Should you quit your job? Over the past few years, I have seen a lot of discussions and advertisements online encouraging people to leave their job, take risk, step into the unknown and really go for it. I want to offer another perspective.
I did quit my job about two years ago, and it did open up new opportunities in my life that I would not have had otherwise – however, in hindsight, there are a few things I would have done differently.
Eckhart Tolle suggests that there are three ways that we can improve a situation in which we are unhappy:
- Can you change your situation?
- Can you accept it?
- Should you leave it?
Before you decide to leave a job, first consider what about the job is making you unhappy. Are you doing things you don’t like, or not doing enough of the things you enjoy? Improving that situation may be as simple as sitting down to talk with a supervisor.
“Practicing acceptance within my line of work has really been focused on the fact that I need to be present with the people that I’m working with and that I’m connected with.”
When we’re talking about changing things, we’re approaching the situation from a cognitive or logical mindset. When we’re talking about accepting something, we’re coming from a place of being in the moment or noticing our resistance. Is there something we’re resisting in our work environments? Are there things that we can acknowledge as common consequences or inconveniences of any job we might have, and view them as things we have to deal with to do the things we love to do? Acceptance can lead to gratitude.
“When I adopt a mindset of gratitude in my work, it’s that I recognize the awesome potential of what it is I’m actually doing.”
The question then becomes, when can I or should I leave my current situation? No one can answer this question for you, but good planning can help you figure the answer out for yourself.
- Take an inventory of your financial situation, and how it will be impacted if you leave your job.
- If you’re transitioning from a job with steady income into a job without a steady income, you’ll want to save at least 6 month’s income.
- If you’re transitioning from job with steady income into a job with less steady income, you’ll want to save at least 3 month’s income.
- Why do you want to leave your job? What opportunities will open up that are not currently available?
- Talk to people who have already transitioned and learn from their experiences.
- Abundance vs Scarcity
- The idea that things are in scarcity keeps many people stuck in their current situation.
- When we come from a place of abundance, we realize that time isn’t necessarily finite. Just because we don’t like where things are at now doesn’t mean things won’t get better.
So, should you quit your job? Before you make the decision: slow down, consider your motivations to make the change, take a personal inventory, do careful financial planning, consider the unexpected, and identify things that you can change today to improve your situation.
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Resources:
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
- Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
- Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Interested in learning more about how I can help you through coaching? Find out more at www.johnharrisoncounseling.com/individual-coaching/
Production & Development for the True Calling Project by Podcast Masters
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