When Quitting is Your Highest Calling

I think quitting gets a bad rap. Quitting bad habits is great and always encouraged. However, quitting something that others deem good for you, can be tough. Even if it is in your highest calling to do so.

When we feel called to quit something, it is often because the discomfort inside of us is so strong. Still, we may resist the feelings, because the fear of the unknown is so great.

I experienced this for years when working at a job that drained me. And when I made the choice to quit, I learned just how much the Universe has my back when I allow my soul to guide me.

When I was 19, I got a job at a big company with all the benefits. Pension, profit sharing, stock options, full coverage insurance and all. Plus, a great salary, particularly for a 19-year-old. I was thrilled.

At first it was great, I enjoyed earning a good wage and having money and freedom to enjoy life. However, about halfway into my employment there, I began to develop chronic pain associated with my work. The tendinitis in my wrists was horribly painful, debilitating, and frustrating for me.

Meanwhile, my friends and colleagues were all moving up the ranks in the company, while I had no drive to do so. I had no interest in the work I was doing, and felt like any assets I had were not utilized in my role. I was getting more miserable by the day. I eventually finished my degree, and still struggled to find my place in this company I felt no real interest in.

The stress I experienced strained my relationship with my husband and generally kept me miserable. So much of why I stayed in the job was the fear that I wouldn’t find another job that could offer me the same wage and benefits. I also felt fear of what people might think if I quit, particularly all those people who were so proud of me for landing in that “safe” spot.

~ Fear of the unknown should never be the reason we “stay safe”. We can’t know everything, and we never will. When we surrender to that, we open ourselves up to the possibilities we cannot see with our limited vision.~

Like the tell-tale heart, I just kept getting bombarded with misery, and the pain from my work injury was getting worse and worse. One day during a particularly stressful moment, my husband said, “just quit, we will figure it out”. I am not sure why I needed this validation. Perhaps because I earned more money than he did at the time. Regardless, this somehow opened a surge of energy and bravery in me and I said, “ok I will”!

What I didn’t know then that I know now, is that by surrendering and giving up my expectations, I shifted my vibration. Instead of feeling fear, scarcity, and lack, I felt open and expansive. This elevated my consciousness enough that I was open to receive what would be for my highest good.

I decided that I would quit at the end of my work week, on a Thursday and told one coworker of my intention. I felt light as a feather, and suddenly so happy inside. I had been carrying the weight of my misery for so long, I didn’t even know myself anymore. I knew I would have no “safety net”, but I felt good and free knowing I was no longer bound.

On Thursday when I got to work, I received a message from the coworker I had confided in, telling me to check my email before I told my boss that I was quitting. So, I did.

That morning, after 10 years of working there, the company sent out an email announcing a site wide voluntary severance opportunity for whomever wanted to leave. Severance packages would be sent out within a month.

I was stunned. I was willing and ready to walk away with nothing. And the Universe wanted me to know what a big deal that was, and that it was no coincidence. I could feel it.

One month later, I left my job with 9 months of full pay, two years of insurance benefits, unemployment, and reschooling for a new career if I wanted. Also, during that month, my workman’s compensation decided to pay me a full benefit payment for a permanent partial disability. That was completely unexpected. Then, I found out that I was pregnant with my first baby.

I still get chills and tears when I think about this.

I have come to understand over the years that trying to force something that doesn’t fit, is like paddling upstream. Our discomfort in the “comfort”, is a key sign that we aren’t where we are supposed to be. Our soul has the map, and if we allow our feelings to guide us, then we will assuredly receive help along the way.

Sometimes life isn’t about sticking it out and trudging through. Sometimes quitting is our highest calling. It is essential to listen to your own guidance and trust the feelings inside of you. And have faith that the Universe has your back.