3 Mindset Shifts You Need Before You Leave Corporate
You’ve dreamt of leaving the corporate world for some time. You might even be on the precipice of this as we speak. But before you do, there are some mindset shifts you absolutely need to undertake before that happens. Because, you might not realise this, but the corporate world is like a cult (no, really) and it programmes us to live our lives in a certain way. When you’re out of it, you don’t realise how much it affects you. But it does. So here are the 3 mindset shifts you need before you leave corporate.
You Can Stop Worrying About What Everyone Thinks
Without realising it, you’ve probably gone through your whole corporate career walking on eggshells, worrying about whether your boss likes you, or if your colleagues think you’re friendly. You’ve probably worried a few times if you’ve said the right thing, or if your face fits. You’ve probably even worried about what outfits to wear to work and whether you look ‘professional’ enough.
Once you leave the corporate world, quite literally overnight, that stuff stops mattering. You’re just you. You’re ‘you’ who works for themselves. You don’t need to worry if someone likes you, or if your face fits. Because there’s nowhere for your face to ‘fit’.
For the first time in (probably) your life, you can just simply exist as your own person. You can wear what you want, revel in your personality, speak up if you don’t agree with something and work on what matters to you.
The external and strange pressures of corporate life cease to exist. And afterwards, you will probably start wondering why you let them control your life for so long.
You Can’t Lean On Anyone Else Now
All the joy of being able to be yourself, and not having to worry about what other people think of you, also comes with the fact that you’re no longer part of a team.
If something goes wrong, you don’t have anyone to turn to. If you’re having an ‘off’ day, you can’t lie low and hope no one will notice. Because every action you take in your own business moving forward matters. And one ‘off’ day here and there might be fine, but you can’t consistently perform at a mediocre level. Or you won’t succeed.
You also don’t have the comfort blanket of a salary. If you have previously performed at that mediocre level, that just allows you to get by; your salary was still the same at the end of the month. If you do that in your own business, outside of the corporate world, your pay may suffer.
This is one of the reasons why it’s essential, if you’re starting your own business, to work on something that you’re passionate about. If you love it, you probably won’t have an ‘off’ day.
Autonomy Takes On A Whole New Meaning
One of the joys of leaving the corporate world and venturing into the world on your own is the fact that there’s no one peering over your shoulder, checking if you’re doing what you should be doing.
One of the pains of leaving the corporate world and venturing into the world on your own is the fact that there’s no one peering over your shoulder, checking if you’re doing what you should be doing.
Exactly.
Being monitored from 9-5 is pretty bloody awful, but you’re accountable. If you don’t do your work, someone is going to check in with you and find out why. If your work isn’t at a good level, someone will tell you so and allow you to improve.
Outside of the corporate world, you’re on your own.
You could lie in bed all day scrolling TikTok if you wanted. Who is going to tell you that you can’t? No one!
And that could be a problem.
You need to have the self-discipline and autonomy to do what you’re supposed to do to succeed. If you don’t have this, life may feel nice initially, but when you struggle to meet your goals, it won’t seem so fun anymore.
Leaving corporate life is supposed to give you that feeling of more flexibility - and it sure does! But you also need to be able to lock in when you need to.
Final Thoughts
Leaving corporate life can feel like freedom. And in many ways, it is. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s simply a change in where or how you work. It’s a complete shift in identity, responsibility, and mindset.
You’re not just leaving a job; you’re unlearning a system that’s shaped your self-worth, productivity, and sense of safety for years.
The good news is you don’t have to wait until your final day in the office to start preparing. These mindset shifts - shedding the pressure to please, owning your performance, and building real self-leadership - are things you can start embodying right now.