Recently, I up and quit a high salaried 6-figure job after just 3 months of employment. And I did it without a “plan.”

You might be thinking…”that’s totally nuts!” For a hot second, I thought it was too. But when I finally made the decision to move on, I never felt freer and in line with my values than ever before in my life. And the reality is, I did have a plan, deep down, it was just time for it to come to life!

As many of you know, I’ve been life coaching and career coaching as my side hustle since 2015 while working full time. I haven’t been mentally ready to coach full time yet and kept it as a side gig these past 5 years.

I remember when I was contemplating quitting this job, which I started to consider just 3 weeks into my employment there. Why? Because it wasn’t what I signed up for. But even still, all the “shoulds” came up and nestled themselves front and center in my mind.

I never made this much money in my life. I SHOULD stay in this job because it gives me financial security.

I SHOULD keep trying to make this work even though I know this awful situation I am in is not for me.

I SHOULD stay in this job as long as I can for all the fantastic benefits it has - free lunch every day, a free gym membership, amazing health insurance…(the list goes on).

I SHOULD stay in this job because my husband is currently unemployed and looking for work. It’s the responsible thing to do, Sarah!

I SHOULD stay in this job because I may burn bridges with my new colleagues if I up and quit so soon.

OK, you get the point. There was a ton of SHOULDS running through my mind all day. All day while I was slaving away at a job I hated and a work situation that was fucked up in every way possible.

I also had the voice in my head telling me the following stories that had been embedded into my psyche by my environment, the work culture of my industry, and society at large:

Sarah, shit happens. Sometimes you take a new job, and you don’t love it, but you just make it work and stay at least a year before you move on.

Work sucks! No one is really that happy or passionate about their job - they do it because it affords them the lifestyle and security they want.

What have you been working toward all these years? Don’t give up now when you have this big title and are making all this money!

So as you can see, I was allowing my thoughts and the stories about work, money, and life that I had inside me dictate my actions. I stayed miserable, coming home with a headache every single day, in a terrible mood, feeling like every ounce of my soul was dying a slow death.

And then things came to a head. It was a balmy summer Friday evening, and I went to dinner with my husband. I told him that we needed to talk and that I needed to make a decision about this job because while I had tried to make it work, I wasn’t sure I could go on any longer.

With his support, I made the decision to resign that following Monday.

Was I scared? Absolutely.

Did I know what would come next? Nope.

Did I feel like a moron for taking a new job only for it not to work out so soon after? Kinda.

Once I resigned, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt the Universe wrap around me with warmth, telling me that everything would be OK. And once I had space from this job, it became SO CLEAR to me why leaving it so soon was the best decision.

It was entirely out of alignment with my values.

What I now valued in my life and my work did not exist in this job.

While the situation was a bit traumatic, I am thankful for this experience - because it helped me realign with what’s really important to me. Right now, for me, it’s not about the title or money and it’s not about the free snacks and dog-friendly workplace.

I genuinely believe that this situation happened so that I could get back on the right path for what’s next. And guess what, the right opportunities have come my way, and have created more space to coach others, and the type of lifestyle and #worklife that best suits me and aligns with my values.

“The minute you decide you want better for yourself is the minute the entire universe begins to shift in your favor”. - unknown

In your current work situation, are your values aligned with the work you do, the role you’re in, the leadership, and the company culture?

As we move into this new decade, consider how you might create more alignment with your values in all that you do.

Much Love,

Sarah

#CareerCareerCoachingLifeCoachingLifeCoach