Picture this. Your alarm goes off, but you keep hitting Snooze. “Just five more minutes,” you tell yourself. But you blink and those five minutes are up, and although it’s time to face the day, something in your soul feels unsettled. Every morning, you feel more tired—and less inspired—than the day before.
Does this sound like you? If so, keep reading to find out how to tell if it’s time to quit your job.
The Great Resignation
I know I’m not the only one calling it quits. The pandemic has fueled what’s become known as the Great Resignation. I, along with more than 4 million others, have traded in the time card for more freedom, flexibility, and a better work/life balance. It seems the pandemic has caused us all to take a step back and reevaluate what we really want out of life.
How I knew it was time to quit
Before I decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship and start my own content creation business, I worked in TV news. For almost a decade, I shot, wrote, edited, and produced my own stories as a one-man-band, commonly known as a Multimedia Journalist. I reported on breaking-news stories and natural disasters from the field; historic flooding, blizzards, you name it—I was often in the thick of it.
Despite its long hours and low salaries, the news business is extremely competitive. True journalists get into the business because they believe they’re called to be truth-seekers and advocates for the voiceless. I got into the business because I love meeting people, and I’m passionate about telling stories. I’ve always wanted to be a journalist—until I decided I didn’t.
The year 2020 was extremely difficult for everyone, but when the pandemic started, my job as a full-time news anchor gave me a front-row seat to everything bad happening in the world: constant sickness, disaster, and death. It was draining. If the pandemic taught me anything, it’s that life is way too short to stay anywhere you’re not happy.
I started to ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” When my alarm would go off at 3:30 a.m. (yes, I really did wake up that early!), I was no longer excited about the day’s forthcoming work.
For months, I carried this nagging, uneasy feeling in my soul. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t fulfilled. Dare I say it?—I was bored.
On paper, it all looked great. I was a morning anchor in a top 15 market. But that was no longer enough. I wanted more: more sleep, a better work/life balance, and more financial freedom.
So I quit, and I started my own content creation business. When my husband, Cole, and I got married, we’d already decided we wanted to buy a boat and travel full time. We’re thrilled that dream has become a reality! Cole recently quit his career in construction management, and now we’re sailing the Caribbean loop. Not only are we starting our own adventure charter business, too, but we’re doing what we love most: telling the stories of the people we meet and the places we go along the way.
How to know it’s time to quit your job
You might not be planning to make such a huge life change, but maybe your job is no longer working for you.
So what are the signs it’s time to move on?
- You dread going to work.
This one’s pretty obvious. You may not feel excited every moment of your work day, but if you’re fighting against dread every morning, it’s definitely time to evaluate the situation. Living for the weekend is not living.
- You constantly feel tired and bogged down.
Let me set it straight: you’re not tired, you’re just uninspired. If you constantly need a sick day or mental health day just to have a day away from the office, that’s no good. When your job starts to impact your health, that’s a sure sign you gotta get out.
- Something inside you tells you you’re made for more.
The pandemic has made us all take a step back, hit pause, and question what we really want out of life. If you crave more time, freedom, and flexibility, quit your job and find a new one that offers that. If you dream of entrepreneurship and of starting your own business, do it! Life’s too short to not take chances.
- You’re bored at work.
Learning keeps us motivated and engaged, but monotony and boredom will make you dread going to work more than anything else. If you’re no longer being challenged at work, that could be a sign you’ve outgrown your job.
- You’re reading lists about quitting your job (like this one)
Your gut is telling you to make a move. Trust that gut instinct. Document how you feel when you leave work, and from that, create a pros and cons list. If your cons section vastly outweighs your pros, it might be time to make a change.
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Life is too short to stay in a place where you feel stuck and unfulfilled. If you’re feeling like I did, make the jump. You might be surprised at where life can take you if you step out and take a risk.
Captions:
I know 2020 was extremely difficult for everyone. When the pandemic started, my job as a full-time news anchor gave me a front-row seat to everything bad happening in the world: constant sickness, disaster, and death. That—plus my 3:30 start every morning—had me completely drained.
If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that life is too short to stay anywhere you’re not happy. I’m grateful for everything my career in TV news has given me, especially the skills I’m still using today: telling people’s stories.
Except now I’m doing it from a boat.
You’ve got one life. Take the leap.
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When we got married, we’d already decided we wanted to buy a boat and travel full time. We’re thrilled that dream has become a reality! Cole recently quit his career in construction management, and now we’re getting ready to sail the Caribbean loop and continue doing what we love most: telling the stories of the people we meet and the places we see along the way.
Such a huge life change might not be your thing, but maybe your job is no longer working for you. If you dread going to work, you constantly feel tired or bogged down, you find your job boring, or you can’t shake the feeling you’re made for more, it might be time to change it up and try something new.
Life is too short to stay in a place where you feel stuck and unfulfilled.
–
Before I decided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship and start my own content creation business, I worked in TV news. I got into the news business because I love meeting people, and I’m passionate about telling stories. I’ve always wanted to be a journalist—until I decided I didn’t.
The pandemic has caused us all to take a step back and reevaluate what we really want out of life. Cole and I, along with four million others, have traded in the time card for more freedom, flexibility, and a better work/life balance—and we couldn’t be more happy.
If your job is draining the life out of you, make the jump and try something new! You might be surprised at where life can take you if you step out and take a risk.
