As I am writing this post I am sitting in the living room of my new home. I’ve been on the road to escaping the 9 to 5 for half a year now. I’ve just moved in a new apartment, together with 2 friends. It’s been a hectic couple of weeks, and I was caught up in this process.

The sunny side is the thrill and excitement associated with the feeling of starting anew. The dark side is that I didn’t write anymore for my blog, just after I decided to publish 3 times a week. I am not trying to find excuses, but rather explain the context and purpose of this post.

If You’ve been reading my articles you know that 7 months ago I started transitioning to freelancing and creating my own business after experiencing different jobs in the past 10 years.

If you’ve been through this road already, You know how it feels. If You are just starting or thinking to join this path, then You’ll surely find these insights valuable.

#1 Getting Away From The Old Circle Friends

I’ve already written about the importance of choosing carefully the group of people You spend most of your time with here.

Especially when You are making big changes in your life, like escaping the 9 to 5 and becoming your own boss, You will find that old friends and co-workers will do pretty much everything to… Stop You.

Why? Why would they do that, you will ask. The answer might sound harsh and crazy, but it’s all because they Love You. It’s crazy, I know. But that’s how it is. At least from my experience.

They are doing this not because they are evil and they hate you, but because they love You very much. And because they love You, they want to keep you around. And if You want to go on a totally different path than theirs, they feel You will eventually grow apart.

Acquiring this step is one of the most challenging, yet crucial steps to your success on this path.

Remember that in order to make room for the new people in your life, You need to create the vacuum by leaving behind those with whom you do not resonate anymore.

#2 Changing The “Safety of a Job” Mindset

After being employed for so many years, you have been thinking and creating your life following the safety of a job mindset.

And to make the shift to the uncertainty of not having a job, it takes courage, and determination (what am saying here? it takes “big balls”, “cojones”, “balls of steel”, even if you are a woman :).

Because You will be facing a wide range of gremlins from the Fear family: anxiety, panic, fear, endless ruminating, confusion, stress, feeling weird, crazy, misfit and so on.

I don’t want to scare You or something, just giving you a heads-up.

The bright side is that if you have sorted out the previous step, it will be so much easier to get through and finally see the light.

Your new, like minded friends, who are on the same path or a few steps ahead yourself, will know how to support you and lift you up when you will need it. And. That. Is. Priceless.

#3 Be Careful To The Shiny Object Syndrome

When you are just beginning, and you are still not very clear about the exact path that you want to follow, except

“I don’t want to do a shitty job anymore, EVER!” 🙂

you need to try and test many ways of creating your new lifestyle.

So you will say “Yes” to many opportunities and projects that catch your eyes with their shiny shell, only to figure out later that they don’t actually suit you.

#4 Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin

Ignoring #3 will get you to be involved in so many different projects that You will have the feeling of doing everything and nothing.

If You do not make a selection and start saying “No” once you realize a project or a collaboration is not good for You, you will end up spreading yourself too thin.

I’ve just been through this and I am currently making efforts to keeping myself on track, or getting back on track once I realize another “shiny”object” has caught my attention.

Again, the friends from my new “herd” are the ones who tell me when I am walking astray, and I am so grateful for that.

Becoming aware and starting to cut off by saying “No” to the projects that do not fit You anymore is crucial to staying on your path.

Let’s Sum It Up

When You want to make a Big Change in your life, like embracing a new, independent lifestyle, you need to start with:

#1 Letting Go of your Old Friends (if they don’t have the same plans) and surrounding yourself with people who are already on the same path;

#2 let go of the Safety of Being Employed Mindset; prepare to face the Gremlins of the Fear Family;

#3 be careful to the Shiny Object Syndrome and choose wisely your new partners;

#4 stay focused by saying No to the projects that don’t suit you to Avoid Spreading Yourself too Thin.

If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your friends. If you have other lures and dangers you’ve been facing so far, do share them in the comments bellow.

With all my love,

Raluca