There are some things in life that you may have to walk away from. When seeking advice from friends on what to do, you will most likely hear suggestions, “Give it one last try,” or “Give it your best shot.” Speaking from experience I have generally already put in my “best shot” and one last try will make me certifiably crazy. When something is done, it is done and it is time to walk away.
Life is too short to be miserable.
Now in an ideal world we would have a perfect boss, colleagues and clients etc. No one would leave the kitchen in a mess, drink the last of the coffee and not brew more, make ridiculous demands of our personal time, talk as loud as they possible can on the phone next to you when you are on a deadline, or any other such act that makes you want to throw your chair across the room.
We don’t live in a perfect world and these things happen. I bet that right now one of these atrocities is making people peeved off in thousands of offices across the world as you read this. Unless you win the lottery, perhaps it is best to deal with one of these types of issues with the messy/demanding/loud person so you can work together in peace and harmony.
If you win the lottery, I would say what’s really on your mind to each and every one of them and then sail off into the sunset.
When to walk away from a job – when you have exhausted all rational options to alleviate the issues that make your workplace an unpleasant one, when there is no possibility of moving up the ladder, when your time away from work is consumed by the sheer hatred and dread of going back into work on Monday morning and when you feel that you just cannot go on as you have been.
Leaving a job is a big step. You leave familiarity, financial security if you don’t already have another job lined up and you may lose a sense of your self. Going from working 12 hour days, six days a week to sleeping to noon and cruising the job section of Craigslist can be pretty unfulfilling and you may even find yourself getting depressed.
If you do leave a job without the security net of having another one already lined up, keep active and set and maintain a routine.
Many times I have seen work colleagues flip out over something very small, vowing to leave they storm around the lunch room cursing their colleagues/broken printer/boss who has made them come in on a Saturday. However, the next day the gripe is yesterday’s news and it is business as usual. I wouldn’t advise you to quit your job in a moment of anger.
I would advise you to leave your job when it is affecting your health, life outside work, relationships with friends and family and your overall happiness.
There is no shame in taking something that may be less pay or below where you think you should be at a certain point in your life. In fact, it may be the right thing for you to do at that point in time.
After you have weighed up all your options and come to a clear decision, trust your gut. You are the only one responsible for your own happiness and perhaps it is time to stand up and take charge.
Life is too short to dread Monday mornings.
