ChickSpeak

My own desire for financial freedom was motivated by one thing: independence. In short, I never wanted to work for anyone - not because I’m a diva or “temperamental artist,” but because I knew that I could be my own best boss, employee, colleague, financial adviser, travel agent, investor, “idea girl” and, when necessary, cleaning woman.

I knew that I was tired of trying to fill out a job application or resume where there weren’t enough lines, spaces or boxes for me to fill in my vast qualifications; not just for the job, but about a dozen others. Aren’t you tired of being a square peg in a round hole?

What was the change? What was the fuse that lit my individual sparks to work smarter, not harder? What made me decide to be an entrepreneur and investor, not a wage slave? The answer is simple: I grew dissatisfied with my job, the hours, and the pay. When lined up side by side, the columns for “hours worked” versus “pay received” just weren’t adding up. Worse yet, as I worked longer hours for less pay, the gulf between those two columns was getting wider, not thinner.

Welcome dissatisfaction. Don’t fear it. It’s okay to hate your job - no matter what your parents, spouse, roommates or even kids think. Really, it is. Give in to your inner frustration and explore the reasons for its origin rather than thinking it’s merely a self-indulgent tendency or whimsy that has you dreading that hour-long commute into the office each morning.

Dissatisfaction is a very powerful emotion. It makes inventors create something entirely new, activists fight for what they believe in, and politicians pass new laws.

Look to your own life for inspiration. Hasn’t their been a time in the past year - or two or three or four - when being dissatisfied with the status quo led you to do something about it? Finish college? Get an advanced degree? Take voluntary training, lose ten pounds or quit smoking?

We often think of being dissatisfied as wasting positive energy on a negative emotion but, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. With dissatisfaction comes change, movement, momentum.

Dissatisfaction is an exciting state, as I portend that change will soon occur. In fact, I’ve made most of my life-changing decisions in moments of complete dissatisfaction. So, be dissatisfied! That’s right - I said it!

I may be the first success coach to suggest that you actively - passionately - revel, wallow and luxuriate in your own dissatisfaction, but that’s because I know just how healthy it can be when you wake up, dust that dissatisfaction off and actually start out on the road to doing something about it!