Today is my last day as the Financial Accountant at Nova 96.9 FM.
The day has finally come...!!
It was a bloody long and tough decision for me to make.... It took a few months of contemplation before I was finally able to resign, six weeks ago... Seriously...!
Nova 969 is without a doubt a great place to work for... I have had the privilege of working with some of the most creative, talented and passionate people, I've ever met.
And it's a freaking radio station...!!!
With like, celebrities, radio personalities and freebies... LOL!
But, alas, something was missing.......
Call it a delayed quarter-life crisis, whatever....
But, I just have things that I need to do before my 30th birthday (old!!).
So, hI will be taking the next 6 months off as an experiment in life...
I have a fair bit planned out already which I will be covering below:
TRAVEL - IM ON A M*****-****ing BOAT PLANE
I am planning two "holidays" during this time.
- 6 weeks in Europe from May 10; and
- 6 weeks in Canada / USA from September 10
I will be blogging about my upcoming trips including my preparation leading up to it as well as an ongoing travel diary.
I'm really excited about the trips because I have never been to either Europe or America yet..!!
There's definitely going to be lots to plan as we are not just covering one country but whole continents...!!
The pressure is on to get organized and book hotels, itineries, etc.
I would really appreciate any travel tips that anyone has to offer..!!
You can follow me and my travels on here.
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE SYDNEY
As most of you know, I also have an entrepreneurial bent and have been involved in biz for the past 10 years.
This time off will be a great opportunity for me to fully put the house in order, so to speak.
There's systems to set up and automate. Marketing and business plans to draw up. And, lots of other adminy things which I have been putting off due to work commitments.
Its going to also be a great chance for me to explore any business opportunities on a full-time basis.
There have been many many times in the past few years where I would feel that work was stopping me from fully working on business ideas that pop up.
I am also going keep my eyes peeled during my trips for any business ideas / opportunities that I can find.
To that end, I have also opened up a new business blog covering my experiences, opinions and any other interesting biz articles.
If you want to have a chat about a crazy idea or business opportunity, drop me a line at thatguy@dacheah.com. I promise I won't laugh. In fact, I may have an even crazier idea for you..!!
THE MERCENARY
In between travels and business, I will also be looking at going back to doing some mercenary work.
Mercenary finance / accounting / consulting work that is....!!
You can see my qualifications in my About Me page.
I have also applied for a Certificate of Public Practice with the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
"Guild" rules dictate that I need to get permission to trade under the title of Chartered Accountant.
I don't see myself as your typical rigid, straight and dry accountant. In fact, I prefer the title of "finance guy" because it describes perfectly what I can offer.
I am an experienced accountant (shivers!) with real world business experience who looks beyond the textbook.
I am also just a "guy" that you can chat to about general business stuff as well.
It's my personal belief that you really need to understand how a business works to truly be a great "finance guy"
So, if anyone needs any help with their business processes, finance, forecasting, etc, give me a buzz on thatguy@dacheah.com.
I promise to speak in plain English and keep it concise. ;)
FIGHTING FIT
The other thing that has bothered me for the past years is my gradual decline to unfitness..!!
I'm sure that it's something that many office dwellers can relate to...
I will be starting up my martial arts training again shortly....
I'm not sure what I will be doing just yet.
I want to go back to a practical martial art like Krav Maga, Japanese Jujutsu or old style Aikido because I really enjoyed the self defence and comprehensive all round training elements.
But I would also love to go back to a more aerobic cardiovascular martial art to get my fitness back up.
The way it's looking, I may be doing a combo of Krav Maga, and Muay Thai.
To follow a man's journey from Bulk to Hulk (hopefully), follow my martial arts blog.
THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY
I have had mixed reactions to my decision to leave the wonderland that is Nova 96.9FM.
Some thought that I was an idiot for resigning from the "dream" job.
This mostly came from friends who worked in accounting firms or finance. They thought that it was the most glamourous role that an accountant could ever hope for.
And, you know what? They are probably right....!!
I have previously followed the mantra of "I have a boring job, I might as well work for a cool company".
On the flip side, I have friends who appaulded my determination to leave and do what I want to do.
These guys are basically in the same boat as me...
Their passion may lie elsewhere but the realities (perceived) of life stops them from pursuing it.
Some of you may find this book by Tim Ferriss called the 4 Hour Work Week useful. This is an affliate link by the way so I get a small commission on the sale.
I didn't really need this book as I was already at this level of thinking years ago.
But for those of you who are fresh or new to the idea (life crisis) then you may find this enlightening.
In summary, it's all about destroying the myths and misconceptions that is holding you back. I also have a copy of the book if you want to borrow it. Let me know.....
But, at the end of the day, I finally made my decision after seeing other friends & acquaintances take the same life redesign path.
A PATH TRODDEN BY MANY....
Many of my friends who are lawyers have moved on to other fields in marketing, media, journalism, business and even accounting (shock!).
These are highly intelligent and hard-working people who finally realised that the path they started was not what they were truly passionate about.
This interesting trend has been one of my many catalysts for doing a lifestyle change. If they can do it, so can I..!!
One of the catalysts for my final decision was the founders of Shoes of Prey.
Two of the founders, Michael Fox & Mike Knapp left the best company in the world, Google, to start an online custom shoe design business.
And, I thought to myself, if they could leave a goliath like Google, why am I hesitating with a local company (relative) like Nova 969?
It is ironic that a few weeks after I officially resigned, Michael posted an article titled, Goal & Expectations of a Startup on his 22 Michaels blog that matches my line of thinking to the T..!!
Perhaps all Gen Ys do think alike?
Have YOU done anything crazy lately?
Thanks for listening...!!
Daniel.
Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 11:55AM 
