When It’s Time to Quit Your Job

I resigned from my job last week (hence the title of this blog). I had been working part-time at a local agency for the past five years, and it was time. Or perhaps I should say it was about six months past due time.

Have you ever had that feeling of restlessness in your job, but did nothing about it? That was me for quite some time. I was dissatisfied and had outgrown my position long ago, but something had kept me there. Was it safety? Was it familiarity? I asked myself these questions each day as I stepped into work.

And then, I realized what it was – it was a lack of belief in my own capacity for more. I lacked the confidence I needed to take that plunge that was needed to grow. Instead, it felt (temporarily) better to stay in my safety net and know what I needed to do each day and do it well. I was disabling my growth and career development because of insecurity and worries of failure. Once I realized this, it just made me feel worse.

Fast forward an extended amount of time (and a good amount of personal therapy sessions) and there I was sitting in my boss’ office tendering my resignation last week. It felt SO good. I felt free, liberated, empowered, confident and unbelievably excited about my professional future. Why had I waited so long? Why was I so afraid of the unknown? I had been asking for “signs” but the signs were blatantly obvious; I just chose to ignore them. Once I changed my attitude, my belief and recalibrated my sense of confidence those signs were more clear and overt than ever before.

What about you? Do you feel stuck and disempowered in your job but are afraid to make a positive change? Are you not seeing the signs that it is time to move on? Below are some indicators of needed job change that I believe fear blinds us from seeing.

– You go to work unhappy
– You are not thankful for your job
– There is nothing left in your position to get better at
– You complain about your wages and know you are worth more
– You are more experienced than your boss
– You have little to no energy left in your week for personal care or loved ones
– You don’t feel heard by your superiors or colleagues
– You are the smartest person at the table
– The standards of your ethics and values are compromised
– You feel like you are “walking on eggshells” at work
– You fantasize about quitting but feel guilty at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong – the job I am leaving behind is fantastic. It just isn’t fantastic for me, anymore. I believe feeling that our company and/or position as “great” can confuse us. We feel that because it’s great we are leaving something of high value behind. That is false assumption. We have, in fact, increased our professional value through this job and surpassed its value to us. But, we often fail to separate ourselves from our jobs and re-evaluate our own needs, hence feeling stuck, frustrated and disempowered.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments about professional growth and scary change. If I can do it, so can you!