Don't quit your day job—yet

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I have a confession to make—I like cows. I think they are one of the prettiest animals. From their big, sensitive and caring eyes, to the tips of their tails.

It has been many years since I have been on the farm, but I still dream about cows and walking among them through the pastures on our farm.

At one time, cows were my day job. I fed them, groomed them, milked them and loved them as I took care of them on our family farm.

I miss them. I spent hundreds of thousands of hours with them raising them from birth to death. I helped many a calf be born and mourned over the older cows when it was their time to go.

Look at that cow's face? How could you not love it?!

I didn't want to leave the farm. I wanted to stay there, but as I grew up, the reality of having to get out on my own became apparent.

First there was college and the many jobs I held while going to college. Most of the time, I learned way more about life from my jobs than I did from my classes.

I ended up getting a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in communication. I'm really not sure what my intentions were with my degree.

All the time I was gone, I thought about the cows.

They led such simple lives. They did their job of milking two times a day and then went outside all day in the summer and stayed in the warm barn in the winter. They hardly ever got upset or angry. They didn't seem to worry about much. They just chewed their cud and looked forward.

Don't quit your day job....yet

Although I am not physically far from the farm that I grew up on, I am very far from it in terms of where I am in my life and in my dreams.

I always dreamed of being a writer. I imagined myself writing books and being famous.

Well, I am a writer in a few ways now. I write for a weekly newspaper, I dabble in writing my books and I write blogs.

My job at the newspaper pays my bills right now. (Well, some of them anyway. Since COVID-19 I am only getting about 15 hours a week that I am paid for.)

But nothing stops me from writing as much or little as I want on my blogs and on my books. I can write all day as long as I get my day job work done.

I am currently unable to quit my day job and I am not even sure that I want to.... yet. I do have a plan to quit the day job the day before my 55th birthday which would mean quitting on November 29 this year!

It's scary, but I bet it will be fun

I get nervous about quitting my day job and making a go of doing my blogs full-time. I ask the "what if" questions, but I also have been changing. I'm getting stronger and smarter I guess. Maybe it is just old age or maybe I really am getting stronger. I sure am willing to take more

chances than I was before. There are days that I truly do believe that I could quit my day job tomorrow and be just fine.

There are other days, though, the tough days, when I struggle and wonder if I will ever make it—really make it—with affiliate marketing...

Thankfully, those days are few and far between. I have invested too much in my belief that I can do this to give up on the idea now.

The idea of quitting my day job is scary and yet, I am willing to bet that it will be fun and releasing and just the ticket—when the time is right. I just have to discover when that time is!

Until then, I will live a double life—journalist by day and blogger by night!

Fun times indeed!

With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎

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Recent Comments

51

I quit my job because I had to make a big move to a different country and marry the love of my life in 2016. It's been 4 years (today is our anniversary) that I don't have a day job, however, I have been teaching English online for about 2 years now. I miss working but I enjoy my status as a stay home mom more. My baby girl is my world. :)

Thank you for sharing your story, Karin. We are planning to go off grid and have our own little farm with baby goats, chickens, dogs, fruits and veggies patches.

Ferra

I just had to show your blog to my wife Karin, she not only grew up on a farm where she had to work hard. She then went on to marry a dairy farmer, where she also worked hard. All the cows on both farms were hand milked.
She's always told me that she never wants to see a dairy farm again.
She met me 31 years ago , and . although I love farming, I told her we would never buy another one ( if it had cows on it.) Jim

The cows were a lot of work, there is no doubt there. But I got a lot of enjoyment out of them. We always seemed to have such good herds of cows. Very gentle. When we did have ones that kicked a lot, we usually sold them. I loved to play with the young calves and would spend a lot of time in the barn and in the pasture with the cows!

We didn't have to hand milk, but we did have to put the milk machine on each cow after preparing her udder. Now I have seen a machine that the cows just walk into, they get a treat and get milked all at the same time. The farmer could be hundreds of miles away and the cows would basically get milked themselves. I could envision farming and milking cows again if we had that kind of contraption!

LOL

With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎

On one hand, I want to say the responsible thing to do is to make sure you're able to sustain yourself in case you don't make money right away. On the other hand, being on the edge is a good motivation to MAKE it work because we know it DOES work when you put in the time and effort. That is my financial manager/creative mind argument. LOL.

~Debbi

Hi Debbi. I especially like the creative mind argument side! But, the reality side of my brain says, "Yeah, I would just wait on that!" I am looking at many options, including a hybrid model of work with my employer. I am sure he would be willing to negotiate it, but there has to be some give on his side, too.

I will make this work, no matter what I decide to do. We are already downsizing our bills to make room for me to quit when the time is right.

With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎

It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and have a plan.

Good luck Karin
The grand leap into the great unknown will soon be upon you. My thought on such matters is that it is always better to drive yourself than be pushed. When the time comes all fears will suddenly dissolve as if they were never there and you will just charge over the edge into the sunshine.
Good luck!
Andy

Thanks Andy. I am looking forward to doing more than dipping my toe into the water. I feel ready to take the leap and have felt this way for several years now. The pandemic has actually shown me that I can work from home and I will do it and make it work!

With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎

Caution, my friend. Cows are cautious, it seems to me. They have no defense, that I can see, except their size. The herd is their protection.
We humans move out on our own, anxious to make our own way.
You will make it. You will know when it's time to move out on your own. And I think you are almost there.
See that light? That's the end of the tunnel--Just keep moving.
Barb

Thanks for your level-headedness, Barb. Cows are cautious. I didn't know this before, but a couple of years ago I learned because of their eyes they can see pretty far behind themselves and to the sides and front. Their herd keeps them safe and you sure don't want to get kicked by them! The cows mostly stick to groups (herds) because there is safety in numbers.

I won't do anything rash as I have been giving this a lot of thought and a lot of action over the years. I am looking forward to taking the next step when the time is right.

With 2020 Vision,
Karin 😎

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