My Liberation Story: Jane Chin at 33 Weeks of Freedom
[A Note from Clay: This post is the first of a series of liberation stories. The story you are about to read comes from Jane Chin, who is one of the most amazing people I've met in the last year -- and I've met a lot of cool people in the last year. Her story is long, but worth every minute.]
The Goods On Jane
Jane Chin was born in Taiwan, spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, and came of age in the United States. Jane trained as a scientist, earning a doctorate in biochemistry and began a series of healthcare careers from cancer research to pharmaceutical sales to field-based medical affairs. Now as entrepreneur, Jane can fully engage in Intelligent Career Design and chart her own future. The Census Bureau may put Jane in Generation X, but Jane sees herself as a member of the "Bridge Generation", where her multi-continental, multi-cultural, and multi-career adventures has helped her form bridges between different worlds. In 2008, Jane embarked on an experiment to spend 366 days doing what she loves, to see what success, if any, may follow. What emerged is Jane’s personal journey to reconnect with The Heart Mind and Inner World Peace. She chronicles her lessons learned in the website, WhatILoveToDo.com. Her other websites include Microbusiness Mentor and Intelligent Career Design.
Jane’s Story
I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. At one point in my career, I said that I could never imagine NOT working for someone else.
I liked the steady paychecks, especially from a six-figure job with annual bonuses. I liked the paid vacation days and ability to call in sick when I got sick. I was field-based and operated out of a home office, which meant I had tremendous autonomy over my schedule. I had a cool sounding job title (Medical Science Liaison or MSL). Travel was part of my job and I would pay my my husband’s plane ticket so he could travel with me to places like Hawaii and New York. He could explore places like Hawaii during the day when I was in medical meetings and we’d have some personal time in the evenings. If the meetings ended on a Friday, we’d stay over the weekend and return to Los Angeles Sunday evening. In many ways, I already had the "dream job", and in fact, CNN Money ranked the medical science liaison career #1 in healthcare in 2007.
I Quit My Six Figure Job With No Business Idea or Backup Plan
I can imagine people thinking I was nuts when I quit this six-figure job in January of 2004. I had no "back-up plan". I didn’t even have a "business idea".
I only knew that I was troubled by the way the pharmaceutical industry used - and sometimes abused - these field medical functions in a way that may ultimately put patients at risk. I only knew that I could no longer sleep at night because I was not sure if what I was doing on the job was ethical or even legal. I also knew that many of my colleagues warned me against speaking out and becoming labeled as a troublemaker, thereby jeopardizing my future promotions. I also knew that my efforts to change company policy from within the company had failed. I decided that if I wanted to commit career suicide, it should be for a cause that was consuming me. I wanted to increase awareness of what the medical science liaison role is, and the potential uses and abuses of this function. This way, opportunistic executives could no longer hide behind an open secret.
My decision to quit my job was not a trivial one. My husband Cass and I had been living in a small apartment; we were saving up to buy our first home. By quitting, I had effectively reduced our total household income by more than half. My husband’s unfaltering support for, and belief in my mission is a significant factor in my success as an entrepreneur. He knew the risks we were taking, including the reality that I didn’t have a business plan. I couldn’t even tell him what exactly my business "model" would be, because I didn’t know either. I only knew what I wanted to accomplish and that my goals were aligned with the values and beliefs I held about my former profession.
The Birth of My Business
I created my company to be a platform where dialog can begin. Simple as that! I wrote articles. I spoke at industry conferences. Being able to take total ownership of my thoughts and express my ideas allowed me to catalyze discussions at the industry level that I could only dream of as an employee. What amazed me was that my passion for this mission to open a can of worms had many supporters, including my peers and pharmaceutical executives who genuinely cared about the profession. When you are genuinely passionate about a cause, people notice. Many industry executives and professionals who believed in me showed up to give me business and new ideas.
Things Started Taking Off
In less than two years, I was earning more than the six-figure salary that I was so afraid to lose. We found the house we loved and were able to buy our first house even though this was during the height of the California real estate boom. We’re less than 10 minutes drive from the beaches and the Pacific Ocean. We had plenty of room now to consider starting a family. Cass is only 4 miles from work so he can have a quality of life as well, instead of spending 3 hours every day in L.A. traffic. Within 5 years of creating my business, I had established a solid reputation in the pharmaceutical industry as an advocate for field-medical professionals. I opted to accept one or two significant projects per year so that I may spend the rest of my time speaking, educating, writing, and thinking.
