I’ve always been the ‘you don’t leave a job until you have another one’ type of person. Sure there have been moments where I’ve wanted to storm out of my boss’ office and run far away from the stress and hardship. Then a new discomfort would set in and fear would take over my thoughts. What if I didn’t find something else? How would I pay the bills? What would people think? Would they label me a quitter?
I’m no quitter. So day after day, I stayed. I didn’t give up. I didn’t quit. After all, I was raised with the belief that a quitter was weak. A quitter was someone who wasn’t strong enough to face adversity or overcome challenging obstacles. Instead of charging ahead, quitters take the easy way out. Right?
Well, over time my perspective has started to shift on the idea of quitting. I’ve watched incredibly talented individuals leave a successful career with growth opportunities and amazing benefits, to pursue a career filled with little financial reward, much uncertainty, and a lot of hard work. Which left me wondering, what if quitting isn’t always a sign of weakness? Could it be a indication of bravery?
Perhaps a quitter is someone who is confident about what they want and willing to take the risk to go after it. Or maybe a quitter is someone who is certain what they don’t want and they aren’t willing to settle.
If the option presented itself, would you stay where you are? If financial obligations and social pressure didn’t foster fear and doubt, it would be easier to transition to a role that could provide more enjoyment and self fulfillment. It’s that fear of the unknown that causes most of us to remain stagnant instead of making the decision to move forward toward our dreams.
So perhaps quitting a job is more about pursuing what you want and less about the what you leave behind. Less about what you’d lose and more about what you’d gain. Sometimes staying where you are, not making a move, might be equivalent to giving up or quitting... Except it might not be the job you’re abandoning.
Therefore, I think I'll aspire to be a quitter now and then. After all, I want to be someone who knows what they want and is brave enough to go after it.