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Dare to leave a toxic job
Believe it or not, your purpose is not to be in
a job you dislike for the rest of your life.
If you knew of a certain alley notorious as a murder site, you’d choose to
avoid it. You’d know that by walking through it, you’d risk something
terrible happening to you, regardless of your state of mind.
Less dramatically, if you’re invited to a birthday celebration where you know
someone who regularly verbally attacks you’ll be present, you could choose
to avoid it and protect your inner peace. You know your attendance will only
attract drama.
But there are similarly toxic settings that are much harder to avoid. One of
the most common is your place of work. There might be people there who
make your life a misery, but you can’t just stay at home.
I experienced this with a new manager at the office job I mentioned earlier.
When I look back at the experience, I don’t entirely blame him for his
actions. He had his own life and his own pressures from those who he
reported to. And I wasn’t the best employee because I didn’t enjoy the work I
was doing so I wasn’t engaged in it.
Although I was thankful for having a decent job, all the signs suggested that I
needed to leave and pursue my passions. I knew I wanted to spread positivity
in the world and help people to better their lives. So one day I took a massive,
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courageous step: I quit my job and jumped into the unknown.
It was a huge risk. I left with very little financial security, as I didn’t have
much money saved. Some might say I was bold and brave; others might put it
down to naivety. But after I left I woke up each day with a rush of gratitude.
Even though I had a few financial burdens, there was no price I could put on
the sense of peace I’d found. I was soon able to follow my passions and start
a lifestyle blog, sharing personal development articles.
I’ve never regretted my decision and I’m thankful for all the difficulties I
faced before I started over; for example, the wounds from working the wrong
jobs gave me wisdom and resolve that’s helped me create a better life for
myself and others. Nonetheless, it’s very common for people to become stuck
in harmful workplaces. But they push us into unhealthy mental states and
greatly affect our wellbeing.
Leaving an unfulfilling job is daunting, and most of the time financial
obligations prevent you from saying ‘enough is enough’ and acting on it. We
all crave security and comfort, and entering the unknown can be scary. But
you can’t be certain of security from a job, either; you have no control over
your salary, pay rises, promotions or anything else about your job – even that
you’ll continue to have it.
When you recognize that you deserve better than the toxic situation you’re
trapped in, be daring enough to move on. You don’t have to rush the process,
but the longer you stay in harmful conditions, the more you sabotage your
own life.
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