I have recently had a conversation with a friend who just quitted from her job and another who was forced to quit due to the company's effort to downsize.
Both gave me the same sharing of what people around them ask and how they felt. People asked them, "so what are you going to do now?"; "What's next?"; "What are you going to be?"
Reply, "I also don't know yet.", "I will take a break and see how."; "I have not decided yet."
Response "Wow! You quitted without a job?".
And as they continue to recieve such questions and responses, they began to wonder if the decision is a correct one to make. They began to feel loss and insecure. Well, if given enough time after they leave their current job and idle, they may begin to feel down and worthless.
My response to them is why do we have to know what's our next job or next move? Why do we not spend time finding out what we really want to be? Have we come to a stage where our identity is based on our profession, status and money? Then who are we when we were first born?
Let me share with you who I am. I am Joyce, a happy and secured person who love spending my time with the people I love and do the things I enjoy. Although there are times when I fall short of being so, it doesn't take much effort to pick myself up again. I don't use to be like that until I have decided that ultimately, I want to be happy and feel secure and spending time with my family is extremely important to me. Every decision I make needs to satisfy one ultimate question.
Does the job take away my time from my loved ones? If yes, I will not do it. Move on! Don't look back! Decisions become so simple to make.
Don't forget that we are working for a living and not living to work. Work is just a tool, nothing more, nothing less. Building your identity around it is like building your house next to a volcano. The ground seems fertile and rewarding, just wait till the volcano erupts, the price to pay is even greater!
Hey Joyce, reading your post reminds me of the period where I quitted my ex job to seek for a relaxation period. I love my ex job to death and leaving it was a hard decision.
ReplyDeleteThe reason of leaving my job was not to set up a business or to rot at home but to give myself a break from work to truly spend a "me" time. I did thought of returning back to work in the same field again after my "holidays".
The opportunity to set up my own bakery was chance upon which through spending time with myself, had helped me find what I enjoy doing. Although standing for 12 hours in a hot kitchen may not seemed to be a dream job to many, I enjoy every moment of it compared to sitting in front of a computer for 12 hours just because the satisfaction is immediate.
I don't think baking is a job, it's my hobby which happens to be my job. I believe your friends (I think I know one of them), would soon find her hobby job if she were to spend more time with herself. Most times, they already know what they are, but they just can't pin-point what.