Career change — any kind of change — is rarely easy. Here are five things that may help you take the leap.
“This is the year.” He sounded casual enough, but I saw the inner force he hoped to screw into the sticking place. “This is the year I finally get out of here and start doing things I love.”
We’d been down this road before. The goal is always the same: Leave the firm where he feels tied to work he doesn’t enjoy. But extracting himself has proved nearly impossible.
It hasn’t been for lack of effort. My friend has a hard drive full of escape plans. For years, he’s studied the problem, circled it, researched options, drafted spreadsheets, solved it and then … nothing. One year he was going to sell his practice. Then there was the scheme that involved physically splitting the offices in half and building walls where there are now doors. The next, he’d withdraw from the partnership and work for the firm as a contract lawyer — something that seemed more than plausible after working remotely during the pandemic. Lately, it’s the “go on unemployment” strategy that has him writing a substack newsletter from home.
It hasn’t been poor planning that has kept him from leaving, either. It just comes down to a lack of nerve.
“I have a hard time letting go,” he smiles. Obviously.
What Are You Waiting For?
If this sounds familiar — if you’ve grown embarrassed to even speak of it again with your mate — we are about to give you a gift. Whether it’s retirement long past due, the fifth anniversary of the final payment on your student loan, or an existential crisis of meaning, let’s just say it’s time to stop the world because you want to get off.
Quitting … anything …is rarely easy. So, here are five things that may get you to hold your nose, close your eyes, and take the leap. It’s your time.
1. You’re not alone.
It may sometimes feel like you’re the only one stuck in this betwixt and between place. Nope. Baby boomers’ numbers have exploded and so very many of them are discontented, searching for meaning and scared to make a move. A good number have actually given up on the concept of retirement and see themselves working forever. (But doing something different!)
2. Just do it.
If like my friend, you’ve spent the past few years working hard to figure out how to go, maybe it’s time to take the leap and just hope you’ll grow wings. There’s a lot of information available about how to make the announcement properly. And for some, quitting has actually become a compelling new mission statement. (See”Signs It Might Be Time To Quit.“)
3. There is good reason to quit.
Sometimes you have been a tree for so long it’s difficult to believe there’s anything outside the forest. There is a better world somewhere. There are stinky things about where you are. And, yes, you will still be a good person if you do something about it and leave. Here are the top 10 reasons to quit your job. Perhaps you’ll recognize some. Perhaps you have your own. Perhaps they’re better!
4. You never know how much longer you have.
Face it. Death is a fact of life. Life is a finite thing. When the end comes for you, is this really what you want to say you spent all your time doing? Perhaps the best response to the death of another is not despair, but a new resolve to make the most of your own life from here on out.
5. We’re tired of hearing about it.
Not really. Friends always care. But, man this is getting to be old news! Once you take the big leap, it could move others to get on with their own lives, too. Sheer envy may drive them to it. And studies show that happy people are more likely to do nice things for others. Do something nice for that little bitch-and-moan group of yours.
Show them how it’s done!
Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com
