BEWARE: Comfort will make your brain rebel against change

[luniac]

BACKSTORY:
I'm 95% certain i'll be fired next month.
I've been at my job almost 4 years.
For awhile the job was worth staying in, it was office work with a lot of downtime so i could do personal fastlane business stuff on the computer while everyone else watched movies, youtube etc
manager changed around year 2.5, and things have gotten steadily less chill.

My strategy the whole time was to stay on junior level with low responsibilities, i'm probably getting paid the lowest salary in the whole country for my position.
33k as a litigation support analyst, 10k lower than the second lowest paid coworker in my department who's a junior analyst. I specifically avoided any raises and promotions so i could avoid higher responsibilities and focus on my business instead.

BUT it finally backfired
This less chill manager is trying to force me to have senior analyst responsibilities due to my 4 years experience, but of course is more than happy to ignore the salary im making.

Next month i will be tested on various technical stuff, 90% of which i know but the more complex 10% im simply not willing to learn and be responsible for doing. I've also been transferred to night shift permanently which sucks overall too. Also over the years, the combination of sitting at computer at work 8 hours + sitting at home computer for many hours is starting to feel really messed up mentally. Also the combination of technical critical thinking my job requires + my app development critical thinking is pretty unbearable.
______________________________________________________________________________

Basically im looking for new work, mentally simpler warehouse labor or something so i can be off the computer during my job and then be mentally fresh to do some app work, i've sort of PLANNED FOR THIS, 16 dollars an hour means im not losing out on much, there should be no stress or fear of losing some big time investment, its just a job.

And yet i feel great anxiety, fear, imagining negative things like not finding new work, dept piling up, that im making really foolish decision, that im LOSING SO MUCH by losing this job.

I think that's comfort, whether i wanted to or not, in 4 years my brain got comfortable. for just 16 dollars an hour, my brain still got comfortable, and its rebelling against my upcoming "drastic" life change.

just wanted to share my feelings.
thanks.

 

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[AndrewNC]

i feel great anxiety, fear, imagining negative things like not finding new work, dept piling up, that im making really foolish decision, that im LOSING SO MUCH by losing this job.

Read some of my previous posts on the forum. Theres simple solutions to all this if you're willing to learn how to get rid of all of the mental problems

 

[luniac]

Read some of my previous posts on the forum. Theres simple solutions to all this if you're willing to learn how to get rid of all of the mental problems

Yea I've read your posts before, self NLP, visualization techniques.
It's cool I meditated on the feelings and i feel much better and focused.
Just focusing on new employment now. Considering security guard training.

 

[DeletedUser86]

4 years is a lot of time investment if you are not developing your professional skills. The advice I'm going to give you is slowlane, because that is all I personally know right now. When is the last time you have written/updated your resume? Are you proud of your achievements or is it mainly fluff? How close are you to getting your side project off the ground? These are all rhetorical questions you should ask yourself but be realistic. If you don't have your side project making at least a little money by now how much is just fantasy/mental masturbation?

I joined the military shortly after high school and I took my work seriously. By the 3 year mark I was the best at my job within our section and led up to 12 people, half of which outranked me. It looked really good on paper, and for sure there was some animosity from E6's having to answer to an E4 at the time. I took on not only the job but I also had to answer to the higher-ups when someone f*cked up-more responsibility for same pay. There is a point in the military where you quit doing your technical job and become a manager (responsible for other people's actions). That point I was dreading, because I'm the type that if I want it done right I do it myself. Some advice I got from a peer, with regards to making a certain rank- "They are going to make you do the work anyway, you might as well get paid for it!"

I got out and fell into a job fixing things-various things. Had nothing to do with what I was in the military for. I had to start at square one with regards to respect and knowledge. I used to have status and now I felt somewhat second class. The company paid for training, which is what appealed to me and I started out not making much money. I had to prove my self over again and buckle down-the job that started at 12 an hour turned into 19 an hour in 2 years. I left that company, updated my resume and shopped around. I currently have an offer to start with a new company doing the same thing for 25-30 an hour. Just be real with yourself, and don't be afraid to develop your skills. Worry is an useless emotion

 

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[juan917]

I like the title of the thread but i dont think:

mentally simpler warehouse labor or something so i can be off the computer during my job and then be mentally fresh to do some app work

will work out as well as you think. I could be wrong, but for me manual labor exhausts me both physically and mentally.

