I Needed a Wake-Up Call – And Maybe You Do Too
Brett Trainor
On a Mission to Help 100k GenXers Escape Corporate & Get Busy Living Again (70k and counting!) - Host of The Corporate Escapee podcast - Founder of the Escapee Collective - Get Outside Everyday!
As kids, we figured things out on our own
Many of us were latchkey kids, riding bikes without helmets, home before the streetlights came on, and solving our own problems
We took risks. We made mistakes. We adapted.
Then we entered corporate… and over the years, that risk-taking slowly disappeared.
?? Corporate gave us predictability.
?? It taught us how to play the game.
?? We learned how to perform as our corporate “character”.
Even if you hate your job, you know how to do it.?
You know how to manage office politics. You know exactly when to speak up and when to stay quiet.
Corporate makes life comfortable
And that comfort? Is what keeps people stuck.
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How I Snapped Out of It
I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to escape corporate.
I wasn’t happy, but I was comfortable.
Corporate was predictable. It paid the bills. It was fine. But I was going through the motions.
What snapped me out of it? I did something hard.
I started a podcast:
? I had no clue what I was doing.
? I had to get over my fear of hitting record.
? I had to figure out how to get guests.
? I started reading more books so I could have authors on.
And that? That was the spark.
The more I challenged myself, the more I woke up. And eventually, that led me to the door—and out of corporate for good.
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The Comfort Trap: How GenX Got Stuck
Over and over, I hear the same thing from escapees in our community.?
They didn’t just up and quit. First, they shook things up.
They trained for a marathon
They wrote a book
They started consulting on the side
They pushed themselves out of their comfort zones, and that was what got them moving.
It turns out, comfort is the enemy of progress.
Jesse Itzler calls this “comfort zone syndrome”—when things aren’t bad, but they aren’t great either. He realized he was in a routine that wasn’t making him better, so he started pushing himself.
That’s when he came across the concept of Misogi—the idea of doing one big, insanely hard challenge each year that pushes you so far outside your comfort zone that it transforms you.
It’s not about winning; it’s about becoming the kind of person who attempts it.
I loved this idea. So I made it my own.
Michael Easter , author of The Comfort Crisis, takes it even further:
That’s why doing something hard—physically, mentally, or creatively—can be the spark that changes everything.
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My Misogi for This Year
I’m not just talking about this—I’m living it.
This year, I’m taking on something that genuinely scares me.
I want to qualify nationally in the 100-meter dash (yes they consider seniors over the age of 50!)
Now, before you start laughing (or placing bets on how fast my hamstrings will explode), hear me out:
? I haven’t sprinted—like all out, full speed, run-for-your-life sprinted—since playing club lacrosse and pick-up basketball over a decade (or two) ago.
? I have no idea if I can actually pull this off.
? And let’s be real… at our age, a sprint is just an injury waiting to happen.
? Now it is public!
But that’s exactly why I’m doing it.
I chose a physical challenge because pushing my body will make every non-physical challenge feel easier—whether that’s starting a TikTok channel from scratch or building a community with zero experience.
Because once you prove to yourself that you can do one hard thing…
The rest? Starts to feel doable.
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Your Challenge: Do Something That Scares You
I’ll keep this simple:
If you’re feeling stuck, resentful, or just numb—do something that scares you.
-> Sign up for a race.
-> Take a course that intimidates you.
-> Put yourself out there.
It doesn’t have to be about quitting your job (yet). It’s about waking up.
And who knows? That might just be the thing that sets your escape in motion.
So now, it’s your turn. What’s your Misogi for the year? Drop it in the comments—I am curious what others are taking on!?
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Free Tools and Resources
? I am hosting a live webinar where I show you why Finding Your 1st Customer is Easier Than Landing Your Next Job- It is FREE on March 12th at 6pm CST. Link to register here (plus additional details):https://lu.ma/t2bjeye4
? Take the Get Busy Living Escapee Quiz – What’s your current score? Find out here: https://brett-rbneey1i.scoreapp.com
? Download the Escapee Starter Kit – Your step-by-step guide to making the leap: https://tr.ee/U1AnXTwlow
? Join The Escapee Collective – Connect with like-minded GenXers designing life on their terms: https://tr.ee/lCXJ-uGsiZ
End-to-End Supply Chain Innovator | Business Growth Strategist | Driving Success From New Sales to Retention and Beyond | Fixer | Revenue Generator | Naval Aviator
16 小时前Highly motivating Brett! My thing? Well there are a few, some more scary than others… most prominent on my mind this morning is the decision to take my return to the cockpit to the next level and persue my FAA flight Instrucor ratings … so much to relearn!
AI Adoption Specialist for Women Entrepreneurs and Solopreneurs | Helping Women Automate & Scale with AI | Author of ChatGPT & AI for Women
2 天前Mine this year…building a personal brand from scratch on social media. On video. Talking. Sharing my POV and thoughts on AI as a tool for women to establish independence and stability. I’m four months in. Fingers crossed I can maintain the momentum!!
I Geek Out On Internet Marketing So You Don't Have To | 11+ Year Email Newsletter, Digital Marketing & Google Ads Expert (Ex-Mechanical Draftsman) | Gen X Futurist | AI Geeky Too
2 天前I heard Jesse talk on a few different podcasts. The best is him talking about having David Goggins come to live with him for a month. I thought about Misogi after his My First Million episode but that's as far as I took it. I'm doing a half marathon although not sure that qualifies, feels a little weak (because I've been there done that). I'll have to ponder this some more. Good post!