This post is by Mark Jones Jr. of MultiplyLeadership.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @MarkJonesJr. He’s an experimental test pilot, a great husband and a phenomenal dad. I’ll be at the Quitter Conference in eight days but Mark won’t so he’s giving away his ticket to someone who leaves a comment on this post. You can say whatever you want in your comment. Use the hastag #FreeQuitterConf to let others know about the giveaway. We’ll announce the winner at 5pm central on this post.Keith Kemp is the winner by random drawing. Congrats Keith.
I skipped my run this morning, because I wanted to tell you something. If you know me, you know that’s a big deal.
I get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, but unlike Jon, I don’t do it to sucker-punch Tuesday. It’s more like a special ops infilitration. (Incidentally, I could tell you how I judo chop Tuesday like a stealth ninja–but then I would have to kill you.)
I’m not going to the #Quitter conference, and I’m giving away my ticket.
Here’s 3 reasons why you should go:
1. It’s free.
Did I mention that I’m giving away my ticket? Someone out there needs the Quitter conference–needs to connect with other #quitters. Tell us why in the comments below, and this golden ticket could be yours.
2. My friend AT of “In the Loop” podcast fame, founder of TPMN — he’s going.
He’s consulted best-selling authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs. He’s interviewed them and started podcasts for them. Now you have a chance to sit next to him (but one side is already taken by our mutual awesome friend Pierce Marrs). I’m devastated that I can’t hang out with him, but you can.
3. Free publicity.
With all of these perks, you are going to be the center of attention. Even Jon will want to shake your hand. I’m trusting you to use this power wisely. (Maybe you could ask Jon to give me a free ticket to the Quitter Conference on Livestreaming, too?)
I know you are wondering why I’m not going, so I developed this cover story to cover up my super secret spy activities. Here’s 2 reasons why I’m not going.
1. Jon taught me too well.
I won’t be there because I’ll be working at a job I love. Jon helped me do get there through his Quitter book.
2. I found a free “queso” festival.
This one is a gimme–Jon even said that if you found such an event, you could skip. My queso isn’t a cheese dip, though.
My queso is being an experimental test pilot. A few short weeks after I bought my conference ticket, I got an awesome new job for an awesome company doing what I love. In a manner of days, we picked up all that we had and moved away from our Nashville area home.
I have to interject a major point here–if we had not been debt free with a fully funded emergency fund, we would not have been able to jump on this opportunity. I did not intend for this to be a Dave Ramsey commercial, but Jon is on Dave’s team so it can’t hurt to mention his boss.
What I’m saying, in a roundabout way, is that the principles in Quitter work. I wrote a blog post about how I was chasing my dream several months ago, and this new job is another chapter in my fairy tale.
I want you to light the afterburner on your dream too.
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats!! That is awesome. I don’t need the ticket, as I am already going, but will share this with others. So excited to hear more about your dream job!
Quitter does not just tell you to quit. The Quitter book teaches you to quit with a plan.
Use your positioning now to quit with a purpose! The leverage you have now can provide you with the foundation to : Johnny Paycheck’s “Take this job and …. it!”
Can I PLEASE have the ticket?!
Here’s the irony of my Jon Acuff/Quitter experience. I didn’t learn about Jon Acuff/Quitter until immediately after I quit my job (promise there was a very good reason). When I quit, I had a dream but no intention of pursuing it. I just thought it was a crazy idea. A week or two later (sometime in Feb/March 2011) I heard Jon on the radio discussing “Quitter”. From there, God really starting pushing that dream forward and revealing that it could be a reality. I’m still in the very early stages and through very careful financial planning (Thank you, Dave Ramsey and Joe Sangl) I’m able to work part time and have the rest of my time to invest in the dream.
Going to the Quitter conference would be an incredible opportunity! Just last month, God moved me from NJ to NC (to begin work on phase two of what we now call The You Are Project). I’m now 9 hours closer to Nashville and even have friends there that I’m sure would lend me their couch!
Finally, it just makes sense that I could win the tickets through commenting on a blog because back in February, I met a now good friend and dream supporter through the comments section of a Jon Acuff “Finish The Year” post. She is constantly helping me (and I’d like to think I’m helping her)! Yay for networking and chasing dreams!
