Here's why I quit my 9-5 and started working for myself and why you should too.

Are you tired of the same old routine everyday? Feel like you go to work everyday and don't have time for friends and family, projects or time for yourself anymore?

In this post, I'm going to tell you three reasons why I got out of the traditional 9-5 and started working for myself.

My story

Over time I've begun to realize that I wanted change. And it wasn't going to happen when I was ready, I needed to make a change now. Here's a little backstory.

I was working in the Fast food industry and I will never again. I was a manager at a McDonald's, yes, I know you don’t have to say it. Anyways I loved being a manager and working towards what I thought would be a career. Then I very soon realized I was doing most of the work of other managers! In a place like this you're supposed to work as a team and where I was at was quite the opposite. Everyday, I did the best I could, working on drive thru times, managing labor percentages, everything. However, I felt as if I was one of the managers who actually took this seriously. I would be so stressed out, asking myself when is the upper management going to do something? I would come home everyday stressed out after having a horrible day dealing with upset customers, doing the work of 5 people, on top of being short staffed and people not showing up for their shifts.

That’s when I said I've had enough. I was tired of only getting so much of what they were making everyday. I wanted to work for myself as well as my family and I was never going to get there unless I made the choice to do it now and here's why you should too.

There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way.

Christopher Morley

Unnecessary Stress

As explained by https://health.usnews.com, work is the second most common source for stress among adults in the US, right behind money, according to the 2014 Stress in America survey from the American Psychological Association. Many of the causes of work stress including heavy workload, long shifts, and conflicts within the workplace can be seriously detrimental to one's physical and mental health.

I've noticed for myself that my health was going downhill. I would get home everyday and be exhausted. I would stop taking care of myself. Things like brushing my hair, doing laundry or simple household tasks would be extremely difficult to perform. My diet even changed. I would be so tired and worn out from overworking myself everyday that I would forget to eat. I was tired of feeling this way. I was lost.

More work life balance

I was constantly at work, like seriously I might as well have slept in the office. I would work my shift then go home, just to get asked to come help close from 9 pm and not get back home until 3 in the morning! So I would be scheduled 8-4, an eight hour shift on top of 6 more hours with a total of 14 hours! Don't get me wrong, I loved the overtime, but the stress isn't worth it.

I felt like I barely saw my daughter any more. But now that I quit and decided to finally take charge of my life, I'm finally able to have so much more flexibility in my life.

Why you shouldn’t wait

Having more time for myself means I have more time to work for myself instead of working for someone else and only make a dime of what they make.

Don't let making a living prevent you from making a life.

John Wooden

I was done waiting. Have a small business that you never have time for? Do you tell yourself I'll just wait until I'm ready? Don't wait, seriously.

I don't know how many times I've told myself about all the things I want to do, I'll just wait a month then I'll be ready.

I have three projects I'm working on at the moment that are my current income which are paying me and only me, and I'm so glad that I got over my fear and just started. Because if I didn’t start, I would still be stuck at my old job, miserable.