It’s Time to Quit Your Toxic Job

The following is adapted from The Five Pillars of the Freedom Lifestyle.

If you’re reading this, you already know—or at least suspect—that your job is toxic. On average, we spend about a third of our waking life at work. If you know that your job is making you unhappy or preventing you from spending your time how you would like, then why in the world haven’t you quit yet? 

Maybe you don’t think you’ll be able to find a better job. Maybe you want to save more money first. Maybe you keep convincing yourself that things will improve if you can just stick it out.

All of these excuses—and that’s what they are—come down to one thing: fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear that you’ll never have it as good in another job. Fear of money. Fear that you’ll disappoint your spouse. Fear of the worst-case scenario. That is what is holding you back.

So what’s the solution? Stop being afraid? No. Fear is a natural response, and you can’t always turn it off. Instead of trying to eliminate fear, you need to redirect and harness it. Keep reading to find out how.

Worst-Case Scenario: You’re Going to Die

Right now, I want you to lean into your fear. What’s the worst thing that could happen if you leave your job? You’ll die.

And you know what? You will.

Actually, we all will. No matter what decisions we make today, we’re all going to die. Some of us may die later today. Some may die forty years from now.

But if you remain trapped in a life in which you have surrendered your fulfillment to your fears, you’re dying a slow death inside that could leave you with decades of anxiety and regret.

It may sound macabre, but I often think about my death. It helps propel me forward. It helps me overcome my fear. It was this thought of death that finally helped me leave my own toxic job running a successful PR/ad agency.

I was lying in bed on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be a day off. I had informed all my clients of this, but that didn’t stop them from calling, requesting memos and emails, and asking me to hop on conference calls. 

There was also the issue of a big client meeting the following week. I was dreading the meeting, which had not gone well the year before and which would require me to cut my holiday weekend short. 

As I lay in bed on that Tuesday supposed-to-be holiday morning, I asked myself, “If my plane goes down on the way to that god-awful meeting, is that how I want to go out?” Hell no! 

That realization spurred me to change my lifestyle—a change that was long overdue. I fired my biggest client and shut down my agency. Was making that change—shutting down my seven-figure agency at peak revenue—scary? Hell yes.

But not as scary as the thought of my dying on the way to or from that meeting.

Use Fear to Your Advantage

Looking back, the decision to shutter my agency was one of the best I’ve ever made.

There is still a fear that gives me drive—the knowledge that if I don’t bring in clients, my family won’t have income, and I won’t be able to fulfill my vision of helping those individuals fight for lives of freedom and fulfillment.

But that is so much better than being driven by the fear of missing a call from a client, the fear of being scolded like a child at a meeting, or the fear that my family’s financial survival hinges on the whims of clients who don’t actually share my vision and values.

There will always be some type of fear in your life. The key is retaining power over your decisions instead of outsourcing them to employers or clients. You may think this sounds like a bunch of utopian bullshit. I get it. I once thought the same thing.

Until I got sick and tired of being a puppet whose strings were controlled by others. Until I got sick and tired of being in a bad mood and mentally or physically not present with my family. Until I got sick and tired of having to be on call during my vacations or getting angry calls past 6:00 p.m. on a Friday about minor bullshit issues that could’ve waited until the next week.

That’s when I decided to escape, and when I decided to help others do the same.

So when you say it can’t be done, that’s the fear talking.

If your current job has you trapped with golden handcuffs, that’s actually fear that binds you.

The unknown always brings fear. That fear can be incredibly powerful because it is limited only by our imagination. Put your imagination to different, more productive use. 

Start thinking about all the terrible things that could happen if you don’t leave your toxic job. You could miss out on amazing opportunities. You could damage your most important relationships. You could die unhappy and unfulfilled, with a list of regrets a mile long.

Are you willing to risk that?

Make a Change

If you are in a place where you can quit your job and be financially stable, do it. Now. Every day you wait is a day you’re wasting. 

Of course, not everyone has the luxury of quitting their job without preparation. We have responsibilities—children to care for, bills to pay. Even if you can’t quit right now, you can start taking concrete steps to make quitting a reality. Today, right now, begin saving money and applying to new jobs. 

Whatever your particular situation, start taking action. Every single day, do one thing that will help move you toward your goals. Don’t let yourself be paralyzed by fear. Instead, let yourself be propelled forward by the right kind of fear.

For more advice on how to build a life with more freedom, you can find The Five Pillars of the Freedom Lifestyle on Amazon.

Curt Mercadante is an international speaker, coach, trainer, and disruptive entrepreneur whose mission is to save the world by helping people fight for lives of freedom and fulfillment. Curt's speeches and training empower individuals to live their Freedom Lifestyle, and he also hosts the popular Freedom Club Podcast. Raised in the Chicago area, he and his wife, Julie, now live in Charleston, South Carolina, with their four children, when they aren't traveling the world. Curt is a diehard fan of the White Sox, a superhero nerd, and can frequently be found at his local boxing gym.