Is Quitting My Job Worth It?

I made the irrevocable decision to quit my job last April . I gave myself until end of June to work on tasks and projects that I promised to deliver in the first half of the year. I did this because I truly cared about my work. Until the end, I just could not bring myself to leave something I have grown to care much about.

If I were to answer questions about my reasons for leaving, it would be fairly easy for me to share pain points and grievances. After all, my life in the workplace was not exactly all sun and smiles. There were moments when things did not work out well or in any way I expected them to.

Workplaces are nowhere near perfect anywhere in the world. And neither are employees from all levels. Despite my best efforts to consciously remind myself that it is the same anywhere in the world, I was increasingly becoming unhappy. And allowing myself to slip into that recurring state of unhappiness is a form settling and denial at best.

Truth be told, my leaving the job is all about ME. It is about me constantly feeling that I am not making any significant contribution. My existence is driven by passion so strong I sometimes fear it would consume me. But it drives me anyway. It makes me believe that everything is possible, especially if you mean no harm.

Passion almost always make things easier to bear. To have so much passion without that certainty of contributing something significant is such a waste of time. Every minute of every day is time diminishing in my limited life. I feel that I need to spend my borrowed time on something that is more meaningful than wasting away in a cubicle where I think twice about the wisdom of being who I am.

I believe that there is more to life than endless quests to excel, perform, deliver, conform, and evolve into that much-touted ideal and successful career person. I think not everyone is born for that life. I admire those whose passions are fueled by the corporate environment as much as I am awed by those who spend their lives pursuing their passion in non-traditional paths.

And so in answer to my own question --- Yes! Absolutely. Quitting my job is worth all the sacrifice I have made since the decision was made. I still feel like I am being tossed at sea by a majestic storm. At the end of the day though, I guess it all boils down to pursuing a life of significance and meaning in divergent paths or seas.

• Location:Starbucks
• Mood: mellow
• Music:Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted