On Wednesday, November 18, 2015, I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand with a suitcase and backpack. I had just left my home in DC, where I spent the last 8 years working, going to school, and building an amazing base.
But it was time to go. 8 years is a long time!
About a year prior, I started telling everyone about this crazy idea I had: I would quit my job with the government, move to SE Asia, and work on my business, Climb Out of The Cubicle, full time.
People thought I was crazy. Why would anyone quit a government job? Well, for me, I quit because I was bored. I wasn’t being challenged. I had mastered my current job, but didn’t find interest in moving on to another inside or outside of my agency.
Over 2015, I planned my route and saved my money. I paid off as much debt as I could (dang you, student loans!). Then, slowly, I started selling everything I owned. I sold my car, my furniture, my kitchen. I sent a few cherished items to live in my sister’s basement, and started packing only 2 bags.
This would be it: me and two bags.
I would hit the road, live as cheaply as possible, and put all of my effort into my business.
But, here’s the problem. While I can be highly productive, I can be highly distracted. I can’t stick to a schedule to save my life, and I’m a night owl. There’s nothing I love more than sleeping until noon.
Before I left DC, I was thinking of ways to hold myself accountable. Then, Jason Zook popped into my head. He is a successful entrepreneur and podcaster who I follow and admire. Over the summer, he did a 60-day journal on Medium leading up to the launch of a big product, Buy My Future.
I loved his idea, so I stole it. Kind of.
Instead of a 60-day journal leading up to a launch, I’m doing a 30-day journal chronicling my first full month as a full-time entrepreneur.
Here’s the challenge: each day, during the month of December, I’m going to log into Medium and document how this whole entrepreneur thing is going.
I’ll dig deep into my feelings (eek!), my setbacks, my challenges, and my successes. You’ll get to watch from afar.
Here’s the thing though, I have no idea what I’m doing. I don’t know how to be an entrepreneur. I don’t know how to make a business work. All I know is that I want my business to work. I want it bad.
Today is Day 0. Tomorrow is the official first day of the challenge, but I hope this entry gave you a glimpse into the purpose behind this challenge.
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