Pick a movie, any movie, about a young man or woman breaking the norm and pursuing his or hers dreams. Not a fan of movies? Pick a book, pick a TV series, pick anything you can think of that has an inspirational story behind it. Got one? Good. Now skip the first act and head straight to the turning point. Until this crucial part of the plot, you’ve been introduced to the characters, the setting, and made to care about the protagonist. This is what we call the exposition, or Act I, where we realise the protagonist has a boring routine we relate to. The protagonist—let’s call him Jeff from this point forward—wakes up, brushes his teeth, eats breakfast, and heads to the job he hates every morning to daydream of quitting and becoming a renown baker.
Nothing wrong there, we all start somewhere. The real problem lies with what Jeff does after work. We hope that Jeff punches out at 5PM and walks over to his culinary classes down the street. But, our hopes come crashing when we realise that Jeff, the wannabe baker, heads to a shop up for sale, and sits out front wishing he’ll one day own it, before walking back to his dingy bachelor pad and collapsing into sleep.
Sound right?
Now remember I’ve told you to skip all of that? To head to the important part called the turning point? Well, this crucial part, also known as the conflict, gets the plot rolling. It’s what keeps us interested in the story, because no one wants to read a book or watch a movie about a guy named Jeff who does what we do every day. That’s what our lives are for. If we wanted routine and a passivity, we’d only have to look in the mirror while we brush our teeth. But the turning point, and Jeff’s reaction to it, keeps us hooked. After punching out at 5PM, as he would any day, and heading to the shop up for sale, Jeff, the wannabe baker, encounters a life altering event. He’s almost hit by a car and realises life’s too short for job security. The next day, Jeff walks into work a new man. In the presence of his colleagues and contemptible boss, he collects his belongings and quits, swearing he’ll never return. From here on out, the plot focusses on Jeff’s journey to becoming the renown baker he’s always wanted to be. Struggles and all.
What we get from these plots, these stories, are that we can magically achieve our dreams. We’re told that if you want to become successful, if you want to realise your dreams, you have to leave your day job and focus on your dreams. Don’t worry about paying rent, or the phone bills, let alone transportation if you should run out of eggs or flour, just drop everything. The reasoning behind it sounds logical; you’re ridding yourself of the one factor distracting you and consuming your precious time and energy. Time and energy that could be spent painting, writing, baking, and a plethora of other action words you could think up and insert into this sentence. But, the problem with leaving your day job to pursue your dreams: it’s not reasonable, nor wise.
With the majority of our time and energy devoted to lifelessly trudging through set engagements such as work or school, the idea of freed up time becomes appealing. Like Jeff, we assume that seizing the day and risking everything is the one way to chase our dreams. Sure, dropping everything’s the best solution for some, but it’s not for most. The glorified free time syndrome comes wrapped in a pretty red bow we’re too eager to tear off, and when we do, it becomes the greatest set back in life we could imagine. With ample time available to pursue our dreams, we would hope and think we’d spend it organising, planning, and putting man hours behind opening our own bakeries. But, for several of us who take this route, we put off all work that goes into reaching our dreams and still call ourselves bakers. Instead of waking up early to get a start on our day, we sleep our mornings away, or we’re routed to the couch devouring Netflix shows, thinking: there’s always later. Only, we can’t call ourselves a baker if we don’t bake.
Jeff’s turning point should have been an opportunity to seize the day and double his efforts in starting his business, not a chance to desert his financial support. After his near death experience, he should have returned to his bachelor pad with ingredients, and show up to work the next morning with a box of cupcakes, or any pastry. Hours of his time after work should have been spent mastering techniques and learning how to run a small business, not wasting away on the couch. Functioning in this manner allows Jeff to build a clientage, fund himself and the start of his business, and when the time comes, Jeff can resign from his day job and take his bakery to the next level.
When we have all the time in the world to follow our dreams, the ugly truth about ourselves reveals itself. For most of us, we forget about our work ethic, and turn to bragging about procrastinating and how far in a series we got in one night. Our dreams get pushed to a back burner, and we never realise we don’t actually want to chase our dreams. We like the idea of it. Many will disagree and tell you it’s because we’re too afraid of failing. But, for someone who really wants to succeed, they’ll conquer their fears, and make time to see things through. Having to work at your day job, or go to school, or do both, should not stop you from working towards your future. If you genuinely want something, you’ll find a way to achieve it. It’ll just take patience, hard work, and never losing sight of your dreams.
But, who am I to tell you why Jeff, or you, shouldn’t quit your day job?
