How to Decide Whether to Quit My Job or Travel
Deciding to change a career, move to a new city or start a new business takes a lot of time, energy and planning. There are some steps you can follow to help you make major life decisions, such as deciding to quit a job or to travel the world, in a way that will get you closer to your life goals while taking into account practical, ethical and emotional factors.
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Instructions
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Change your attitude and get rid of your mental blocks. Understand that there is not a perfect solution and that people make mistakes. Give up the notion that quitting a job or traveling is reserved for "lucky" people. Anyone who takes action can do it. Think logically, but don't ignore your your intuition.
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Define your life goals. Be specific in determining your personal values and establishing your life priorities. Write down the answers to the following 4 questions:
Am I satisfied with my work and does my career meet my needs and fulfill my ultimate desires?
When I have left my home country or city, what did I learn from those trips and do I think I could have learned more?
If I could travel or live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
What are my financial priorities?
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Do your homework and conduct research about the impact of both quitting your job and traveling. This involves doing the math on your finances and budget, researching the practicalities and way of life in other countries and soliciting opinions and feedback from your friends and family.
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Write down a list of pros and cons. Take four sheets of paper. Write all the pros of quitting your job on the first sheet. Write all the cons of quitting your job on the second sheet. Write all the positives and negatives of traveling on the third and fourth sheets. Put both pro lists next to each other on the left, and then put both con lists on the right. Take the time to notice if one side has more arguments than the other, and if one specific sheet stands out from the rest. This sheet could be the right decision for you.
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Scale your pros and cons list appropriately. The number of items might not be reflective of their importance. If this is the case, give each statement a rank between 1 and 10, where 10 is the most important factor and 1 is the least important. Add the points on each sheet and compare the total score of each sheet, rather than the number of arguments. Again, this could point you towards the best solution.
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Think with the right-side of your brain and create an alternative solution. As Leo Babauta of Zen Habits advises, "Sometimes your path to thriving is through custom-designing your own lifestyle rather than trying to fit yourself into the existing social norms and expectations, and if you're using a very left-brain-directed process when you make your decisions, you'll find it hard to invent new distinctions, like creating your own job description or pioneering a new way of living." Make a decision that doesn't require you to choose between quitting work or traveling. Why not do both? By quitting work, you will be free to have the time to travel and come across new opportunities. Why not do neither? Maybe you actually really like your work and where you live but you need more excitement in your life. Take up new activities, start a course or volunteer in your community to do something challenging without quitting your job or traveling.
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Trust your gut feeling. Your emotions, both positive and negative, are perfectly safe guides when making important life decisions. Feeling sick to your stomach every time you step into the office is your body's way of telling you it is not happy. In this case, deciding to quit a job may be the best solution. Excitement and a surge of energy when a friend shows you pictures of a recent trip may be a sign that you are ready to travel and have an adventure of your own.
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Make a decision and plan for the future steps. If you decide to quit your job, plan how much money you need to save before you make the jump, how much time you are willing to stay and what you will do once you are free of permanent employment. If you decide to travel, start saving money, make the reservations, plan for time off and outline an itinerary.
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References
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