Three Reasons Why You Should NOT Quit Your Job To Work For Yourself

If you've ever thought about starting your own business, then you've probably done some research on the tremendous, possibly panic-inducing roller coaster ride you're in for. (If you haven't done any research, please stop reading right now and go do some).

It dawns on me that there is a ton of great advice out there about why you should quit your job to "enjoy" the rewards of working for yourself, but there's very little out there to tell you specifically why right now may not be the best time for you.

The truth is, running your own business takes endless amounts of stamina, drive, and patience. It's not for everyone. If you fall into any of these three categories, I strongly advise that you take a step back and think about what you're doing.

You should absolutely not quit your job and work for yourself if;

3). You Have An Idea.

This isn't to say that ideas are bad; on the contrary, your idea(s) may just take you where you want to go.
But...you have an idea. That's great. We all have ideas. What have you done to bring your idea out of your head and into the real world?  What steps have you taken to legally protect yourself from being ripped off? Have you considered patenting? Copyrighting? Can you do either of these things to protect your idea? Have you spent any time fleshing out your idea, on paper or anything else, to bring it to life?

It's often said that ideas are worthless, and at birth, they are.
Realizing them, however, is another matter entirely.

2). You Are Tired Of Answering To Other People.

I hear this one a lot.The truth is you will free yourself from a lot of management, but you may never stop having someone you have to answer too. You may have readers who keep you afloat or investors who demand updates. Neither of whom you can afford to piss off.
You may become independently wealthy one day (and if you do, please hold onto my email), but until then, you will more than likely still have to account for your time to someone while you're starting up.

And the number one reason is...

1). You Hate Your Job.

I hear this more than anything else, and I cannot overly stress how detrimental this is to your endeavor.
So you're stuck in a job where the management treats you like complete and total crap and in their eyes the sole purpose of your existence is to squeeze every drop of vitality from you until there's nothing left, at which point they cast you aside and bring in the next victim. I get it. I've been there. A lot of us have been there.
But quitting your job--eliminating your primary source of income--to work for yourself may be the worst thing you can do. You will be acting on impulse rather than planning and it may not be long before you find the bills coming due, and that once-glorious idea you had to change the world is a lot harder to bring to fruition than you realized.

Then you find you can't go back.

Now, don't get me wrong; there are plenty of reasons to start your own business, and chances are you may have a great idea that will indeed provide self-sufficiency. But it will not happen overnight, it will take time, planning, and execution. Start out for the wrong reasons and you may be doomed before you start.

Best of luck.

Thanks for reading.

Introducing Author Linda Rosendale!

Southern-born Linda Rosendale is arguably the hardest working mother writing right now. A dedicated mother of three actively involved in the education of her children, Linda frequently blogs about all things parenting while writing her first prose "Dark Thoughts".

Connect with her here and check out her blog at Mom's Time To Write!


Thanks for reading!

So I Bought A New Car, But Then...(Or, How I Finally Learned to Slow Down)

My First Legal Car! 2005 Chevy Monte Carlo LT "Black Monte".

So three momentous things happened this weekend. I bought my first new car, Cari and I moved in together after eight months of exclusive dating, and I discovered StorySkeleton, my new favorite writing toy. More on that later.

So anyway, this is it; my first (used) new car. I had my eye on this thing for weeks, maintained regular contact with the dealer, finally sealed the deal yesterday. I was grateful for the friends I made in the country because I knew what to look for on the test drive. Barring a few minor issues, I signed on the dotted line and took delivery.

This is one of the many things Cari and I had planned to do this weekend, so our next trip is to my old apartment to finish clearing it out. Between the move, the car, the weather, the job, and writing, I'm pretty much burned out. I don't know this yet. It's gonna hit home real soon.

So we finish getting everything back to the new house (two hours later), and I'm thinking to myself, in the maddened rush to get everything unpacked;

Hey, I have too many keys on my keyring.
I know what I'll do.
I'll separate them. Right now.
No. Not tomorrow. Now. Tomorrow would make sense.

And that's it. I swear to you, that is what happened. I unhooked the keys to my NEW CAR and passed them off into the ether. For all intents, they vanish into thin air.
I don't even realize that anything is wrong until I go to start my car again, which I should probably tell you IS NOW BLOCKING TWO GARAGES. Cari and I had planned to go out to dinner last night to celebrate. That didn't happen.

I have to commend her on her restraint and patience, because it was taxed to the very limit yesterday. We unloaded everything and tore the house to shreds. We never found the keys.

So in order to move the car WE HAVE TO HAVE IT TOWED! I watch my beautiful new monster jacked up to the end of a tow truck, and it is escorted to her work where it will remain safely overnight.

Did I mention that by now, I'm feeling mighty stupid?

Today rolls around. The locksmith crafts a new key and panels for a quarter of what he usually charges. Order is restored with the world. I bring my car home.

And that is how I learned to slow down.

Thanks for reading.

And no, we never did find the keys.

Introducing Universal Warrior: An Epic Fantasy Series by Avery K. Tingle

This is my formal introduction of my life's work, entitled as a whole as Universal Warrior, to the planet Earth.

What Is Universal Warrior?

Universal Warrior is an epic fantasy series originating at the beginning of time, chronicling the adventures of various beings as they take their place in the great struggle between Heaven and Hell that culminates at the end of reality--and beyond.

What's The Basic Premise?

At the beginning of time, the four dimensions that comprise the known universe were formed by a singular being called Amen. Left drained by the effort, Amen sired two children; twins of equal and nearly infinite power, named Yin and Yang. Their duty was to safeguard their father's creation while Amen himself entered the Millenial Slumber, after which he would awake and pass judgment on the work of his children.