 

[Imgal]

Great you've got such a positive attitude @luniac. I've definitely been in your position with being in an effective "making do" position to allow me to do other things, but ending up despite it not being the position I wanted to be in, still finding comfort in it.

The fact you're thinking ahead to other jobs shows you're going to be just fine. Focus on what you need to make to fund your fastlane, knuckle down, get it done and you'll be on your way to where you want to be if you really want it!

 

[luniac]

4 years is a lot of time investment if you are not developing your professional skills. The advice I'm going to give you is slowlane, because that is all I personally know right now. When is the last time you have written/updated your resume? Are you proud of your achievements or is it mainly fluff? How close are you to getting your side project off the ground? These are all rhetorical questions you should ask yourself but be realistic. If you don't have your side project making at least a little money by now how much is just fantasy/mental masturbation?

I joined the military shortly after high school and I took my work seriously. By the 3 year mark I was the best at my job within our section and led up to 12 people, half of which outranked me. It looked really good on paper, and for sure there was some animosity from E6's having to answer to an E4 at the time. I took on not only the job but I also had to answer to the higher-ups when someone f*cked up-more responsibility for same pay. There is a point in the military where you quit doing your technical job and become a manager (responsible for other people's actions). That point I was dreading, because I'm the type that if I want it done right I do it myself. Some advice I got from a peer, with regards to making a certain rank- "They are going to make you do the work anyway, you might as well get paid for it!"

I got out and fell into a job fixing things-various things. Had nothing to do with what I was in the military for. I had to start at square one with regards to respect and knowledge. I used to have status and now I felt somewhat second class. The company paid for training, which is what appealed to me and I started out not making much money. I had to prove my self over again and buckle down-the job that started at 12 an hour turned into 19 an hour in 2 years. I left that company, updated my resume and shopped around. I currently have an offer to start with a new company doing the same thing for 25-30 an hour. Just be real with yourself, and don't be afraid to develop your skills. Worry is an useless emotion

Regarding my side business, the first 2 years were mostly learning how to make apps, 3rd year i made a bunch of smaller projects and experimented with stuff, started learning some marketing. in my 3rd year I burned out due to night shift had chronic fatigue for like 6 months, slept 10 hours minimum everyday and woke up exhausted.
second half of 2016 and early 2017 was mostly educating myself about health. im very healthy now an back on working on the fastlane. It's true i haven't made any real money yet, but i feel like i can achieve success eventually, i just need one minor hit.

A part of me as well as my mother is saying "stop being a bitch, learn the senior analyst stuff and go back to focusing on business in the job downtime"
But its more than that, like said sitting at a computer so many damn hours feels horrible to me now. I used to feel it's a blessing that i can work on my stuff at work, but now i think id be more productive if i worked a non computer job, and then at home and on weekends id be SUPER motivated to work on my software.
Stressing over these job deadlines is getting real old as well, if a deadline gets blown you always at risk of losing your job. Thats F*ckin stressful even if you're trying to be chill about it.

 

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[luniac]

I like the title of the thread but i dont think:



will work out as well as you think. I could be wrong, but for me manual labor exhausts me both physically and mentally.

i used to do construction off the books, 8 hours a day i carried heavy a$$ bags of garbage out of apartment into a truck outside, broke walls, did a whole bunch of shit.

After my shift id go play sports with a smile on my face. I was full of energy!

Sitting for 8 hours in a chair doing mentally intense technical work even just some of the time with occasional super tight deadlines, and client service department non stop asking for delivery time completion drains me so much more.

 

[luniac]

Great you've got such a positive attitude @luniac. I've definitely been in your position with being in an effective "making do" position to allow me to do other things, but ending up despite it not being the position I wanted to be in, still finding comfort in it.

