When I quit 9-5: Story on clarity and commitment

It was early 2017. I was standing in my bedroom, listening to The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. About two hours in the book, I said to myself:

“Holy shit — I’ve been such an idiot.”

I was in my mid-twenties and thought I had it all figured out. It felt good — but that false confidence kept me stuck. I wasn’t really growing.

Then I came across the stories Tim Ferriss shared. They opened my eyes, broke down that arrogance, and changed everything.

So, I had a new, vague dream — make a living online — and almost no idea how to get there. Plus, I was starting to question a lot of things I once thought were “true.”

I didn’t know anyone who was doing what I aspired to do, so I turned to blogs, youtube, podcasts, and audiobooks.

I fell in love with personal development and online business stuff. Audiobooks and podcasts were my music and Matt D’Avella was my Netflix.

More consumed books and stories led to more clarity. More clarity led to more experiments. Failed experiments led to more clarity and so on. This continued for several years.

Meanwhile, I was working in IT. And despite changing companies where the vision and mission of the company aligned with mine, I was not able to close this gap. The more clarity I gained on what I want to do creatively, the less motivated I was to continue my 9-5.

And when your creative clarity increases, it’s easier to focus. It’s easier to be consistent, which all leads to closing the gap towards your dream.

This gave me the confidence to stop working on my backup plan and fully commit to my creative pursuits. And that’s what I did. On April 19, 2021, I spent my first Monday in 10 years as an unemployed dude.

That said, it wasn’t a complete YOLO move. We had saved enough to live comfortably till the end of 2022 without earning anything (though burning through savings was never the goal).

Here are three quotes on this topic I love.

The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe in your abilities to figure things out. ― Brendon Burchard

You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. ― Jim Carrey

Fast forward to today — I’m happy to say I’ve put together enough pieces of the puzzle. I’m in a good place, but there’s still plenty of levels to unlock.

I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped me get here — including you, for reading and supporting my work. Thank you.

I hope you’re putting together the pieces of your own puzzle too. If you have any questions, feel free to hit reply — I’m always happy to chat.

– Janis Ozolins / ozo.art

P.S. – I’ve started a spin-off newsletter called Explain Ideas Visually. It’s all about how to say more with less, use visuals to explain ideas, plus behind-the-scenes, expert interviews, and more.

My lovely wife Linda will help me there with the writing part. The first issue goes out tomorrow — hope you enjoy it!

This current newsletter stays the same — more personal stories, lessons, and cool ideas explained visually.

P.P.S. – Song of the week.