Why I quit my job

It seems to be a semi-regular occurrence these days that I work somewhere for about a year, then resign and go travelling. It’s not that don’t enjoy my jobs, its just that thus far I’ve reached a point and not seen any longevity in the role and decided it’s best to change direction.

To my peers, it probably seems erratic or unfounded but for some reason, this is just how I have been operating for the last few years. I think this resignation was the hardest. I’ve been reading a lot of Buddhist philosophy which insists that whatever you are doing is your dharma (purpose) in that moment and that if you keep showing up and doing whatever that role is, to the best of your ability then everything will work out.

I tried my best to live by that philosophy but I just couldn’t fully embrace it. I was feeling so under-utilized and stuck, and the more I dwelt on how I should be feeling according to Buddhist Philosophy the more frustrated in myself I was becoming. It wasn’t till I spoke to a good friend and she convinced me it was okay to live within both worlds and that sometimes it’s okay to move on to something new. There is still a concern that what I am currently manifesting in my working environments will manifest itself once more when I move but if that indeed is the case then what have I got to lose. I also feel like it’s important to continue to make space. Things cannot change if we don’t allow breathing room for that change to occur.

This resignation was inspired by four key questions that had been circling in my head for months:

1. Looking forward 20 years did I like the trajectory I was headed in?

2. Surely there is a way to have fun and be successful? I mean I know there are plenty out there who have found the combination, so surely I can too? And if I can’t be successful, I should at least find a role in which I’m having fun?

3. Is this filling enough of my buckets i.e. joy, growth, travel, fulfilment, etc

4. I’m young I need to push the boat out further. What could I be doing to capitalise on how fortunate I am to be born into this world, at this time?

With those questions in mind and it, dyer need of some clarity I decided it was time to fulfil one of my biggest dreams to date, to walk the Camino de Santiago, an 800km trek across the top of Spain. Since I decided (and I mean almost instantly) everything has begun to align, so many little coincidences occurring, and when I tell people they just can’t believe I am doing it. It seems like a dream for so many people.

I remember the first time I quit my job and went travelling I was so nervous, this time I’m far more relaxed, somehow it just feels like the right thing to do.

“To live is an awfully big adventure.” – J.M. Barrie