I put my two weeks notice in today.

There are those who may look at what I’ve done and say I’m throwing everything away. All those years going to college and getting a degree and I’m throwing away future opportunities by leaving the corporate world. There are those who will say I’m giving up a high paying job that I have taken for granted in such a tough economy and that it won’t be very easy to get back to where I was. There are those who will look at what I did and say I’m crazy for not thinking about my future.

The irony of the last statement is that a big part of why I quit is because I began thinking about my future.

Let me pose a question: “What do you want to accomplish or be in 5-10 years?”

Do you want to be the manager of your department? Do you want to have saved up enough to buy that car you always wanted? Do you want to have moved into a larger house with a bigger yard and nicer neighborhood?

I remember being asked this when I was still in college one christmas, and I froze without answering. The idea of knowing where I’d be in 5 years was beyond me. I had never stopped to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. Like many of us do, I passively went to middle school, then high school, then college, and then to a job. I’d begun what many would consider a successful career.

But the real question is, “Will you be happy doing what you are doing 5 years from now? 10 years from now?”.

Can you see the path you’re on currently and say you will be? Will you at the very least be able to look back and have no regrets?

Do you wake up every morning and look forward to what you’ll be doing or do you live for the weekends?

If you are happy with what you’re doing, happy with where you’re at, and happy with where you’ll be, then I’m glad for you. There are some of us though that want to be in control of our lives. We want to instill positive change in those around us and make a lasting impact in our community. We want to do work that doesn’t seem like work to us because we’re so passionate about it. People talk about having a work-life balance, but why can’t we just have a life that includes work as an afterthought?

That’s why I quit and am choosing to invest in myself rather than buying into the idea that working a 9-5 will give you safety, security, and happiness. Now more than any other time in recent history, job security in its traditional sense is slipping away for my generation. Newer graduates are finding it harder and harder to get the jobs they want, and those with jobs are sometimes having to settle for lower wages while competing with people newly entering the work force. Real job security in this new global economy comes from being able to find and generate wealth on your own terms. Especially in a struggling economy, the ones innovating and creating new ways of doing business are the ones that will shape the way of the future.

When you’re older, how will you look back and remember the past years of your life? Will you have done something meaningful and purposeful that you can be proud of?

Life is too short to be sitting in a cubicle getting paid to do mostly unproductive and unsatisfying work. It’s time to make a change and choose how you want to live your life. Its time to find your passion and pursue it.

In the coming weeks I’ll talk in more detail about how this isn’t just a dream and can be achieved by anyone no matter where they are currently in life. I’ll talk about how I went from getting a job earlier this year to starting my own company on the side, and growing it within 4 months to the point where I had enough confidence to give my two weeks notice this morning. I’ll include all the books I’ve read, the people I’ve met, and the lessons I’ve learned because I didn’t get to where I am today without the inspiration and help of a lot of people. I’m doing this as a way to understand myself better and connect with other passionate individuals, and I hope to inspire other readers who may be thinking about doing something on their own but just haven’t figured out how or found the courage yet to start.

So join me as I begin this new adventure by signing up for my RSS feed or connecting with me on twitter and facebook. I’d love to hear your feedback.