One of the best and most difficult things I’ve ever done was resigning from a job without having another job lined up. Sometimes in life we face challenges and we need to take risks. During this past year, I had a job that I thought would be a good next adventure. But I found out within five days that it was the worst career decision that I had ever made. I had signed a one-year contract and I was trying to figure out how I was going to honor that commitment and survive the year.
At this job, the people, the clients and my coworkers were wonderful, but the intensity of what I had to do was too much for me. I found myself being pushed in many ways that I had not expected, and I kept wondering what my job entailed. The job was taking a mental toll on me because of the seriousness of the cases I was dealing with and my inability to let go of those cases when I got home. There was no real break for me and I was fighting to stay intact as a person and worker.
There were many times throughout the year that I wanted to quit. After much thought and deliberation, I chose to honor my commitment to the organization and to my clients and colleagues. It was my most difficult work year ever. Even with only four weeks to finish, I came so close to leaving due to the stress of the workload as well as some internal issues. I did muster the strength and courage to stay and began writing my letter of resignation.
On the second to last day of employment, I called in my close colleagues and shared the news with them about my decision to leave. Most of them knew that I was not happy based on my lack of full engagement with them during the year. I went as far as to paint my office during the year to show my commitment to the organization even though I knew I was leaving when my contract was up. My colleagues were very supportive and appreciative of my work and wished me well, but they all hoped that I would not leave.
The next day I told my boss during my evaluation that I had news for her. I gave her my letter of resignation. The letter was focused on the positive aspects of my colleagues and work at the organization with no mention of the negative aspects of my job or caseload. My boss was a bit shocked but understood my need to do what was right for me and my family.
There are two lessons I want to share from this experience. The first lesson is that you need to take care of yourself. Even with the best intentions and wellness practices that you do to meditate, being grateful and exercising these types of experiences can still have a huge impact on your ability to move forward and stay healthy. Make sure that you take time after an experience like this to deal with the trauma and emotions that you went through so that you are fully present and focused on your next opportunity. This probably will take a few weeks or maybe months to deal with, but it is important not to carry any baggage into the next opportunity.
The second lesson I want to share from this experience is that sometimes we see that there are no lights at the end of the tunnel and no way out. Well, I have to say that we create our own world. Once I knew this was not the job for me I began to explore alternatives and what I really wanted to do in my career or business. I started reaching out to my network and brainstorming what I wanted and what I did not want to do in my career. This was my focus for the next few months. The day that I submitted my letter of resignation, I felt relief and lessening of the tensions within my body. I have to say that I’ve been OK without a job. I focus on what I want in my career, looking at career development and not settling for anything less. I’ve been working on my own business and pushing it farther along and I’ve only applied for one position that is related to career development. I’m not sure where my path will lead, but the risk I have taken has given me confidence and motivation to move my life forward.
Many of us have had an experience like this. Many times, it’s just swept under the rug and not talked about, but I think it’s important to acknowledge it and share this experience. There is power in knowing that others have gone through similar types of experiences and that you’re not alone. I’m not afraid to share what happened to me and I hope you will not be afraid to share what happened to you. I hope my story has given you some insight and strength to face these tough moments in your life. I know that you can do it just as I have and we all can live the life that we want.
So, here’s to the good life!
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