Table of Contents

The Escape Manifesto x Introduction 1 PART ONE PRE-ESCAPE 9 1 The Travelator 11 Why does this world not work for so many of us? 15 We are our jobs 16 The emperor s new clothes 17 Politics and bullshit 18 Autonomy, mastery, purpose 19 Warning your health may suff er 22 Corporate creativity is an oxymoron 23 Institutions and leaders are failing us 25 Why do so many of us tread this path? 27 We have been taught to be cogs 28 We make semi-conscious decisions 29 The trap of the high achievers 31 We don t defi ne success for ourselves 33 Most careers advice is so awful 35 2 Thoughts and Blockers 37 Unhelpful thoughts 39 I should be grateful for this job 40 I am safe in my current job 41 I might damage my career 42 I don t have the right network 43 I don t have the right skills 44 I need to have it all fi gured out 46 Common blockers 49 We are looking for an instruction manual 50 We are infl uenced by other people 51 We love feeling comfortable 53 We hate feeling scared 54 We talk ourselves out of decisions 56 We are short of time and energy 58 We need money to survive 59 3 Gradual Epiphanies 63 Life epiphanies 65 Live life your way 66 Heed the call 68 Avoid living for the future 70 Realize nothing stays the same 71 Preempt the big scare or tragedy 73 Write your own obituary 74 Avoid empty fi nd yourself advice 75 Work epiphanies 77 Recognize the signs 78 Stop collecting qualifi cations 80 Look up the ladder 82 Accept changing is always hard 84 Choose a fi ght worth fi ghting 85 Decide that enough is enough 86 4 The Money Question 89 Think about your fi nances diff erently 93 The golden handcuff s 94 Money and happiness 95 The cycle of consumption 97 Escape begins with defi nition 100 Redefi ne personal fi nance 102 Manage your fi nances diff erently 103 Conduct a personal fi nancial audit 104 Crunch the numbers behind your escape 105 See your escape as a startup 107 Minimise costs 108 Save intelligently 110 Earn creatively 112 Avoid debt (or pay it down) 114 Build assets, question liabilities 115 Invest in yourself, not stuff 117 5 Evolution Not Revolution 121 Pre-decision 123 Fight the fear 124 Enforce limits, push back 126 Get better at listening 128 Stop reading, start acting 130 Post-decision 133 Don t quit just yet 134 Just start (but start small) 136 Test towards the way that works 138 Create a checklist 140 Cultivate partners-in-crime 141 Reframe the risk 143 Resign (carefully) 144 Don t expect a bunch of roses 146 PART TWO POST-ESCAPE 151 6 Find an Exciting Job 153 Work is changing 155 Get clear on your decision criteria 157 Forget passions, what can you off er? 159 Get your head around skills 161 Hunt people not jobs 165 Tell a good story 167 Own your online presence 168 Hunt diff erently 169 Interview diff erently 172 7 Adventure 175 Escape the Matrix 177 Get perspective 178 Confront adversity 179 Plan, don t plan 180 Adventure diff erently 184 8 Start Your Own Business 191 Why start a business? 193 Scratch your own itch 195 Ideas are cheap, execution counts 198 Bin the business plan 199 Funding your startup 201 Make meaning 207 Defi ne success 209 Get going with what you ve got 211 Prepare yourself for the ride 213 9 There is No Guidebook 217 Commit 219 Trust the process 220 Fight fear 222 Don t waste your time 224 Reject norms 226 Have an impact 228 Prepare for the mountain 230 Ignore cynics 232 Develop three traits 233 A Final Word 236 Footnotes 239 Recommended Escape Resources 243 Escapees To Take Inspiration From 248 About Escape the City 258 Acknowledgements 259 Index 260

About the Author

Escape The City is a community-focused business built around a simple concept: that there is more to life than doing unfulfilling work in big corporate companies. The online platform is designed to help corporate professionals find exciting jobs, start their own businesses, and go on big adventures.

Reviews

'An intensely practical guide, encouraging you to stick to your guns and strive for something different.' (Elite Business, May 2013) 'Reading this book is a rip roaring pleasure; it is packed with inspiring quotes, practical ideas and great stories.' (Management Today, July 2013) 'We love this book-it's a brilliant practical down-to-earth approach to doing things differently. Full of wonderful quotes and case studies, as well as a really comprehensive resources section. If you are looking to pack an inspirational book for holiday reading make it this one! Highly Recommended!!' (Hot Brands, Cool Places, July 2013)