Is it time to quit your job or fire a client?

Here's how to see your abundance mindset in action.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they need to quit or change something that’s safe, comfortable, and nice. That’s if you’re lucky, of course. Most of us will need to quit or change things because we’ve been driven to misery, overwork, or stress. 

A long, long time ago, in the second issue of this newsletter, I talked about the importance of developing an Abundance Mindset. 

Tl;dr: An abundant mindset helps you realize that there are several opportunities in the world, waiting for you to seek them out and go for them. Our society-influenced scarcity mindset keeps us from trying new things, and in time, we stagnate. 

Now, knowing something is one thing. Putting it into action is another. 

We know The Great Resignation is going strong. Companies are poaching employees by offering them remote work, better pay, benefits, etc. People are quitting left, right, and centre. At this moment, it’s an employee’s market. 

Chris Herd @chris_herd

From a CEO: “Every time a competitor mentions return to office our recruiters reach out to their people. We’ve hired 15+ of their engineers in the last 2 months.” So easy.

But many of us are still stuck in dead-end jobs, tired, overworked, and stressed. Or, if you’re a freelancer like me, I’d venture that you have some really tiring clients. These PITA (Pain In The Ass) clients drain your energy, take up too much of your time, and/or pay way lower than your other clients. Yet, we’re not dropping them in favour of new, higher-paying clients. 

Why? 

Let’s take a guilt trip

When I began having second thoughts about my first full-time job, I felt guilty. Even though I knew I wasn’t being paid what I was worth, this company took a chance on a new, inexperienced person like me. There was a steep learning curve, and they were kind enough to introduce me to a whole new industry, something I’m still passionate about and interested in to this day (fintech, digital payments, neobanks, the whole shebang). 

One of the things we forget or at least tend to miss is that companies and clients will almost always put themselves first. No amount of “we’re a family” cliches will keep you from getting fired if they can’t find the money to pay you. They certainly won’t feel guilty and will definitely continue to grow and thrive without you, so why shouldn’t you? 

There’s no need to burn bridges, of course, but if you know there are better, well-paying opportunities out there calling your name, you need to seek them out. 

Familiarity breeds contempt

Almost all of my friends, peers, and colleagues dislike their jobs more and more as time goes on. Sometimes, they just need a break. Other times, the dislike is more deep-rooted. Whether it was to prevent a career gap or keep finances steady, we’ve all taken up jobs we didn’t really like. Over time, of course, you can grow to find your job amiable. I’ve found silver linings in almost all of my past clients who I’ve fired or let go. 

But how long do you continue doing a job or working for a client simply because you started? Familiarity is nice; it’s comfortable. Who wants to hunt for jobs, sit for interviews, and negotiate better salaries — it sounds like a tedious process. Or, why drop a low-paying client when you need their income even though they take up more time and energy than they could ever pay for? 

Change is hard, and quitting or letting a client go is incredibly difficult. There are several factors, each unique to your situation (finances, career goals, home life), that you’ll need to consider. 

But consider this. If you took the time and effort to find a new job, you’d be making more money, working on things you’re actually interested in (or at least being paid enough to get through the day), and you’d be growing in your career. 

When it comes to freelancers, literally everyone who’s dropped a low-paying, high-stress client and used that time to market their skills, update their branding, and reach out to better businesses has come out ahead. 

Nia @sleepyhollowkid

@realBrookNash Why write for peanuts and give a platform a hefty chunk of your pay to 'build your portfolio; when you can write for yourself, get bylines, and use them to pitch great clients? Build your personal brand instead of running yourself ragged on freelance marketplaces.

So, how can you make it easier to change your job or find better clients? 

Call time of death

This is probably the most important and the most challenging bit. We all know our jobs suck, or that client is absolute trash, but we continue on the path we built. We’ve got to acknowledge that it’s time for something to end or for it to change. Without change, we’ll continue to be miserable in decisions we made when we didn’t know better. 

Have leverage

It’s always good to have some power on your side. Whether it’s job hunting or client hunting you’re setting out to do, you’ll fare better when you have some leverage. This can look like savings, multiple job offers, steady retainer clients, etc. When you have savings, you can afford to be a bit picky with your job selection or who you choose to take on as a client. In the long run, this will save you plenty of time and energy, even if it feels foolish to reject anything now. 

Take a leap of faith

Now, I know there’s that vicious cycle. You gotta have good clients to fire bad ones but to find good clients, you need the time that the bad ones are taking up. Or you need a new job, but the current one leaves you half-dead at the end of the night. Plus, where are you supposed to bring those aforementioned savings from to leverage?

Honestly, there’s no right way to go about this. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. 

When I quit my full-time job to freelance, I didn’t quit outright. Instead, I asked them if I could go part-time. They said no, so I called my own bluff and decided to jump in with both feet. 

You could try scaling down the deliverables for the PITA client and use that extra time to find another one. Full-time jobs are a bit trickier, but I suppose networking’s got its own benefits. Put out soft feelers that you (or a friend) is looking for a change. Someone in your network could very well lead to you a role that probably isn’t up yet (80% of jobs aren’t posted publicly). 

It can be terrifying to take a leap of faith. As I write this newsletter, I’m navigating a leap of my own, so this comes from a personal place. 

But I think I’m coming to terms with the fact that once I leap, I’ve got to land. I may land a bit bruised, or I might do a nice flip and land like an Olympic gymnast, but land I will. And so will you. 

“I’ve said several times that I’m afraid of falling but not landing. And the difference between falling and landing is that landing means that you can take off again. So, no matter how desperate the situation is, if we choose landing instead of falling, choose not to give up, and just land, we’re ready to fly again.” - SUGA from BTS on Permission to Dance

Channel your abundant mindset, look for better opportunities, and take that leap. 

P.S. This is not advice to quit your job or fire a client; I am in no way telling you to make any rash decisions. Just contemplate and evaluate where you’re at and do what’s best for you and your future.

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Things to check out this week! 💌

• Turns out, sometimes productivity experts also fall behind on their tasks. Here are seven tips for taking a breather and getting back on track. None of that toxic productivity nonsense here. 

• This handy website tells you what time you should fall asleep to get some good quality shut-eye once you tell it what time you need to wake up. I've actually been using the opposite (at the bottom of the page) tool. I don't need to get up at a specific time, so I simply add the time I'm going to bed, and it suggests some of the best times I could/should wake up. 

• Thirty minutes of calming Studio Ghibli visuals and background noise that you can work to this week. 

• Move over astrology, here's your personality explained by your annoying household habits. (h/t Morning Brew)

• Can you guess the song within a second? Put your audial skills to the test with Heardle — Wordle's musical sibling. 

• Here's your weekly reminder to honour your progress and celebrate the small wins!

Samantha Anderl @SamanthaAnderl

My favorite quote recently that I’ll be reposting over and over again for myself and whoever else needs the reminder: “What a good day to be proud of the progress you’ve made.”

📚 This is your surprise link of the week! I promise it's worth the click. 📚

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