It Wasn’t Easy and Worry Free
You may be reading this and thinking, "How Awesome! She put action behind passion and became successful!" Well, hold on a second. I want to tell you about the countless moments when I wondered if I had lost my grip on reality. Or the many times when I wondered if I should go look for another job. Or the tremendous pressure I had put on myself to be an advocate when no one was calling for me to be one. Don’t even get me started on self-confidence. If I plotted my self-confidence on a graph, it would look like a roller coaster ride, oscillating between highs and lows on a daily basis.
What kept me going? What got me through doubt and fear? I can identify 3 assets: (1) the intensity I felt for my mission, (2) Cass’s confidence in me even when I was not always confident in myself, and (3) perseverance to see through my mission to make a specific difference in the pharmaceutical industry. If I did not have any one of these 3 assets, I’d have probably given up a few months into my new role as an "accidental entrepreneur". This was why in 2007, I felt I had accomplished my original mission, I began to feel restless. I had a gut feeling that I needed to move in a new direction, where I may connect with an audience outside of a narrow niche, so that I may use what I had learned to help more people. I also became a new mom: our son Jaden was born in December 2007.
I Began 2008 With A Decision and a Crazy Idea
I began 2008 with a decision and a crazy idea. We had waited 9 years to have a baby, because I was too busy building my career, and later, my business. Now that we’re finally parents, I wanted to fully participate in my baby’s first year of life. ***Being an entrepreneur was supposed to give me options, not limit me***. I decided to exercise my option! I cut back 90% of my business activities to be a stay at home mom for Jaden’s first year of life. I wanted to be there for his first smile, his first crawl, and his first words. One late evening, when Jaden was 2 months old and feeding every two hours, I suddenly realized how little time I had left to myself.
366 Day Doing Only Things I Love to Do
I may have been deliriously exhausted or divinely inspired (or both) because I had a crazy idea to spend 366 days - one full year - "doing only things that I loved to do". Since I no longer had the luxury of time while taking care of a newborn baby, I was going to spend what little I had to do what I love to do.
Obviously, I had no idea what I was getting into. I had never been this physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted, and at the same time, spiritually engaged. This was a living meditation on so many levels. For one, I experienced what it feels like to be at total service to another human being without regard for reciprocation, where service was my reward. When newborn babies aren’t feeding, they’re usually sleeping; their main interactions are to let you know they’re hungry or sleepy. I discovered I had been embedding my "external roles" into my identity, and when my decision changed my roles overnight, I felt as if I lost grip of the person I used to be. Finally, I was surprised at how difficult it was to "do what I love to do", because I had long perfected the art of self deprivation.
My Ulterior Motive
I had an ulterior motive for getting into this crazy idea: I had my fill of self improvement books and programs where I’m encouraged to do what I love, because success would follow. I wanted to know if I can replicate my success, but in a different field, and while adventuring along the path by doing what I enjoy the most: expressing myself through writing, and sharing my experiences and insight to help someone who is going through what I had gone through.
My decision to change course is not a trivial one, and now more is at stake. We now have a huge mortgage and a baby. By changing course, I had effectively reduced our household income by more than two-thirds. Like the first time, I don’t have a "business idea". Like the first time, Cass listened to why I believed this path was important for me to explore, and again, he supported my decision.
WhatILoveToDo.com
I have been chronicling the lessons that I have learned along my journey to follow my bliss on the website, WhatILoveToDo.com. I trusted my gut feeling that I’m meant to share my knowledge and experiences with a larger audience. I said "Yes" to connections and opportunities that resonated with me. As of today, I am on Week 33 of my journey. Jaden is now crawling! He is a very active and happy baby who loves to smile and laugh. I have been blessed to be there for each one of his many milestones. I began using social media as a viable and powerful brainstorming tool (especially via Plurk.com). This in turn, opened new business avenues. I have written an introduction to a book manuscript (to be published next year) on world’s faith traditions to promote understanding among people of different religions - something I never imagined I’d have an opportunity to do. I met Clay Collins and now have this opportunity to share my story with you!
Launching Two Businesses in 2009
I am launching two new businesses in 2009. My first business will help people reconnect with their inner wisdom and rekindle their passion for life. My second business will help those who decide that entrepreneurship is part of their path, to mentor entrepreneurs on creating and launching their businesses. Manifesting your inspiration requires you to put solid strategies, tactics, and actions behind your dreams. Too often I see products and services that get you excited and motivated about starting your own business - but then fall short of the "specifics of the start".
What Makes life Life
I look forward to more "living off the grid", or rather, my adventures "between the grid". To paraphrase my Lesson Learned in Week 5 of WhatILovetoDo.com, "What makes a living cell Live is everything that happens between a cell’s organelles and vacuoles. What makes life Life is everything that happens between compartments and caches."
For more of Jane go to WhatILoveToDo.com. And for more liberation stories, subscribe to Finance Your Freedom:
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