Why I Left A Perfectly Good Job To Go
Self-Employed

Realising My Purpose

Now I’m at the other end of my career with more years behind me than I have in front of me, so why did I decide to leave a perfectly good job, with great benefits, at a time when the world is a little unstable? Many people have asked me what the heck I’m doing! One even advised, strongly, not to do it.

I was self-employed once before in the mid 2000’s as a result of being made redundant, and my son was primary school age, so it made sense. It was hard work making sure there was always some work and some income, but I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the flexibility and freedom over determining my own path.

There are a number of reasons, but there are three relevant factors that are top of mind for me.

  1. I was bored
  2. Getting my Black Belt in karate shifted me to a growth mindset
  3. I realised my purpose

This might be a big statement, and no one should misinterpret it. It’s not a statement on the organisation I worked for, the colleagues I worked with or the clients I worked with. It is a statement about me, where I was and what was getting me out of bed each day.

Despite the fact that I always had a full client list, I was getting to travel for work, and I was helping my clients solve problems, I was still bored.

Bored is probably the wrong word; I didn’t feel a purpose, I didn’t feel an excitement in what I was doing day to day. It was exciting, and sometimes I felt excited, but I didn’t have that continuous excitement. It wasn’t stimulating.

I needed something else, something more stimulating, something more gratifying.

And Then I Achieved My Black Belt In Karate…

It shifted something in me. Not just slightly, but massively. My commitment to getting the belt and to myself was something I hadn’t experienced since becoming a parent.

At first, it was a hobby, but over time (and pretty quickly) it became a passion. To the extent that I dictated my diary around it. I trained when friends were going out for the night, I trained when I had injuries (I adapted), I trained after travelling (a couple of times after transatlantic flights, I drove straight from the airport to train with no sleep), having left my kit in the car. I trained when I didn’t really feel like it.

This really was another level, one that I had never committed to before.

This journey has improved my confidence, and it has improved my self-esteem. It is even dampening the feeling sometimes that I’m just not good enough. Training with the team at Canton has helped give me a level of confidence in myself that I’ve not had in the past.

Find Your Own Passion

This journey has only just started. Getting a 1st Dan Black Belt means you’ve got a really good understanding of, and demonstrated, the fundamentals. Getting the 1st Dan is the equivalent of graduating from primary/elementary school. I’ve got the basics of it.

Now I get to apply those basics and upgrade a bit. I get to go to senior/high school. I get to delve a little deeper. I get to experiment a little.

At Canton, I’ve found a tribe who get me. These are the people I want in my life. These are the people who I know have my back. These are the people who won’t sugarcoat it for me; they’ll push me to be the best version of me.

I can honestly, without any doubt, say that I love it!

So, I’m going all in. Opening a new branch of the academy. I’m the senior instructor and branch manager. Responsible for growing the dojo, ensuring the quality of the instruction is consistently excellent, as it is across the other six dojos. I’ve got a high bar set for me, and I’m looking forward to reaching for it.

I’d bore the pants off you if I went on about how much I have got from it, but you get a flavour from above. That’s my purpose: to use my skills and my approach to spark that passion in others. Will everyone drink the Kool-Aid? No, and that’s fine. They’ll find their own passion (or not).

But it’s not just about karate, it’s about everything that goes with it. The confidence, the self-esteem, the growth to a goal or target. Everything that I’ve now realised was in my grasp, but I had to find my context and had to realise that the only person who could take me there was me. Don’t mistake me here. I cannot do it alone, but only I can keep the momentum going.

That is exactly what I want to share with others. Whatever you want is within you. Others can help you find it by being a critical friend. The ones who won’t sugarcoat it. If I can help just one person find the comfort and satisfaction I’ve found in the last couple of years, if I can help one person find THAT smile, then it will have all been the right decision.

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