Fast forward a few weeks, and I’ve landed a couple of consulting gigs and am chock-full of work. I hope to continue the trend but am conscious of my financial situation — I’ll likely have to seek out a more permanent gig in the next couple of months if I can’t build up enough of a client base in the short-term. If anything, this whole hustling business has been a great life experiment.”

Summer Land bid farewell to her marketing job to become a full-time writer. On September 1st she launched a new website, blog and free e-book with the goal of eventually becoming a published author.

“It took two tries for me to quit my day job. The first time I ended up agreeing to scale down my hours. However, I found that I wasn’t giving 100 percent to either of my endeavors. I eventually had to go back and quit again.

The scariest thing for me is judgement. A lot of people in my life can’t empathize with my need to create on my own. I have to find strength, confidence and encouragement from within. I have found it imperative to trust my own judgement.”

Caleb Wojcik quit his job today. It doesn’t get any more real than that. He plans to take a nice long roadtrip for the rest of 2011 and fully pursue his blog, Pocket Changed, where he gives advice to 20-something’s looking for financial independence.

“It is downright scary to make the leap from bi-weekly paychecks and cushy benefits to uncertainty and fear. What you need to do to be successful and not end up back in a job you hate is three-fold.

First, carve out time in your life to start doing what you love and work really hard at it to open more doors. Second, start connecting (in person or virtually) with people who have the lifestyle, business, or career you dream of having. Lastly, use the excitement and new found freedom to put every ounce of effort you can muster into making your passion your life.”

Emily Belyea will walk away from her cushy waitressing job on September 18th. No longer having the safety net of cash-in-hand, she’ll depend solely on the success and growth of her own web design business.

“Seeing how my so-called “real job” was a waitressing job in which I had to run around in an offensively bright Hawaiian shirt for a 10 hour shift, quitting was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. This Sunday will be my last day and after that I’m completely on my own.

Yes, I’m secretly terrified, but realistically this is the most exciting journey I’ll ever embark on. I have a lot of faith in myself to succeed in web design, but I’m also not afraid to try something else if it doesn’t work out. That is the beauty of entrepreneurship. It’s as much about endurance as it is about quality. As long as you continue making bold decisions and creating new ideas, you never actually fail.”

Striking out on your own is scary. We’re easing into it, bit by bit, and always find inspiration from those who have done it before. Knowing others who are dealing with the same ups and downs is critical for success. Thank you guys for participating and best of luck with your new endeavors! {r}