You will probably think all of these things—and many other things—at some point in time. I did.

It’s
natural. We’ve been conditioned to think this way. When you are going against the status quo, there is
going to be some push back. Your friends might think you’re insane, your co-workers won’t understand,
your family might think you’re lazy. So what! Those things don’t mean anything if you’re not pursuing
your passions, if you’re not happy. Burning your boat means that you must be successful: you are
leaving yourself no options other than success. Nothing to fall back on, no safety net. You will find a way
to succeed. This doesn’t mean that you can live the same lifestyle that you lived before though. The
house with the two extra guest bedrooms isn’t going to cut it. The $600 car payment isn’t going to cut it.
Continuously buying stuff isn’t going to cut it. You will have to drastically adjust your lifestyle if you want
to pursue your passions. But I don’t have enough money to change my life, you might say. Really?
Everett Bogue did it with just $3,000. He also wrote the book (literally) on how to make money with a
“Minimalist Business” while pursuing your passions. Screw You, I Quit! 90 Joshua Millburn | Ryan
Nicodemus But I have a family and kids to take care of, you might say. Well, Leo Babauta has a wife and
six kids and he changed his life, and Joshua Becker has a wife and two children, but he is living his
mission and is living a minimalist lifestyle. No matter what excuse you have, there is a way around it.
You know it’s true. Screw You, I Quit! The “screw you” here is a bit more subtle than it sounds. I didn’t
barrel into by boss’s office and yell “screw you, I quit!” In fact, I had no desire to do so. My former boss
is an amazing guy, one who taught me a lot about life. So, my “screw you” is not to my former job.
Instead, my “screw you” here is to my old lifestyle, to my old life, to a life without meaning. I’m not just
quitting a job—the job is not the point here—I’m quitting the life that I lived, and I’m committed to
living a meaningful life, one in which I do what I love. And you can do it too. I didn’t quit with some big
savings account to live off of for a while, but I have enough money to live off of for a few months as a
safety net, because I will live a simple life with few expenses. And you can do the same thing. You can
refuse to be a slave to your current circumstances and to live a more meaningful life. You can pursue
you passions. That’s what I’m doing starting today. I refuse to be a slave to culture expectations,
ensnared by the trappings of money and power and status and perceived success. So, to my old life, I bid
you farewell. Oh, and screw you, I quit! Screw You, I Quit! 91 Joshua Millburn | Ryan Nicodemus
Minimalist Finances and Budgeting by Joshua Millburn We are minimalists, not communists. And
minimalists aren’t allergic to money.