#FreeQuitterConf
Quick breakdown of my story:
Contract at my job ended, got married a few weeks later. Wife and I got debt free through FPU 5 months into marriage. Wife supports us, but I’ve been self-employed doing what I love since January. Wanted to go to the conference, but wife just transitioned job so we had to tighten the budget up. : (
I would love to go because I want to continue making my dream a reality, and I think this conference would be huge for that.
Actually, I was a bit hasty in throwing my name into the hat for the ticket. Ironically, I’m booked on a project that in pretty excited about working on. So best of luck to everyone, and if for some reason my comment gets picked, please draw again. : )
I’m Catherine’s friend (the one she met on Jon Acuff’s blog post comments) and I would LOVE to attend the Quitter Conference! I am an almost published author that still works as a secretary for a day job and takes design classes at night. It’s my dream to write and design full time while also speaking to encourage young women to love Jesus and to also raise awareness and fight sex trafficking. I have dreams to even open a coffee shop one day with the purpose of raising awareness and funds for modern day slavery. Big dreams, I know. But I have a Big God!
I don’t have friends in Nashville though and no money for a hotel so I think you should give the ticket to Catherine. She has been a major supporter of my dreams and I’m happy to support hers as well since I think they’re pretty awesome.
It would be a long drive but I would love to go. I’m in transition myself so maybe attending the conference would give me the direction, or connection, I need.
#FreeQuitterConf
Send me an email, Keith, and I will send you the ticket! Congrats!
Donya! That is SO SWEET! Either way we can share the info!
Unless neither of us win… Maybe we should start making friends with the other commenters. Then we will have multiply stories like our current one!!
Who wants to be our friend and share dreams?! (I’m not crazy, I promise! Just a little outgoing…) You have to have a team to help move your dream along!! Come on people, we can be a group of renegade dreamers!
Ok…. Anyways good luck everyone!
ALL great stories! Keep em coming. Drawing at 5pm CDT.
I’m working a late afternoon to 1:00 in the morning job, taking on freelance projects, trying to finish schoolthings improving things personally.
Why would I like to come? I have ideas about the job I would like and the area I would like to be. I need to learn more about connecting it all together.
Good luck to you all! #FreeQuitterConf
I would love to win this ticket, but not for me. I have a friend who was recently laid off from his job and is now doing temporary work, but is dreaming of starting his own business. When I heard what he was planning, I immediately lent him my copy of “Quitter” to read, in hopes that it would help him in pursuing his plans.
Every time I see him, he tells me how much the book’s message is resonating with him. I told him about the conference, but that it was sold out. I told him that part of the conference was going to be streamed, and he was making plans to watch it. I would love to win this ticket and make him able to go to the conference.
Mark, it is very generous of you to give away your ticket this way. I won’t be at the conference, but I will be watching the webcast of the Friday night program. I’m really looking forward to it. I hope to get to a full conference next year. Congrats on having a new adventure in front of you, and best wishes.
I’d love to go to the Quitter conference, If you can give me a ride in a jet from NY to Nashville I’d like the ticket.
I would love to put your ticket to good use. I can get to Nashville in about six hours and my schedule is quite empty due to my job being eliminated at the end of last week.
I have read the book, I follow Jon’s blog and promise I would make good use of this opportunity.
@Westsox
It’s really awesome that you are giving your ticket away. I’d love to go and will get to the next one for sure.
It looks like from some of the previous comments, there are more deserving people.
#FreeQuitterConf I want to be a QUITTER!
Wow! I wanted to go but my work could not give me the time off. They laid me off last week though. Now I can go, but don’t have a ticket.
Of course now I’m not sure whether to find another job or take the chance and chase my dream….
Mark, what an awesome offer to give your ticket to the Quitter Conference. Even more cool is that you’re living the dream. Congratulations!!!
I’d love the ticket … and if I win, I’ll give away my voucher for the Quitter Conference live stream simulcast so that someone else can listen in.
Thanks! Bill #FreeQuitterConf
Keith Kemp is the winner by random drawing. Congrats Keith. Drop me an email mark at multiplyleadership dot com.
Everyone else can email me and I will send you a free copy of You Can Be a Test Pilot.
Thanks everyone!
Congrats Keith! Make us all proud!!
Mark – Thanks so much! I really appreciate this.
Congratulations Keith! I’m happy for you … may the conference launch you to your perfect calling.
Mark, once again, thanks for being generous!
Bill