn’t always need to come from family, friends, or partners.
It can come in the form of books, courses, coaches, mentors, etc – anyone who can help you turn your dream into a reality.
Find people who have achieved what you want to achieve. Then learn from them.
Consume their content, subscribe to their email lists, read their books, buy their courses, join their communities, and consider hiring them as a coach (as your budget allows). I’ve done all of these to help me advance my goals and dreams.
Receiving support and guidance from people who are where you want to be can drastically shorten the time between quitting your job and living your passion fully.
How to Create Your “Quit My Job” Action Plan
To finish this article off, I’m going to give you some basic instructions to help you create your custom “Quit My Job” Action Plan for your unique situation.
Here we go:
Step 1: Name Your Action Plan
First, name your action plan something exciting. Maybe even add some humor in there. Lighten the mood a bit.
Something like My “Finally Going to Quit My B.S. Job and Live My Dream Life” Action Plan. Something to that effect.
If it makes you laugh or gets you excited, you’re on the right track.
Step 2: Introspection and Research
Make sure you have a very clear vision of what you want. Do the necessary introspection. Then research multiple opportunities before deciding on the best one for you.
You probably don’t want to do this, but it’s essential. If you want to make the best decision possible, don’t skip this.
Step 3: Describe Your Future Vision in Detail
Once you know what you want, write it out in detail. This vision will carry you forward, and it will help you work backward to make the best decisions in the present.
Then read your vision often to stay inspired.
Step 4: Choose a Savings Goal (If Necessary)
If you can save money or feel like you need to save, decide on a specific amount. Choose a specific savings goal to work toward.
Then use your current income and expenses to determine how long it will take for you to save that amount.
For example, if you make $4,000 per month and your expenses are $2,500 per month, you can save $1,500 per month (my numbers were something like this).
Then look at your expenses and minimize the crap out of them. For me, I was able to get my expenses down to around $2,000 per month, which increased the amount I was saving each month by $500 and helped me accumulate the necessary financial buffer to quit when my contract was up.
Step 5: Estimate the Time Until Your Passion Can Support You
When do you think you’ll be able to make a living off your passion, realistically?
Write it down, even if you don’t think it’s super accurate. An estimate is better than no estimate.
Step 6: Find Your Support and Guidance
Who do you need to learn from to make your dream a reality? Who can support you on your journey? Who has already been where you are trying to go?
Find these people, whether online or in person, and start learning from them immediately. This will empower you and give you tons of clarity on how to turn your passion into a paycheck or profit.
Step 7: Decide When You’re Going to Quit (And What You’re Going to Do Right After)
Armed with this information, decide the best time for you to quit your job and start following your passion. Is it three months from now? Six months from now? A year from now?
Mark it on your calendar in big bold letters. This is an important date in your life. Look forward to it.
Then decide what you are going to do right after you quit to hit the ground running. Maybe that means taking a week off to chill and re-energize yourself. Then focus on your passion.
Or maybe it means focusing on your passion the very next day.
This is entirely up to you, but decide right now what you’re going to do after you quit so you don’t end up floundering around.
Step 8: Pat Yourself on the Back
When you finish your plan, pat yourself on the back. It might not look like it, but this is a huge step to achieving the freedom and happiness you desire.
Congratulate yourself, and look forward to the future with excited anticipation. Things will get better. I promise.
To Wrap This Up
If you still need clarity around what you really want in life, or if you want to increase your clarity, download my free self-discovery workbook below.
It will help you understand who you really are and what you really want at a deeper level.
Finally, if you have any questions or need some encouragement, feel free to send me an email and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Footnotes
- Job Satisfaction Statistics – TeamStage