Why I decided to QUIT my 8 to 5 job and to escape the RAT RACE !
- Nour El Houda Derbel
- Nov 14, 2019
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 16, 2019
I have started working in companies since 2016, yet I have never been fully fulfilled nor satisfied by the fact of having to trade my time for money !
I also have always had issues with SUPERIORITY ! I just couldn’t accept that someone would just tell me what to do using a tone just because he’s paying me to do so !!
Except for one great leader I worked « with », the rest of the bosses I worked « for » were ******** (I’m not responsible for what your dirty mind is telling you right now :) ).
Well... let’s say it in a nice way… They were NOT NICE !
I started working for the messy boss who underpaid me, then for the one who underpaid me and did not respect the fact that I needed a proper work environment, then for the very bossy and very VERY old school one who refused every – I mean EVERY – single innovative and creative idea (What ? To be present on social media ? what For ? No we don’t need that !) until I ended up working for a very young boss who I thought was a genius for launching a start-up at a very young age but turned out to be a very inexperienced and rude boss…
All these bosses had two major things in common : They were rude and RICH !
I took a decision to stop sitting on a chair from 8 to 5 simply to make them richer mainly because my health problems have started to appear and I have been ignoring them for a while. I also realized that I just couldn’t have time to see my friends, workout, read books or anything… I was stuck in the middle of the RAT RACE not knowing how to escape from it while a painful back pain was getting worse each time I was stressed…
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By the way, if you ever wonder
What does the RAT RACE refer to ?
It’s a term used to describe a frustrating, hard-to-break financial lifestyle.(1)
The term is commonly associated with an exhausting, repetitive lifestyle that leaves no time for relaxation or enjoyment.(2)
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In December 2018, I had a TERRIBLE back pain that made me stop walking, sitting and working. I could barely move, so I was just laying down all day staring at the ceiling because every move I’ve tried to do was painful. It turned out that my muscles became so weak because I was getting fat, not eating healthy food, not exercising enough ( even if I was hardly finding time to exercise after work), sitting on a chair for long hours and mainly because I had a chronic stress.
Did I mention by the way what was so special about the last 2 jobs I quit from ?
Well in the first one, they said that it’s absolutely prohibited to have a break besides the lunch one because you signed on a contract in which you have to work for 42 hours per week (knowing that we were working 42.5 hours, but they just ignored that fact). What’s even worse is that you’re allowed to smoke if you want outside but if you’re a non-smoker you can’t have a break. And no, this is not a joke… ! And in the second one, they did not even have a kitchen or a place where to have lunch in… you’re almost forced to go outside to eat junk food daily…
Let me summarize this in other words : either you sit on a chair all day long, smoke outside to stretch your legs a bit while suffocate your lungs, eat junk food daily… just to have some money back to pay bills, get some vitamin D pills, nicotine patches and have a bit fun during the weekend …
OR you simply quit !
Back to my story, where was I ? Ah right, the back pain problem.
Well, this latter turned out to be a sign from GOD for me to discover another health problem (that I won’t share its details for the moment) but I would just say that I simply had to go through a surgery. And yes, if you’re my friend, don’t worry I’m super fine thank GOD, but I only told like 4 friends about it simply because I hate it when people take pity on me. In fact, one of the best experiences that happened to me was the fact that I found a great energy after the surgery ! I literally felt relieved! I felt so much stronger and relieved out of all the negative events that impacted my personality these last 3 tough years. Thank GOD I had to go through it :)
Thank GOD I realized that my mental and physical health shall be my number ONE priority !
I decided since then to try my best to lose weight ( not saying that I 100% succeeded honestly LOL but at least I’m still trying to resist the temptations I’m facing daily :) ), to eat healthier (trying to reduce junk food and especially the poison.. euh… I mean the white sugar), to practice soft sports (because I have to take care of my back) and to READ all the books I have always wanted to read but didn’t have time for. I also decided to share my passion for nonfiction books on my instagram @noors_books : https://www.instagram.com/noors_books/?hl=fr
The main goal of my Instagram is to inspire people to read nonfiction books so that they become better version of themselves :)
Yet, the main thing I couldn’t do was quitting my job
and that was mainly because I needed the money… One month later I was forced to quit because my boss did not like the fact that I had to have breaks to walk. I remember him telling me :
«Either you work like your colleagues or you stay at home and get back to work once you’ll feel better ! ».
One month later I joined a new start-up and decided to quit 3 months later when the work environment became toxic.
I’ve had enough of the RAT RACE and decided to become my OWN BOSS and to work on my own as an independent consultant in social media management.
That was the best decision I have ever made !
I want to thank my family, my BFFs and two precious people who helped me figure out what I wanted. The first was my mentor Yousra Magouri who I shared with lots of ideas I had to launch my own business and encouraged me to go after what I wanted but also adviced me to focus on the social media management field since I was already an expert in it. The second virtual mentor who inspired me to do this bold move was Mayssa Kasbi, a famous Tunisian YouTuber and influencer, who decided to leave the RAT RACE a year ago. You will find below the links to two of her videos that really impacted me.
Yet... I know what you're thinking about right now. You're probably saying to yourself :
But it’s risky… who’s gonna pay my bills ?
Well, I swear the day I quit my last job, I received a call from a potential client who I negotiated with few days before, and he confirmed that he wants my services :) and on that same month I had 2 other missions (Alhamdouliléh, Thank GOD) :)
Now, I have only one client I'm working « with » yet I’m super HAPPY that I left the rat race !
And yes, I personally agree that MONEY does not buy HAPPINESS !
I feel like I’m a free bird building its nest slowly but surely ! I’m FREE to start and stop working whenever I want :) As long as my tasks are done, I can go out, attend any event I want, meet my friends at anytime ( well, those who are not in the rat race), practice soft sports almost each morning, play with my cats etc…. I don’t have to think about traffic jams, what to wear each day nor to complain about how ***** my boss was today :)
Being independent as a digital nomad was the best… I mean... THE BEST thing that ever happened to me :) You just need a computer, an internet connection and a creative brain :)
I decided to leave the rat race,
how about you ?
What’s holding you back ?
Don’t wait as I did until my body forced me to stop because it was in so much chronic pain.
If you’re not happy, not fulfilled, not having a healthy lifestyle then… please note that there is a way out of this rat race.
And dear employers, please be aware that your employees are not rats but are humans! Knowing that I’m sure that there are great leaders outhere… Yet I personally haven’t met much of them when working…
PS : I’m currently reading a book called «FIND YOUR WHY» by Simon Sinek, and he says that MONEY shall NEVER be why you work but a RESULT for doing what you really LOVE !
So what do you really LOVE to do ?
If you want to become an expert in social media like me, I can be your personal coach :)
If you feel lost and you need some encouragement to leave the RAT RACE, please share with me your story and I will try my best to help you out :)
The fact that you finished reading this article till the end can tell that you are determinated to change your life so...
xo xo
Noors.books
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Mayssa Kasbi’s youtube videos :
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