Though there was peace in the beginning, eventually Yin and Yang came to disagree over how their father's favorite creation, the homo sapien, would be managed. This disagreement led to disastrous consequences which devolved into the world we know today.

Is Any Of The Story Commercially Available Now?

Yes! The first book in this story, Before Red Morning is available FOR FREE on Smashwords right now. It's a first-draft telling of three Angels and one human being in the events leading to the first battle between Heaven and Hell.

Is There More Coming?

Yes; around April 20th, I'll be announcing the next story in the Universal Warrior saga, but, if you want to know early, I'll be making the announcement early to everyone who's signed up for the newsletter. If you want to get first dibs, sign up for the newsletter on the front page of the blog and yes, I promise never to sell your email. Ever. I don't like getting spammed myself so I wouldn't do it to anyone else.

So that's it! Thanks for reading!

Three Reasons Why You Should Sign Up For My Newsletter

I can only imagine how you're looking at the screen right now. I can also imagine that a few of you may be gnashing your teeth in contempt, deciding whether or not to block me, right? Oh, yay! Just what the internet doesn't need! Another newsletter cluttering up my inbox!

So, I guess that if I'm going to ask you to sign up for my newsletter, I better offer you something that you can't get anywhere else.

What if I present you three things?

1). Early Access and Discounts.

If you sign up, you'll be the first to know about anything I release before the rest of the world learns of it. You'll be given a chance to beta read and offer First Feedback, and every newsletter subscriber will be given a chance to get my stories at a discounted rate or even free. You'll also be given the opportunity to get advanced copies of my stories before anyone else does.

2). I Will Teach You About The Writing, and the Life Process.

There are twenty authors that spring to my mind when I think of people I've learned from. I will point in the direction of all of them, and I will offer you, free of charge, everything I've learned about the writing and publishing process, how to spread your brand across social media, how to create plausible characters and even the ins and outs of freelancing.

3). I Will Show You How To Make Publishers Come To You.

I confess that I have made a ton of costly mistakes since I became a professional author, but the fact remains that I have never received a rejection letter. I've actually had publishing houses bid on my work. I can show you, free of charge, what I did to make this happen. I can't promise you the same results, but I will show you how I made it happen for me.

I will never spam you or sell your info. The newsletter will begin within the next thirty days and the first feature will be about the Work In Progress I've been talking about on social media lately. Those who sign up will get the first crack at it.

You can sign up on the blog itself, or click this link to be taken to the signup form.

Introducing #thisisouryear

What Is #thisisouryear?

#thisisouryear is a new hashtag for bloggers who are celebrating resounding success following extremely difficult times. It's a way to connect with others who are succeeding at their endeavors after enduring hardship. It is being formed in the hope of keeping from people from giving up.

How Do I Do It?

Connect with me on twitter at @thisisouryear14.

When you blog, post your blog to social media using the hashtag #thisisouryear. Participants who pick it up will share to their own networks, and hopefully, we can turn this thing into something positive and global.

Are There Rules?

Only a couple; I'm not much for rules.

1). If you post your own stuff, you must retweet/share others posts.
2). No negative comments or condemning of others. At all.

When I started blogging years ago, I wanted to ensure that people never had endure my experiences; what I found instead was that I was not alone. I've been blessed to come into contact with so many mentors and good people, and this is my way of paying it forward on social media. 2013 was, for a lot of us, an extremely difficult year. So let's turn it around in 2014 and make it our own, what do you say?

Thanks for reading. And participating.

Walk Away.

Image Courtesy of 123rf. In case the giant glaring watermark doesn't give it away,

I'm going through my workout, about to get to the sitting row when a smaller, skinnier, bald man moves up to the machine at the same time that I do. 

We look at each other, and there's that uncomfortable moment. You know, that "what's this gonna turn into" moment.

He says, thumbing over his shoulder to the woman who'd just gotten off the machine, "We're taking turns, switching off."

Sure enough, the woman who'd left the machine moments ago was now working her legs on the machine he'd just left behind.

There are other things I can do. "Go for it." I say. And I walk away.

After working my abs, I return to the sitting row, where he has completed a set of reps and rises.

I move towards the machine as he begins to move away, and he looks at me as though he caught me stealing. "I figured since you were done," I offer politely, "That I could knock off a couple of sets."

"Yeah, well," He replies in an irritated manner, "Like I said; we're switching off."

"Well..." I return, "You got up. Let me knock off ten and it's all yours."

He rolls his eyes and begins to walk away. "What, you in that much of a hurry?"

I hate it when someone says something deliberately offensive as they're walking away. If you're gonna say something that might get you punched in the mouth, man up and look that person in the face.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am." I retort, no longer caring about politeness and rising (my first mistake).

"Then you should've gotten on the shit earlier!" He yells, still walking away.

And that was the moment. 

We all experience it differently, the moment. The moment when your head gets hot, your fists clench, your stomach gets tense and you cease looking at the person like a human being and more like prey.

The scenario begins to play itself out. He comes at me. It's either a lunge, push, punch, or kick. I have a hundred pounds on him, he has reach. Deflect what's coming, and punch him in the chest with everything you have.

Then lose your gym membership.

Then go to jail.

Then lose your job.

Then put your career on hold while you deal with the legal system-yet again.

Then lose any chance you have of rectifying your other legal situation.

Then....lose everything.

Or walk away.

They're only words.

Walk away.

Walk away!!

I hurriedly find Cari, and together we leave the gym. I don't go to jail. I write this instead.

I've been dealing with anger issues my entire life, and I can tell you this much.

Each instance where there can be violence is an opportunity to walk away. There's a line between self-defense and assault, but rather than give into the primal urges, take a moment, just one moment, think about what you have to lose, and walk away.

It's that simple.

Walk away.

Just walk away.

Thanks for reading.