Should I Quit My Job or Stay?

An excerpt from the book

From Welcome to Yourself, Chapter 9: Should I Quit My Job or Stay?

This is the question I hear more than any other.

Should I stay or should I go?

Sometimes it comes out directly. More often it comes out sideways. "I don't think I'm in the right seat." "I feel like there's more for me." "I'm not sure this is it anymore." A banker I spoke with once put it perfectly. He said he felt like more of a "renter of life right now than a buyer." He wanted to put roots down, and he didn't know if he could do that in his existing seat.

If that's you, I want to offer something that might surprise you.

Maybe you don't need to leave your seat.

I know. I'm the guy who walked out of Goldman the day after a nap in Central Park. I'm not against leaving. Sometimes it's exactly right.

But I've watched too many high achievers jump before they're ready, land in a new seat, and discover that something is still missing, because they brought it with them. That was my Richmond season. That's the hopscotch career.

So before you jump, I want you to squeeze the lemon.

Here's what I mean. Most people in a frustrating season keep asking, What's next? It's a natural question. But it keeps your eyes on the horizon and off your hands. A better question is, What do I have right now? What opportunities, relationships, skills, and resources are already in this seat that I haven't fully used? What's still in the lemon?

Sometimes squeezing the lemon reveals that the seat is better than you thought. Sometimes it reveals that it's time to go, and now you leave with peace instead of panic. Either way, you're deciding from clarity instead of running from discomfort.