The fact you're thinking ahead to other jobs shows you're going to be just fine. Focus on what you need to make to fund your fastlane, knuckle down, get it done and you'll be on your way to where you want to be if you really want it!

thanks, i know i can do it

 

[Imgal]

Wow... sorry about the duplicate replies.. internet connection went a little loopy and kept posting on reconnecting!

 

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[InspireHD]

Considering security guard training.

I'm going to give my opinion. I feel strongly enough about this that I feel like I need to say something. As much as this path can be noble and brave, I'm going to recommend against it. Depending on your position, you're going to be required to be "on alert" for crimes. Your mind is going to be constantly churning. Sure, there will be a lot of down time, but the constant scan and mental alertness will wear you out.

I'm a police officer. I have so many days where I come to the end of my shift and can barely think straight. I get home and just want to crash on the couch and "turn my brain off." It takes a lot more motivation to get back in the zone.

You'll have days where you go from 0 to 60 in a split second and it can be a lot of fun. The downside is that "what goes up, must come down." You'll be on a rollercoaster of mental energy. You'll be pumped up and excited and then later you'll be a zombie who just wants to sleep and recharge.

And once you get into this mode of seeing the world from a different angle, you'll never be able to turn it off. I can't go anywhere without seeing drivers driving like idiots. I can't walk through a mall without feeling like someone is up to something. I can't walk through a crowd without feeling like I have to watch my back.

Last Fall, I talked to one of the Loss Prevention Officers at my local Walmart. He did a great job finding people trying to steal merchandise. I asked him how he was doing because he was watering flowers. He said he was loving life because he was still getting paid. Walmart got rid of their Loss Prevention so they repositioned him to the Garden section. He was having a great time because he didn't have to chase people around. He said it can be hard because he still sees people stealing and there is nothing he can do about it. He said it's hard to turn off that mode of always being alert watching for people to steal, and because he's not in the LP anymore, there is nothing he can do except watch them leave.

So, in ending, just keep in mind that security guard work isn't just sitting in a room. It's mentally draining. I don't wish that on anyone.

 

[luniac]

I'm going to give my opinion. I feel strongly enough about this that I feel like I need to say something. As much as this path can be noble and brave, I'm going to recommend against it. Depending on your position, you're going to be required to be "on alert" for crimes. Your mind is going to be constantly churning. Sure, there will be a lot of down time, but the constant scan and mental alertness will wear you out.

I'm a police officer. I have so many days where I come to the end of my shift and can barely think straight. I get home and just want to crash on the couch and "turn my brain off." It takes a lot more motivation to get back in the zone.

You'll have days where you go from 0 to 60 in a split second and it can be a lot of fun. The downside is that "what goes up, must come down." You'll be on a rollercoaster of mental energy. You'll be pumped up and excited and then later you'll be a zombie who just wants to sleep and recharge.

And once you get into this mode of seeing the world from a different angle, you'll never be able to turn it off. I can't go anywhere without seeing drivers driving like idiots. I can't walk through a mall without feeling like someone is up to something. I can't walk through a crowd without feeling like I have to watch my back.

Last Fall, I talked to one of the Loss Prevention Officers at my local Walmart. He did a great job finding people trying to steal merchandise. I asked him how he was doing because he was watering flowers. He said he was loving life because he was still getting paid. Walmart got rid of their Loss Prevention so they repositioned him to the Garden section. He was having a great time because he didn't have to chase people around. He said it can be hard because he still sees people stealing and there is nothing he can do about it. He said it's hard to turn off that mode of seeing people steal and wanting to do something about it.

So, in ending, just keep in mind that security guard work isn't just sitting in a room. It's mentally draining. I don't wish that on anyone.

My mother works as a security guard. She says that her job varies. Sometimes "security" is sitting in the building lobby zoned out on her ipad, sometimes it is patrolling the park she's assigned to. she said there's great variation in the different places she's assigned.

The greatest difference i think between police officer and security guard is that my mother is not allowed or obligated to do anything other than call 911 and her superiors if something illegal is happening.

I actually like that mentality ur describing, it's more valuable than ever in the modern world we live in. I want to be more alert and attentive.

But as a police officer don't you follow cooper's colors, which means most of the time ur on color yellow to save energy?

