Let’s get one thing straight before I head in to this post … I have never been scared to quit a job.  So if your the type of person that needs security, then this post probably isn’t for you.  So here is lesson number one: if you can’t handle the uncertainty of change, then stay where you are.

OK, that’s out of the way … in case you can’t tell, having a J-O-B is not a priority for me.  Which is exactly why I came up with the phrase ‘genetically unemployable’, there are a million and one ways to make money. Some are better than others, but if you want the freedom to live your life on your terms – then do it!!

So here is what I tell everyone that talks to me about how they envy that I can come and go as I please and I’m not even 40 years old yet.  Have been a single mom AND stayed home when my son was in school.  I started out by defining what my bare minimum needs were and work backwards.  For example, I get out excel and start listing what I spend money on each month.  You know what I mean, things like rent, utilities, insurance, groceries, car payment, etc. 

Then I go through and see if I can reduce or eliminate any of them.  Now I have a number to work with, let’s just say that number is $2500 per month minimum that I need to make my life work.  OK, now I need to take an inventory of my skills, and out of those skills which ones are marketable.  So for me my skill was website design and network engineering (granted these are great skills to market).  When I quit my job to stay home with my son I immediately joins a business networking group to promote my skills.  Now days you could use craigslist.com both to promote and to find projects that meet your skills.

But let’s back just a little bit … before I even start taking on work I would decide how much of this kind of work do I ‘want’ to do and how much of it do I ‘have’ to do. Now if you love using the skill you chose this might not be a problem.  But since my two skills weren’t my favorite tasks I needed to make sure I had time to acquire additional skills so I didn’t get completely burned out.  I knew I could charge $750 – $1500 per website, so now I know that I need somewhere between 2 – 4 website projects per month to make my bills.

It’s really that easy to get started, and if you are diligent in your time spent working you can really create a lot of free time.  I now work 3-4 days per week, and can work from almost anywhere I travel to.  But I started with this simple process, just to get me away from a J-O-B!  Then you work towards building a business, but that is for another post – or two.

Hope this helps you get out of that cubicle and on to a life of freedom -

emily

p.s. leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of this post or any ideas you have to lend that would help others reach their dreams of living life on their own terms!