Today marks the 2-year anniversary of my first day as a free man, free from Corporate America, the 9-5 job, the 40-hour work week.

During my recent trip to Indonesia and Australia, people are curious to find out why I do what I do and how I survive financially. My story is unique to myself but I am sure you will find some similarity you can relate to.

In the beginning of 2006, I have grown discontent with my job. It’s so unfulfilling. I wasn’t really sure it is something I want to do in the long run. I was at my breaking point. But as at many times in the past, I thought it was one of those moment of madness and I would be back at work happy in no time. One night I had dinner with some friends who have been pondering the same predicament as I did, except that they had an idea what they would do when they quit their job. I didn’t. I just know I was unhappy.

I slept on it for ONE night and tried to figure out what prevented me to just call it a day in Corporate America. And then it hit me. It was FEAR. The same fear everyone has. How am I going to pay rent? What am I going to eat? Can I afford not to work? I looked around me and realized so many people live on a whole lot less and they got by just fine and happy too. It became clear to me, the decision is going to be NOW or NEVER. I don’t want to look back down the road and realize it is a decision I should have made when I had the chance.

So I QUIT … just like that.

First Year (The Loose Cannon)

During my first year, I got by just fine. My living expenses weren’t that bad. Living in San Francisco, people think I am crazy when I told them I can get by with $1500 a month for rent, utilities, and food; and living very comfortably too. Of course, I don’t live in an apartment with a bay view or have a $500k mortgage to pay. I live in a great neighborhood with abundant of restaurants nearby so quality of life is not compromised.

In the first couple of months, I traded option two days out of a month and made enough to cover expenses. I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I just wanted to enjoy the time-off, burning away my savings.

I traveled to Poland, Indonesia and Australia during the first year for a total of 6 1/2 months. Apart of Poland, my expenses in Indonesia and Australia were pretty minimal. I didn’t have to pay for food or accommodation. I didn’t shop much so that HELPED a lot. Consumerism has never been my thing. The only one expense I had was entertainment.

Towards the end of the first year, I lost a lot of money trading option and that set the stage for my second year.

Second Year (The Entrepreneur Mind and the Growing Period)

When money started drying up, it forced me to start doing things. There were items I bought back in the days that I wanted to sell on eBay because they were limited edition but never did because I was just too lazy.

Then I learned about entrepreneurship by surrounding myself with friends who recently quit their job and doing their own things. I attended seminar and networking events; the kind of things I didn’t really care about when I was still at Corporate America. The one common trait they have is they want to take charge of their life.

I learned about passive income and positive cash-flow. A friend introduced me to network marketing and how it can help me generate passive income. I made an investment in a partnership to purchase a positive cash-flow rental apartment in a Dallas suburb. And I started this blog to network with people and I have made so many friends which I am really grateful for.

My income from network marketing is still minimal. I didn’t expect it to be cash machine immediately within a year. It’s a long-term business that will sustain itself in the long run. My investment in real-estate will pay off handsomely in a few years so a little pain now will go a long way to achieve comfort later.

I attended Bob Proctor seminar in the fall. It was my first time in a cruise and my first visit to Mexico. I can only say I learned a lot from this trip.

And some time during the second year I finally realize the true meaning of what one mind can conceive, it can achieve. And in the midst of it, I manage to find love.

Should You Quit Your Job?

I can’t tell you whether you should quit your job. You will need to make that decision because your situation is unique only to yourself. But let me just say a couple things.

Ask yourself what it is you want out of your life. I know some people who save everything they have so they can have a comfortable retirement later on. I STRONGLY disagree with that mindset. Life is not about making your later life as comfortable as possible. One thing people forget is in order to create a life, one has to live a life. What good are all those nest-egg when you miss the golden era of your life? Your golden era is not when you retire. Your golden era is when you are young. When you have the desire to conquer the world, when you have the will to do the unthinkable, when you have the strength and the mind to make a difference in the world.

I am not saying your retirement is not important, not at all. But you shouldn’t plan your life around your retirement, which is probably hard too some because people are programmed to work 40-hour a week for 40 years and then retire. People are programmed to work, work, and more work. The recent passing of my uncle reaffirm my belief that work is only part of life, it is NOT a life to itself.

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