A Time to Quit

I went to the shipping depot to work my regular Friday 4pm-12am shift. There weren’t too many trucks. The package handlers were more behaved than usual. Everything was fine. Nonetheless, I almost quit my job that night.

The Mind Snap post I wrote is really having an effect on me. I agree that I should quit the shipping depot soon, but I have this insatiable urge to quit right now. But why? I don’t want to quit until I go through the process of refinancing a couple of times. That’s smart, isn’t it? I don’t get rid of a source of income until I have a greater and stable source of income to replace it. Isn’t that how this works? If that’s true, then why do I have a massive urge to leave the job now? Why is my mind dead set on making me do something that’s so fiscally irresponsible? Usually I follow my feelings when it comes to making decisions, but I think I’m gonna fight this one. I think the discovery of buying properties as detailed in my October Dinner with Damon is a contributing factor. Each deal can make me 2 or 3 years worth of shipping depot income, and the very thought of having Friday nights and weekends to myself is very alluring. But let’s put things into perspective.

There are so many things that can go wrong, and sometimes I forget how lucky I am. All of Property 3’s tenants are paying rent without a problem. If any of them leave, the renovation cost would put a huge dent in my income. I have a gym membership that’s $50 a month, and I spend around $200 a month on food. Over $300 in car payments, my cell phone bill is $50, cable internet bill is $60, plus the $150 I pay back to the IRS every month. $100 for gas. That’s over $900 a month just to exist! And let's not forget my dad's medical care which I may be forced to pay a portion of. The shipping depot income takes care of all my living expenses, allowing me to use the rest of my income to buy properties. I’m fortunate to have that job and I shouldn’t take it for granted, even if it does suck. I could screw up with my first deal, and then I’d really miss that easy income from the depot.

Tomorrow I have to go to the shipping depot, and I'll be ready. I have enough entertainment to keep me occupied until I quit. I just started watching The West Wing, I have my precious rap battles, it’s Wrestlemania season, and I’m sure there are a ton of TV shows and movies I’ve yet to see. These distractions should help me ignore that loud voice in the back of my head, yelling at me to quit. The good news is that the feeling to quit makes me more determined than ever to find a property… almost to the point of obsession. Being at the shipping depot itself makes me go online and search for properties like crazy. That’s good motivation, which is exactly what I need if I’m going to compete with my fellow investors.

There’s no doubt that I have to get out of security work, and even less doubt that I have to quit the shipping depot very soon. But everything has to happen the right way, and a good quitting is having new income be equal or greater than the income I plan to replace. Once I reach that point, it's "bye bye shipping depot".