Quitting my job and moving to Asia is the best thing I have ever done
Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:28 am
Aaron Cooper
6th May 2019
I sat down in the car, put the key in the ignition, turned it and felt the overwhelming dread of knowing I had to return and the same thing tomorrow.
There is a day in the Australian winter of 2015 that I remember like it was yesterday—I was a plasterer back then, and I even owned my own business. It’s the day I turned a key that changed my life. It was a cold day on a dark construction site and just like every other workday, I was plastering the walls and ceilings of a townhouse in the suburbs of Melbourne.
I arrived at the site in the early morning darkness with multiple layers of clothing on, turned on portable lights to work. That same day, like many before, I left that job site in the evening dark too, and I hated the fact that I rarely saw daylight in my free time. It was after packing my tools into my 1995 Toyota Hilux that I sat down in the car, put the key in the ignition, turned it and felt the overwhelming dread of knowing I had to return and the same thing tomorrow.
I was going to throw away the business I had built and the reputation I had gained for what? A $1,000 per week pay cut to drink on a beach and party. But, at this point, there was no convincing me otherwise—I was determined to feel happy and knew Thailand was where it was going to happen.
“Hey mate, you were right, the holiday didn’t fix anything, it was all the same as soon as I got back”
“I said that it would be”
“You couldn’t have been more right. I just want to be back on that beach”
“Come back man, what’s stopping you?”
“I dunno, I’ll need a way to make money. Do you have any jobs going?”
“Sure, can you run boats?”
“I’m sure I can learn! When can I start?”
“Tomorrow if you like”
“I’ll be there in a month!”
full.https://www.contiki.com/six-two/why-i-quit-my-job/