Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

There is nothing more thrilling than landing your first paying job. Oh, the bliss, own desk personalized with a cute coffee mug and office stationery just as you envisioned it on Pinterest. Cute IT guy ha-ha, new besties and the Crème Della crème, the mullah. Quick forward, a couple of months in and just like that, the feeling fades. Instead, the space is filled with anger which quickly turns into resentment. Yes just like that.

Why?? Ohh things get real in a finger snap. All that seemed shiny and new is now old and repetitive. Consumed in everyday hustle, tight schedules and boredom the spirit turns vile. Clients became a nuance and man do you become irritable. The perks are great nevertheless, the problem is, you just can’t shake the nagging thought, “Is this what we are going to be stuck doing??”

You will probably battle sleepless nights and countless back and forths with confidants about resigning which you finally will.

So now what?? This is the question you will be asked and in all honesty will not feel like you owe anyone an explanation, I mean they don’t get it. Unfortunately, we millennials are often judged, pointed and jeered at because of our seemed reckless decisions which are said to be made on impulse.

It’s easy to succumb and sit still taking in all the shared opinions on why you need to stay, from loved ones. They are never wrong and probably will make so much sense but the gut feeling still stands. Their hearts are always in the right place, that is undeniable, however many are just but projecting their fears and previous bad experiences on you. So, again, what now???? Caught between a rock and a hard place, see it now??

I will say this, it is okay to let go. Hand in the resignation and you are done. But before you do, understand that the work field usually is the same. It most probably will become repetitive, the boss will always be an ass and you might end up having even worse colleagues. What never changes is you.

My biggest lesson of all time has been never to allow the surroundings to dictate my life to me. In short, I have learnt Balance. Work will always be what you make it to be. Get your heart and mind in the right place by asking the question why? A book I am currently loving asks you to list down seven whys to whatever it is that you are doing.

By unlocking the real reason why you are doing what you are doing, in other words, waking up early every morning and beating traffic every other night from work, you unlock the freedom, happiness and contentment deep rooted in your daily hustle.

Calm is a superpower, so it is said. But for me, being sober-minded makes you the freaking Batman himself. Taking that time off to figure things out before it’s too late (you slip into a complacency coma) helps you harness just that. That period gives you a clear aerial view of what you were and had become.

It not only helps you realize what your passion is but also what it takes to hack that job in that particular field of interest. Being first time in employment, many situations turn into learning lessons. You are stretched and tested over and again and it is okay to say ai you know what I’m done time out.

Many are doing it, leaving well-paying jobs but what is not been said is that all jobs are pretty much the same. What never changes is you and let nobody lie to you. You can jump from corporate to freelance or freelance to corporate and it’s fine. They are different even the job description is different. The experience though is never different.

So, what now?? Tune into the realness of your situation. Understand that in whatever you do there will always be challenges, and you can’t always succumb to how you feel. Check yourself and your seven whys then make the decision to move otherwise the new job will, in the end, suffer the same fate.

It is okay to leave and quit but my message today is, let it be for the right reason. It is irrefutably true that most of the moves are worth it but, what is it that will hold you down after being tried again and again in this new adventure.

Seek truth from within and this will see you grow and blossom in your area of professionalism. These two are achievable, constant moving notwithstanding by the way, but is there job satisfaction? Is their genuine happiness from being at your desk day in day out? Be smart about your moves, in other words, make smart money moves and remember, all experiences have their saturation point. What will you do then? Quit??……. Again??