Jobs have value. No doubt about it. Not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Someone needs to make lattes and wait tables and be there on live chat at tech support the next time I break my blog. I am not talking to them, I’m talking to you.
YOU are too feisty for that. You were not born to be a plumber, and the days you have spent in a cubicle were not what you would consider happy times. If you’re here, you ARE ready for more, for something different, for something better.
That said, I understand that you’re scared. You want to do something bigger with this fun little thing we call life, but you need a good hearty pep-talk. No problem, sugar. I can do that.
40 Reasons why you should stop looking for a job:
1. You have something interesting to say. {TWEET}
2. The ‘word-I-hate-that-starts-with-an-E-and-ends-with-a-Y’. I refuse to say it. You know what I’m talking about, and as much as I usually object to popular reality, it’s the truth. {TWEET}
3. Your degree is not worth the paper it’s printed on. Jobs want experience, not originality. {TWEET}
4. You hated your last job. {TWEET}
5. We live in a world where there are literally limitless opportunities for entrepreneurship. {TWEET}
6. Your excuses are bullshit and deep down, you know it. {TWEET}
7. Somewhere inside, you know that you have some unique set of skills that people would pay for. {TWEET}
8. If you chase a job, a job is exactly what you will eventually find, and the longer you hunt for one, the more desperate you’ll get, and the more willing you’ll become to settle on something that will make you utterly miserable. {TWEET}
9. Do you really miss Casual Friday? It’s Tuesday, and I’m working – braless. I win. {TWEET}
10. Interviews are miserable. They just are. {TWEET}
11. Job hunting will sap your life-force, and deplete your spirit. What could you do with that energy? {TWEET}
12. Selling your life for money is lame. {TWEET}
13. Your legs weren’t meant to spend their lives in hosiery. {TWEET}
14. Someone in your life believes that you’re capable of more. Even when you don’t. {TWEET}
15. You’ve been broke this long. Another few months of Ramen [probably] won’t kill you. {TWEET}
16. Bootstrapping is no longer all that hard. {TWEET}
17. You are WORTH more than $30k per year. {TWEET}
18. If you do a business right, you may NEVER have to see 7am Monday morning ever again. {TWEET}
19. The world is FULL of people that want to help you. {TWEET}
20. Failure on your own terms beats getting fired. {TWEET}
21. Living by your own set of ethics, instead of your boss’ is pretty awesome. {TWEET}
22. Butt kissing is for the employed. {TWEET}
23. They never let you use the paid sick days anyway. {TWEET}
24. Do you really miss Perspiring Pam and her cat figurine collection? {TWEET}
25. Good jobs are the ones that people already have. {TWEET}
26. Is being the manager at a mini-storage really anyone’s bliss? {TWEET}
27. Did you know Happy Hour starts at 3pm?!? {TWEET}
28. Forget your parents’ advice. Job security no longer exists. {TWEET}
29. Why should your ideas make money for other people? {TWEET}
30. You will never, EVER be rich and employed. {TWEET}
31. Working your ass off feels way better when it’s YOUR ASS that stands to benefit. {TWEET}
32. Fear of failing is easier to cope with than fear of getting fired. {TWEET}
33. No one will ever know your a genius if you spend your days in a call center. {TWEET}
34. You haven’t found a job yet anyway. {TWEET}
35. The perfect job doesn’t exist. The perfect life does. {TWEET}
36. When was the last time a job made you feel truly great about yourself? {TWEET}
37. Some days are too perfect to spend indoors. {TWEET}
38. Entrepreneurs are cooler than other people. Yup. It’s true. {TWEET}
39. You know you have more to offer. {TWEET}
40. I believe in you. {TWEET}
Now go! Tweet your little tooshie off!
If you need more motivation to steer clear of the job market, I HIGHLY recommend Ashley Ambirge’s book, “You Don’t Need a Job, You Need Guts.” (affiliate link) It’s a killer look at exactly how you can stay motivated to make your online dreams a reality.
Also… In the coming weeks I will be launching SEVERAL killer products that can help you kickstart your entrepreneurial dreams. As soon as the product site launches, I will be offering TONS of freebies to those that Tweet and Re-Tweet the points in this post.
OMG, insanely entertaining. Love it. Thanks for writing such good stuff — and I totally appreciate your website, your philosophy, and MOJO!
Thanks Darlin’! You win the ‘Compliment of the Month’ award!
Hey Illana! This inspiring post is awesome — love your site and I hope to meet you soon! :)
I’m gonna print this out & make it a motivational poster.
Makeness is really lookin’ like Greatness these days! Wow!
[...] taking action means not doing something… like look for a job. Illana gives us 40 reasons why. (via [...]
Love this list!!! Working braless and in yoga pants is reason enough for me but all the others are right on too!
Loving your photography, Gwyn! ….Of course, I now can’t get the image of braless yoga out of my head….but I’m oddly ok with that.
After 4 months of interviewing and interviewing after being laid off, I knew I had to make money on my own. Each interview and job offer was – such a disappointment! This list was great, it explains a lot about my thought process as I decided to full-time freelance.
It is important to remember that working for yourself isn’t easy BUT you MUST believe that ‘you already have within you, the tools and the ability to handle whatever challenges come your way.’
Amen sister! Congrats on taking the leap! It can be SO difficult doing your own thing… especially when everyone around you is telling you to just ‘suck it up’ and take a job…ANY job. It can be so hard to not feel like you’re a slacker when everyone else is just bending over and taking it (so to speak).
I second Abby’s comment. Freaking BRILLIANT. For reals.
Hey Angel! Thanks for your kind words:) I’m loving your site as well. Gratitude is something I’m trying to focus a lot more on these days. ….and your fonts make me happy….is that weird?
Hi Illana, thanks for this – just the pick-me-up I needed for today. I know I have a really unique set of skills that people would pay for and based on tools like Google keyword search I have very little competition with a fairly good demand for what I offer and yet people are not buying (despite a totally low risk purchase guarantee!) I launched a product on Wednesday that I thought really was geared for my right people to a self opt-in list of subscribers but the response has been so demotivating… *sigh*
Hey Sugar… Hang in there, we all have days when we want to throw in the towel. One small tip though, make sure you include your URL in the website field when you leave a comment, then I (and other commenters and readers) can go see what you’re up to:). I would love to see what you’re all about!
I was going to tweet #9, but realized that every day for me is braless.
I also thought about adding #41: This weekend I’m doing a website for clowns, but they’re real clowns and I’m choosing to do it.
That’s awesome. I think I might be one of the last remaining thirtysomethings that doesn’t have an irrational clown phobia. Can’t wait to see the finished product. My question is, are you going to try to fit ALL of the clowns on just one page? Is Clown-site the new Clown-car?
I . . . LOVE. THIS. What a brilliant idea. I should’ve known, because brilliant ideas are what you’re made of.
Thanks. :)
Hello my lustrous friend (I SO just learned how to spell ‘lustrous’…thanks little red squiggly line!) … Brilliant ideas come from brilliant inspiration!