Christy (00:00:10) - Downsizing your life. I remember 2005, 2006 or so, 2006, where I was investigated by my Services Investigative Service, our FBI, and they read me my rights and told me I had the right to remain silent. Ladies, do you all not know I'm a rock star? Hello? Ha, ha. Right. I had the right to remain silent. Anything I say can and will be used against me. I couldn't believe it. A lady lied on me and said that I gave her classified material and I got investigated. It was unbelievable. And I was more shocked. I was making about 85,000 at the time and I was mad because I'm like this lady, like, I work at Sonic. I'm not making $8 an hour. I'm making $85,000 and she's playing with my career. She wanted to be one of the three letter agencies FBI, CIA, DEA. So she thought that blowing a whistle on other federal agents would get her the job quicker. It was madness. But you know what I learned, ladies? I didn't have enough money to sustain myself had it gone south.

Christy (00:01:21) - I was a federal employee. I was in the military. As long as I work a ridiculous amount of hours, put out what is best and go to these Christmas parties. My job is pretty secure for the next 20 years. My job was secure actually, for the next ten, 20 year career at least. So did I really need an emergency fund? If I'm always going to be paid on the first or the 15th? It was an amazing, amazing check. Amazing. I'll say it three times. And when I retire 40, 50, $60,000 depending on how long I stay. Not up to $90,000. That's what I was banking on. Why would I need an emergency fund? I'm always gonna. My job is secure. Until I appreciate that lady. That lady showed me I didn't have a plan B. That lady showed me that that thing was going to go south. It went south fast, and I was cleared of the charges. But I was more disappointed that I didn't have enough money to sustain myself.

Christy (00:02:25) - Had it going sideways. Now, could I have been able to get a job? Oh, I'm sure, but I never saw myself outside of the organization. I didn't have a plan B, which is we're going to talk about in the third part of this. So I didn't have enough money to sustain myself. Suze Orman was right. She was right with that emergency fund. So if you are ready to leave your job, if you have a job that's killing you and you're driving a car with a sunroof and leather, can you sell that car and get another car and downsize that car so you can start stacking your money? It's the plan is to start stacking your cash. I did everything, I downsized my car, I tore my cable off. I got a different cell phone plan. I started reading the fine print on stuff, I stopped shopping, I stopped eating out as much because I needed to start saving a lot of money. So if it went sideways again, I would be ready.

Christy (00:03:24) - And I told you I resigned with three and a half years left to retire. So it did go sideways again, and I was able to resign because I saved six figures. I had these four pieces in place. So I can walk away and do the unthinkable to save my own life. I didn't die in a job. I didn't have a stroke or a heart attack in a job and die because I couldn't leave. So, ladies, if you're living in a $600,000 house, what do you need to do to save your own life? What do you what are you willing to downsize to save you? Because you can save the money and then get the house again. But if you don't have that nest egg, and if your job is choking you out and you hate it, something's going to happen and something's going to give. You got tires being blown out of your car, car accident. You fall down the steps. But you go home to a nice condo. What, are you willing to downsize? You won't die if you go from a six bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment.

Christy (00:04:27) - What are you willing to do to save your own life? And I know this may sound outrageous, but it's not outrageous to stand in a job where you're going to die. Outrageous. Just thinking that your job is secure when it's not outrageous is not having enough money. So when your job goes south, or if you get sick, or if something happens and you get laid off, you don't have enough money to sustain yourself. That's outrageous. And if you haven't done ladies again, I did it. If you haven't done the proper thing. I didn't, I did not because my job was secure. It was until it wasn't. It was not. It was a I mean, it was an illusion. What is security? I was in a government job that's secure.

Christy (00:05:05) - No, no, no.

Christy (00:05:08) - Ma'am, it was not. So what, are you willing to downsize and let go? Number three, creating an exit plan. The challenge in that part of my life was I never saw myself outside of the organization.