 

[Argue]

A security guard in NYC is the easiest job there is. You sit and do nothing. Sometimes you have to get people to sign the log sheet or check IDs.

 

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[luniac]

A security guard in NYC is the easiest job there is. You sit and do nothing. Sometimes you have to get people to sign the log sheet or check IDs.

yup it's possible.
im down with that, ill bring a notebook and a pen and design apps and write code snippets.
better than the stress laden office im in now by long shot.

 

[Paul Thomas]

A security guard in NYC is the easiest job there is. You sit and do nothing. Sometimes you have to get people to sign the log sheet or check IDs.

Really depends where you're a security guard... but I'd agree if its like a corporate building.

 

[InspireHD]

I actually like that mentality ur describing, it's more valuable than ever in the modern world we live in. I want to be more alert and attentive.

But as a police officer don't you follow cooper's colors, which means most of the time ur on color yellow to save energy?

I don't want to discourage you at all. I am merely just wanting to provide first-hand experience.

I've never heard of the Cooper's Colors. I had to look it up. It sounds like that describes what I go through, but there is no intention to save energy. It's just not possible. I'm not paralyzed or filled with anxiety when I go out, but it just becomes something your brain is wired to do.

Good luck! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

 

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[Argue]

Really depends where you're a security guard... but I'd agree if its like a corporate building.

Yeah true, definitely. My girl's dad is a retired NYPD officer but now he's an armed sercurity guard and he gets paid to look at cameras and get visitors to sign a check in-sheet. @luniac definitely look around and find the most suitable environment for you.

 

[luniac]

Yeah true, definitely. My girl's dad is a retired NYPD officer but now he's an armed sercurity guard and he gets paid to look at cameras and get visitors to sign a check in-sheet. @luniac definitely look around and find the most suitable environment for you.

my mom recommended i get the fireguard certification which will allow me to work security at construction sites, she says it's pretty isolated from human traffic so you don't get bothered.

i wont be fired until next month, got plenty of time to get my certifications and stuff.

 

[Argue]

my mom recommended i get the fireguard certification which will allow me to work security at construction sites, she says it's pretty isolated from human traffic so you don't get bothered.

i wont be fired until next month, got plenty of time to get my certifications and stuff.

Yeah, that's what my girl's dad has. His Fire guard. Get that and you're good. Excuse my slowlane talk forum.

 

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[luniac]

Yeah, that's what my girl's dad has. His Fire guard. Get that and you're good. Excuse my slowlane talk forum.

its all good slowlane for now is better than sidewalk if i dont get a steady job!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I like the title of the thread but i dont think: will work out as well as you think. I could be wrong, but for me manual labor exhausts me both physically and mentally.

Depends.

I think a menial job is a good option, as long as it pays bills.

The garbage jobs I took when I was young was specifically chosen because they allowed me to work my business on the side.

If your job is killing your off hours, and hence, your business pursuit, you've essentially succumbed to the SCRIPT.

As for getting a good paying job, that is also could be a trap.

As I say in my book, "show me a man with mediocre comfort and I'll show you man who wont' work to improve his situation."

 

[luniac]

ahhh shit looks like everything got expedited.
Got fired tonight out of the blue!

gonna apply for unimployment in the short term just in case.
got 2 paychecks comin to me, and 2k in the bank.

time to get some security licenses.

Funny part i just finished listening to fastlane audiobook this morning, 4 years after reading it. I COMPLETELY forgot the chessboard section of the book. Here i am wracking my brains on how the F*ck do i market my apps and the fastlane has an entire section on marketing with goddamn bullet points too... im an idiot lol...

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Got fired tonight out of the blue!

Is there more to the story? How did you sense it was coming?

 

[G-Man]

time to get some security licenses.

Is the goal of the security job that you can use on the clock time to work on your side business?

 

[luniac]

Is there more to the story? How did you sense it was coming?

ahh man.. yea but its nothing crazy really.
In my early years of employment i became known as "that guy", always talking shit about pursuing a career, how i'm gonna make it big one day, laughing at bonuses and calling them pathetic, etc etc you get the point.

