I built a six-figure remote business and walked away from the 9 to 5 at age 46. Every Tuesday, I email a story, tip, or idea to help you climb down the corporate ladder and live life on your terms.
Not advice — just something I’m sitting with
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Hi Reader, Sharing a quick insight with you this week, as I have to catch an early-morning flight. Laura and I will be travelling for about 10 days, which means I’ll be working mostly from coffee shops, my favourite place to work! Just my laptop, great coffee, and plenty of background noise... music to my ears. Earlier today, I was watching an interview with Seth Godin. One question he asked stuck with me enough that I paused the video and just sat there for a minute. He said, "What will the version of me 10 years from now be glad I did today, even if it’s annoying, uncomfortable, or unrewarding right now?" I immediately noticed where my brain didn't go. It didn’t go to buying nice things or upgrading my lifestyle. Or doing something to impress people. Looking back 10 years, I'm really glad I decided to start my side hustle (that was actually 7 years ago), and write on my laptop close to 365 days/year. Because I did that for four long years, I no longer have a boss or work a 9-5. When you’re in the middle of it, it doesn't feel heroic. Most days, it just feels mildly inconvenient. Sometimes, it's just downright painful or pointless. But looking back now, I can see that the biggest changes in my life haven't come from big moments, but from decisions that felt small at the time and only made sense later. I don’t have a big takeaway here. I just want to pose the same question to you: What’s one thing you could do this week that future-you would be relieved you didn’t put off again? I’ll check in again next week, likely from a coffee shop! : ) 💛 Colin 💡ResourcesFREE! 2-Minute Side Hustle Quiz FREE! 7-Day 9-5 Escape Roadmap Video Course 30-Day Launch Playbook — Freelancer Edition Free 30-Minute Side Hustle Clarity Call |
9-5 Escape by Colin Graves
I built a six-figure remote business and walked away from the 9 to 5 at age 46. Every Tuesday, I email a story, tip, or idea to help you climb down the corporate ladder and live life on your terms.
Yesterday afternoon, while I was working away, I started getting messages from complete strangers on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Most of them started with something like: “Hey, I just read an article about how you turned your side hustle into a full-time business and quit your job...” At first, I had no idea why I was suddenly getting all these messages. Then I realized my 9-5 exit story had just been published by the U.S. edition of the Daily Mail and picked up by MSN as well....
When I was still at my 9-5, I felt like my time was completely controlled by someone else. Conference calls, emails, constant interruptions… by the time I got home, I felt too drained to do anything else. So I’d check out for the night and promise myself I’d start working on my side hustle tomorrow. Sound familiar? At the time, I believed that I didn’t have a choice… that my mental exhaustion was just the reality of the job. But looking back, that wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t have full...
Over the past month, I’ve confronted something that I’ve believed about myself for years... that I’m a night owl, and just not a morning person. I’ve said so many times, to myself and to other people, that it started to feel like a fixed trait. Just part of who I am. I stay up later, I get going a bit slower in the morning, and I’ve always structured my days around that. But recently I started questioning it. Not in some big, dramatic way. I just wondered what would happen if I stopped...