Christy (00:05:21) - I never saw myself working for anybody else. I was just. Hell bent on doing my job to the best of my ability, and I would always be promoted. I would always get paid. I'm going to get a pension. It's going to work out magically. This is how this thing is going to work. It did not happen like that. So in that lady light on me, they read me my rights. I said, you know what? I need to build my reputation in this market. I need to build my reputation in the industry. More people need to know that I exist, and I need to start creating an exit strategy. Now. I got one foot in the door, 1.5ft in the door because I'm all about being loyal, but I got half a foot out this. Things go sideways. I'm going to be okay. This one never, ever, ever happened to me again. Y'all ain't gonna shock me like that again. Give me once. Shame on you. Get me twice, shame on me.

Christy (00:06:09) - So I started to network and go to industry events and meet new people. So what professional organizations do you have? What networking events can you go to in your area? How can you start to build your credibility not only in your industry, but in your in your community? Who knows that you exist? So if your job went sideways, they'll say, hey girl, I got a job for you. Hey, I know so-and-so is hiring. I know so-and-so would love you. People may want to hire you right now, but do they know that you exist if you're in your house suffering, or if you're on the phone complaining about it? Are you out at professional associations? Are you out in networking events? Are you meeting new people in your industry and in your community to let them know that you exist and how awesome you are? So part of the exit plan can be creating a small business. What's your passion? What are you passionate about? You could be making jelly or jam and selling it at the farmer's market.

Christy (00:07:12) - You can make cakes and cookies. You can create a consulting company. One lady that I work with, Image Consulting, created an image consulting business so she can work that on the weekends. While she worked her 9 to 5, working her way out of her job, a network marketing company. Mary Kay Avon I mean, you have a gazillion Rodan Fields trading forex email. You have a gazillion opportunities to create extra income. So when I go back to number two about saving your money, this is about better utilizing the money that you already have. So this isn't about extra money, it's about how can I now save? What I already have. How can I best utilize what I already have if I don't have time to create a small business? Because I was, I was workaholic. I work 80 hours a week. It was bananas. I didn't have time for a small business, but I created an extra plan.

Christy (00:08:10) - You know?

Christy (00:08:11) - So this depends. Do you have a passion? Do you have time, or do you want to create a strategy to stay in your job? Or excuse me, stay in the industry and just leave your job to go to another workplace? Or do you want to leave your job to create your own business, two separate chains of thought? Or do you want to get another job and create a business so you can start to stack more money? That's what this thing is about, ladies not spending your money on fruitless things, but investing your money and becoming smart about it and not just blowing it at the bar, blowing it at restaurants, blowing it at the mall because somebody piss you off.

Christy (00:08:51) - I need some retail therapy. No, no no no, put that money because that's security. Let me tell you something. That break in case of emergency glass that I created with six figures gave me more security than my whole job could have ever done. Because I said, if this thing goes south, I got I got 30 plans in my back pocket. Listen, I say some sideways, and they did.

Christy (00:09:12) - You know.

Christy (00:09:14) - I have a year's worth of my salary saved and I got 30 freaking plans in my back pocket. I'm going to whip them all out and see what happens. And I tell you what, when I left my career, I got offered four jobs in the first week that I got out for six figure jobs. Like you did what? Because they knew me. They knew my reputation. I built credibility in my industry. You got out. You need a job. I got offered ten jobs in the first two months I got out. Now I didn't ask for a job, ladies.

Christy (00:09:47) - So this is what happens when you build your reputation and your credibility. I never asked for a job. All they knew was Christy was a free agent, and they wanted me on their team for jobs in the first week. Ten jobs in the first month, 20 jobs in the first two years, 30 jobs in three years. I just keep job offers just for entertainment purposes. But the first 10 to 15 jobs came from people that I knew. The jobs after that came from people who just I was I'm a master networker. They like me. They say you need a job. No. So creating an asset plan is number three. Hey, Christy Rutherford here. Thank you so much for checking out this episode of our podcast. We greatly appreciate it. Go ahead and like and subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review while you're here. Text changenow to 66866 and get my free insight. It's about a 15 minute video that talks about how to leave your bad job and get a 30% pay increase this year.

Christy (00:10:56) - Look, you don't have to stay in a raggedy job. Leave the job, but you need a plan. So go ahead and text changenow to 66866. Get this insight. Use it in your life will never be the same for the best. See you in the next episode.