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In our hypercompetitive, individualised world, it can seem like endlessly bettering ourselves is the only viable life path, but there is value in walking away from something that doesn’t work.
Have you ever agreed to do something and later felt it was totally the wrong decision?
In our competitive, career-orientated world, there is a lot of pressure to have things figured out; a thriving job, stable relationship, savings aplenty, with a nice house to boot.
Chasing that traditional dream is a noble pursuit, but it can suffocate our individuality and sense of fun if we’re not careful. We can easily give in to the promise of security, even if it means compromising on what we actually want.
I recently went through a life challenge that forced me to consider my own priorities and decide what my aspirations really were. In short, I took on a new role that I accepted out of sheer necessity rather than enthusiasm. I jumped through the hoops, went to an interview, completed a writing task and was offered a job.
Despite my gut telling me otherwise, I went for it. I made it a grand total of three days before politely telling my new manager that this wasn’t the right fit for me – and quit.
Of course, the inevitable feelings of distress, self-loathing and shame piled on in spades once I’d handed my laptop in and walked out of the door. I had milk sat in my fridge for longer than I’d been employed in this new role, a ridiculous sentiment that illustrated just how mad it felt to throw in the towel so quickly.
I have no regrets, though. One week later and I haven’t once wondered if I should have stayed and pushed forward. It was nothing to do with the company, the work, or the people – it simply wasn’t the position for me. I wouldn’t have been happy and I knew it.
