Most of us are stuck in jobs that we do not like or love to do. We have big dreams, we know that God created us with unique gifts that if we only put them to work, the results would be amazing. You are sure and you are convinced that you need to be doing something else apart from the job you are currently doing. Why can’t you just quit?  If you had a plan to drive to Nakuru and as you drive you see a sign post that you are 43kms to Emali, i don’t think you will keep driving until you see another one 30kms to Emali, you will immediately change direction, right? because you realize that you took the wrong road to Nakuru. How come when we realize what we are doing is taking us the opposite direction towards our purpose, we do not change direction immediately? We keep giving excuses, move further from our purpose every single day.

Its never that easy though. I started quiting my first job 2 years before I finally said enough is enough and even then, it took my dear sister to write for me a resignation letter. She had witnessed me complaining every morning that I had to go to work and on this particular day, 7th of Jan 2009, she gifted me a birthday gift. This gift was a resignation letter addressed to my boss. I did not open it because I feared I would change my mind. I just handed it over to my boss, he asked me if i had found greener pastures and truth be told, i had not even started looking for the green pastures. All i knew is that i was not adding value to my employer, neither was my employer adding value to me apart from the small pay check every month. I told my boss I had no other job but all I knew I will sleep for 2 days and the 3rd day I will find something to do……..

I can tell you it was tough, coming from a salaried job however small the salary was, it was better that nothing. I went from small income to negative income and it was tough but looking back I would repeat the same.

Today I will share a few of the lessons I have learnt while following my dreams. They are not arranged in any order, I will put the lessons down as they flow.

1. It requires sacrifice: sacrifice does not mean you are loosing, it simply means you are leaving something lower to get something higher. It’s like climbing a ladder, you have to let your foot go off the lower step for it to move to the next step. You may have to prepare yourself for a temporary cash crunch or you may deny yourself some of the luxuries you are used to.

2. It’s important to plan for your basic expenses: it is very difficult for a hungry person or someone who is struggling with basics to follow their purpose. The hierarchy of needs by Maslow states that you cannot move to satisfy growth need before you achieve the basic survival needs.

I would advise that you sit and write down the list of all the things that you cannot do without and the cost for example Rent, school fees for kids, other bills. Set aside a fund equivalent to 6 months of those expenses. This will help you pursue your purpose without feeling under pressure. Alternatively you could look for a part time job that is not very involving so that you have time to focus on your purpose.

3. Listen to your heart: when I decided I was going to sell insurance, I got a lot of opposition especially for those closest to me. I was told that I was too qualified to sell insurance, In fact some people said I was out of my mind. You need to be convinced that the path you have chosen is what you want because many people will not understand especially if you are leaving a well paying job. It is your conviction that will keep you going even when no body encourages you.

4. Give your best where you are: As much us you don’t like the job you do, always give a touch of excellence. The Bible says, whatever you put your hands to do, do it with all your heart and with all your mind as unto the Lord. There is a Kikuyu proverb that says: ” Kumagwo ni guchokagwo” you may need to go back where you have come from so be nice you will need the networks.

5. Learn all you can learn: Over time, I have realized that God does not waste experience. He has put you where you are for a purpose. Learn all that you need to learn even if you have a bad boss, learn what not to do when you become the boss. Even that job that you don’t love, you will need some skills that only that job can teach you. When I got my first job, we were taken through a 3 months training called Management of learning ” MOL” i attribute my success in my selling career to MOL and I will still need it in my next assignment.

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