Most career “success stories” start with a promotion.
Mine started with abandoning ship.
Hey friends,
About a year and a half ago, I walked away from the highest-paying job I’d ever had.
It was the role I thought I was supposed to feel grateful for…
Especially after being laid off not long before.
On paper, it checked every box. Stability, status, a salary that meant I could finally exhale a little.
And yet, I was unraveling.
However I didn’t notice it at first. It showed up as restless nights, a constant hum of anxiety, and a version of myself that felt smaller every week.
Somewhere along the way, “being responsible” turned into slowly disappearing inside a job that looked good but felt terrible.
Eventually I realized I wasn’t choosing security, I was choosing survival. And there’s a difference.
So I left.
At the time, I didn’t have a grand plan waiting. My side business had barely made a few hundred dollars.
So, I made a deal with myself.
Six months to recover, rebuild my confidence and see if I could at least cover my basic expenses while piecing myself back together.
And by the third month, something shifted.
Not because business exploded or everything suddenly made sense but because for the first time in a long time…
I wasn’t waking up already exhausted. I could think clearly again. I could feel proud of my work again. I could see what I wanted for myself without a layer of dread sitting on top of it.
We’re taught to cling to certainty, to stay grateful, to avoid risk.
But sometimes the bigger risk is staying somewhere that requires you to abandon pieces of who you are just to get through the day.
So if you’re in a chapter where things feel uncertain or unfamiliar, whether you chose it or life pushed you into it , remember this:
You are not moving backward…
You are making space for who you're becoming.
And that is one of the most responsible, courageous decisions a person can make.
P.S. If you’re thinking about making a drastic change and “starting over,” I’ll share something in our next email that can help you achieve that without having to leave it all to chance.
-Megan