I'm sure the boss didn't like that, and i've been on final warning several times over the years. the main reason and i quote "You don't appear to have a sense of urgency", "you don't look like you care". I did the job but i didn't look like i wanted to be there. Honestly its amazing i even lasted this long. Of course making only 33k played a part im sure, getting moved to the undesirable night shift bought me some time as well.

Eventually of course i matured a bit and just minded my own business, but I still didn't pursue promotions or do above the minimum my job required. About a year or so ago a coworker got promoted to manager, and he was way less chill about my attitude and work skills. After some ups and downs and a sit down a few months back where they told me either i move to night shift again or im fired, i got email last last week telling me to prepare to be tested on technical stuff next month. I knew i wasn't gonna learn that stuff and so i wrote this post and prepared to find new work.

But of course i couldn't keep my mouth shut and already joked around the office shaking hands goodbye and complained a bit, maybe someone(i might know who) relayed my attitude to the bosses, and they looked for any reason to just fire me asap. So 2 days back i put a tech job on hold because of questions i had, which is very standard procedure on night shift cause there's noone to answer it until morning sometimes. But last night i come in and the manager is waiting for me at the office entrance, tells me boss sent an angry email about putting job on hold and that im incompetent and can't do the job and so im fired.

I was surprised cause i thought my questions were legit, but looks like not, but who knows and who cares!!! i never even read the boss' email, and i couldn't care less at this point.


EDIT:
and before anyone calls me an immature kid, the manager actually "mock" fired me at one point. Literally called me into meeting room with my shift lead, telling me im fired, i go say goodbye to coworkers, they call me back to meeting room and say "just kidding" and tell me im not fired, but im on yet another final warning and gotta show some hustle and improvement etc etc
They joked around all the time about firing me, all the time. I just smiled and laughed along, what do i care, i'm not pursuing the road of uncontrolled limited leverage!

 

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[luniac]

Is the goal of the security job that you can use on the clock time to work on your side business?

no i dont think i can lug around a laptop or something to program stuff lol
I'm gonna carry around a little notebook and a pen and if i have dead time ill design apps and write code snippets. Stuff like that.

The main reason is a security job won't drain me mentally like my office job.

I'm F*ckin elated to be out of there honestly. of course right now im not relaxed cause im unemployed and the bills will be coming. But im registering for training today, i believe it starts monday.

 

[DeletedUser86]

I knew a guy who got out and used his clearance to get a security job at one of the big contractors. Usually he hit me up on social media to chat and when I asked what he was doing he said he was at work. Basically his job was to escort non-cleared personnel for house keeping or other things. When he wasn't doing that he basically surfed the net, but still had to be there. He used his time to learn how to trade options and built a website. Not sure on the success of either but later when I asked what he was up to he would say "sharpening my chainsaw." As it is hard to pick up on verbal ques over text I responded with a question mark. He then said "If you want to cut down a bunch of trees (goals), you're going to need a sharp chainsaw" The man was no lumberjack so his point was taken

 

[SquatchMan]

ahh man.. yea but its nothing crazy really.
In my early years of employment i became known as "that guy", always talking shit about pursuing a career, how i'm gonna make it big one day, laughing at bonuses and calling them pathetic, etc etc you get the point.

[removed for brevity]

EDIT:
and before anyone calls me an immature kid, the manager actually "mock" fired me at one point. Literally called me into meeting room with my shift lead, telling me im fired, i go say goodbye to coworkers, they call me back to meeting room and say "just kidding" and tell me im not fired, but im on yet another final warning and gotta show some hustle and improvement etc etc
They joked around all the time about firing me, all the time. I just smiled and laughed along, what do i care, i'm not pursuing the road of uncontrolled limited leverage!

There's a huge difference between having a good mindset and a bad mindset in the slowlane and it does carry over to the fastlane.

Working a slowlane job and avoiding any responsibilities for FOUR years because you want to moonlight a business is a decent mindset, not great, but not entirely bad.

YOU DIDN'T EVEN START A BUSINESS IN THOSE FOUR YEARS.

You had FOUR years to work on a side business with a 33k/year income from your day job (and being a member on this forum).

You took as little responsibility as possible and you still didn't build a business process. That is a bad mindset. If you didn't do it back then, then I don't see how you're gonna do it working a different job.

Did you not take additional responsibility because you're just lazy? Or was this just one big action fake to look cool in front of your coworkers? Judging by your post history the latter seems to be the case.

It doesn't really matter the answer; it's in the past. You've been here long enough, you know what you have to do and how to do it. My personal recommendation is to stop bragging about starting a business... and just start a business.

 

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[luniac]

There's a huge difference between having a good mindset and a bad mindset in the slowlane and it does carry over to the fastlane.

Working a slowlane job and avoiding any responsibilities for FOUR years because you want to moonlight a business is a decent mindset, not great, but not entirely bad.

YOU DIDN'T EVEN START A BUSINESS IN THOSE FOUR YEARS.

You had FOUR years to work on a side business with a 33k/year income from your day job (and being a member on this forum).

You took as little responsibility as possible and you still didn't build a business process. That is a bad mindset. If you didn't do it back then, then I don't see how you're gonna do it working a different job.

Did you not take additional responsibility because you're just lazy? Or was this just one big action fake to look cool in front of your coworkers? Judging by your post history the latter seems to be the case.

It doesn't really matter the answer; it's in the past. You've been here long enough, you know what you have to do and how to do it. My personal recommendation is to stop bragging about starting a business... and just start a business.

i think the real truth is in the middle.
i technically did start a business, it just didn't make me more than 100 bucks yet lol

I've put in probably ~2000 total hours learning how to and actually making games.
If i was a better man i would have put in 3000+ hours. Laziness + burning out played huge roles.
I started from square 1, i knew absolutely nothing about app development, and now i've released 3 games, and like 5 smaller joke apps some of which ive since removed.
I have main company site, youtube, facebook, twitter, etc.

To a lesser extent I've also learned numerous side skills such as photoshopping, clean audio recording, video editing, website building.

If you google game development, you'll see that it is one of the most complex forms of software development there is, which is why nobody outsources it.
I single handedly learned not just to toy around with some amateur game prototyping, i've learned how to RELEASE a complete product, which is a whole different ballgame.

I went through insanely frustrating challenges, im talking practically going hysterical and wasting months of time and some money learning tough lessons.

When it comes to fastlane, i see myself as a 4 year old child. I've been conditioned for the slowlane my whole life until 23 years old. My mind didn't truly "click" until i sat in my cubicle for a few weeks. It was only then that i finally began to acquire something of a real purpose in life.

It's been a tough F*ckin road, but infinitely easier than what the slowlane offers. I didn't have to read MJ's book to know that a cubicle is a tough sell, but I'm thankful for it's existence and i'm even more thankful for this forum. I honestly don't care if it takes me even 10 years to succeed, my life is in turmoil but im at peace.

My main goal right now is to really get in the zone, and put in massive man hours into app development and simply release products faster to test the market faster. I know i can do it, at least 3 hours during weekdays and 12 hours on weekends is my goal right now. thats 39 hours into app development.
I think i can pull it off with a low mental stress security guard job.

 

[MidwestLandlord]

There's a common expression I use in the retail industry:

"Short-timers disease"

This is when an employee has decided they will be quitting, and their attitude and performance goes to shit.

I can always tell when an employee plans on quitting long before they actually put in their notice.

(not all my management team can pick this out yet, but they're smart guys/gals...so they're getting there)

If they make the decision to quit too long before they are actually ready to quit, we end up having to fire them to protect my business.

That's essentially what you describe here.

Another common expression I teach my team:

"Willing and Able"

Employee's have to have both. They have to be both willing and able to do the job.

We can train most anyone to be able to do the job. The unwilling one's though? They get cut loose FAST.

I can't change the "willing" part of that equation. I have the patience of a saint for the ability part. Most people if they are willing will get the job down and be able.

But the unwilling one's can go work somewhere else. (preferably at my competition haha)

You describe this here too. Unwilling.

I wonder...was there a point in intentionally causing all this drama for yourself and your employer?

Jobs SUCK, for sure.

But there is a difference between putting yourself on a new track in life, shaking your employer's hand as you leave on good terms, moving on with your life...and what you did.