3 Books that inspired me to give up my job......and run my own business.

For the last year I've been working full-time while setting up a business on the side. I'll be honest - it's been tough, but also exhilarating, energizing and downright great fun!

Although I wanted to give up the day job and work full-time on my business, I was too scared, even though the job was really getting in the way of approaching potential clients. Deep down part of me wondered if this was because I was afraid of failure, or maybe success.

Luckily I read three books that helped me accept that fear and go for it anyway: Give and Take by Adam Grant, Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott and Reset by David Sawyer. They're not about business directly, instead they offer better ways of doing things in life.

The first two illustrate how changing your interactions with others can greatly improve your relationships with them, and make you more successful. You might think that's obvious, but both authors give the reader concrete examples and methodology to do this. 'Reset' describes a three-pronged approach for getting your life in order and building financial security, again with clear guidelines for the reader to follow.

If I've learned anything over the last year, it's that business is all about relationships. Trust takes time to build and if we can improve that interaction, make it more honest, then the relationship we do build will be the one that is best for our well being as well as our business. However, that trust building begins with you, the relationship you have with yourself. As Susan Scott asks,

"What are you pretending not to know?"

Once you make the relationship with yourself more honest, then working on relationships with others becomes easier.

This week I resigned, I'm ready to go for it. I'm still scared, but as the above authors have taught me, that's OK, because I'm not going to let it stop me going after the life I want. When I'm on my death bed I don't want to regret not trying. Life is about challenge, adventure and now? Now I'm ready for the next one.