In this edition of Escape Velocity:

• Why most people stay stuck in jobs they hate
• The Escape Triangle: how to know if you're actually ready to quit
• Your action plan to actually start building a life free from the rat race

When I took leave from Google, I was mentally in the worst state of my life.

That desperation saved me. It forced me to act when "logic" kept me paralyzed.

But here's what keeps me up at night: What if I had been smarter about it? What if I'd prepared myself for it earlier?

I could've avoided the mental breakdown. The perceived financial stress. The sleepless nights wondering if I'd just torched my entire future for a fantasy.

Having experienced what it's like to burn the boats, I've reverse-engineered a playbook for my more risk-averse past self. If I had to quit my job again, this is exactly what I'd do.

Why We Stay Trapped

Most people in corporate don't like their job. If you're part of the 1%, congratulations.

The rest of us tolerate the boss, the complete lack of agency over our schedule, and the soul-draining cog-like work for one reason: survival.

Strip away all the excuses why we don't quit and we're left with two primal fears:

Fear #1: Running out of money Money triggers our deepest survival instincts. No money means no shelter, food, or water. Your job becomes your lifeline. That's why you tolerate the daily commute, the unreasonable boss, and give your best energy away to meaningless work.

Fear #2: Social exile "What do you do? Where do you work?" are the first questions of almost every introduction. Your company and role becomes your status within the modern tribe. When you think of quitting, you fear others thinking you're a failure within the tribe. You fear your parents will be disappointed. You fear that others will see you as crazy.

As a social species, being ousted from the tribe historically meant death. It's in our programming to sacrifice our true personal desires to be liked and accepted.

And so in our minds, money and judgment are both abstractions of death. No wonder we get stuck.

The Escape Triangle

Freedom isn't emotional. It's calculated.

We must systematically address the two primal fears of money and social exile - such that we can finally overcome the mental barrier that keeps us stuck in a life we don't want. That's what this practical and actionable framework is for.

I originally wanted to write a step-by-step guide to my past self, but I realized that is way too prescriptive and quite frankly unrealistic. Past Jim wouldn't follow the plan and even if he did, he probably wouldn't succeed. He lacks my unique new experiences and my recent failures. In similar fashion, you have your own story, your own mind. One composed of experiences that are far too unique for a one-size-fits-all guide on quitting your job.

So instead, here's a framework I call the Escape Triangle.

1. Runway – 12 months of expenses saved
2. Revenue – 100% of your monthly expenses from something you control
3. Proof – Your unique combination of story, skills, and brand that makes success inevitable and give you a safety net

You need a combined strength of 2.0 across the triangle's three corners. This could be two strong corners and one weak, or three medium-strength corners.

Example:

• Strong Runway - 12 months of expenses saved (1.0)
• Moderate Revenue - 50% of monthly expenses consistently (0.5)
• Moderate Proof - strong resume, one monetizable skill (0.5)

Together: 2.0 → safe to leap.

Corner 1: Runway

Your accessible money. Savings, checking accounts, and liquid investments.

Target: 12 months of expenses

Why 12? Unexpected costs hit when you quit: health issues, insurance, business expenses. One health scare can put you out of work for months while spending heavily on medical bills.

Action: Audit your credit cards and checking accounts. Calculate your true monthly expenses, then simulate what they'd look like post-quit. I'd encourage you to lower your expenses as much as possible.

Corner 2: Revenue

Money your side hustle/business brings in.

Target: 100% of monthly expenses in revenue

I recommend expense-based goals instead of "replace your job income." Here's why: If you can make revenue while your energy and time are being sapped by a full-time job, imagine what happens when you put your foot on the gas.

Action: Start building income streams now. Test, iterate, scale. Start small. Don't go building a city before you build your house.

Corner 3: Proof

Your personal brand, resume, unique skills, and past wins that serve as evidence that you can make it and can find income in a worst-case scenario.

Target: Enough unfair advantages that if you were an investor, you would invest in you as an asset.

My proof includes: Google on my resume (opens doors if I need to go back), coding and video skills, past evidence of discipline (3:09 marathon, getting into Google), and my personal brand (opportunities come my way).

Action: List your unique skillsets and unfair advantages. Do they give you leverage? Do they form a safety net if things go sideways (e.g. can you readily find an income if needed)?

The Proof Amplifier: Your personal brand

A personal brand gives you a tailwind on every single future thing you build, do, or sell. It's the only asset that makes you "luckier" over time.

• Want to freelance? Easier.
• Want to launch SaaS? Easier.
• Want to change industries? Easier.
• Want to ask for help? Easier.
• Want to make friends in new cities? Easier.

Building a personal brand is far from a passive or easy endeavor. You can build freedom without one. But cultivating mine has been the greatest career accelerant for my post-corporate life.

Real Example: 24-Year-Old Me

Let me run the framework on my past self:

Jim Tang, 24, Google software engineer

• $100K accessible
• $0 revenue
• $4K monthly expenses
• Pretty good proof (Google, coding/video skills, historical success)

Evaluation:

• Runway: ✅ (25 months of expenses)
• Revenue: ❌ ($0 vs $4K needed)
• Proof: 🔶 (0.7/1.0)

Score: 1.7/3.0

Would I recommend Jim quit? Well, the excess runway provides a compelling case to leap despite the sub-2.0 score. But it would be much smarter to build revenue or more proof first. It's a lean towards yes from me, but depends on Jim's confidence and risk tolerance.

As you can see, it's not a black-and-white system. Use it as a guide, not as an absolute.

What I'd Do Differently

If I could tell 24 year old Jim to do anything, it would be to start building his personal brand ASAP and to start exploring alternate ways of making money.

Instead of him escaping from corporate into video games, I'd have him plan his actual escape with this Escape Triangle framework.

If I started earlier, I would've better utilized some of the prime years of my life. Not just because I'd be wealthier, but because I would've been more alive.

Your Action Plan

Week 1-2: Calculate your current Escape Triangle numbers

• Audit expenses and determine monthly needs
• List current accessible money
• Score your proof factors

Week 3-4: Start building revenue

• Identify 3 potential income streams
• Test the simplest one first (don't go building a city before you've built a home)
• Document what works

Monthly: Reassess your triangle

• Track revenue growth
• Adjust expense projections
• Build proof

The moment your triangle is at 2.0 strength, you have the green light.

Hard Truths

This framework isn't for everyone

If you're in consumer debt with no monetizable skills, use your urgency to build leverage first. Don't quit to "find yourself" - that's how you end up trying to make money in sleazy ways out of desperation. Quit from a position of strength.

While it looked like a hail-mary play with no proven revenue, I quit with over $600k net worth and high-value skills after taking a 3-month leave from work. It felt like insanity at the time. But looking back now, my fear was a mile wide and inch deep.

Planning will only take you so far

This still requires courage. No amount of planning eliminates fear. Even once you've reached the threshold you'll doubt yourself.

When you get to that point, you have to ask yourself, is this really what you wanted? If not, why did you do all of it in the first place?

The difference between dreamers and doers: Taking action.

One Last Thing

There are 10 days left until my free 30-Day Personal Brand Challenge starts. If you want to build an authentic personal brand that can't be ignored in just 30 days, this is your chance. This is the only time it's going to be free and over 1,800 people have already signed up.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

Talk soon, Jim