Over 40? The top 10 ways to quit your job

October, 2007
By Craig Nathanson - The Vocational Coach

# 1 Figure out why you should quit in the first place

That’s right. If you find joy, passion and meaning in your work, there is no reason to quit. Sadly, this isn’t the case for many of the people I meet.
Look at what is most important to you. Is your work aligned with what you prize most in your life? If not, this is a good reason to change now. Does your job pay the bills, but does not feed your soul?
This is another good reason to quit. Do you find it hard to drag yourself out of bed in the morning? Yet another reason to quit.

# 2 Find new authentic ways to earn what you need

How can you earn income working at activities that seem like a better alignment of your abilities and your interests? What work can you do that will last a lifetime? What kind of work gives you the most passion and joy? What work excites you? What work helps you live with integrity and is the most natural expression of who you are?

# 3 Stop fooling yourself

I have heard all the excuses: the work is unfulfilling, but I have a family to support; I have bills to pay; doing what I love isn’t realistic or practical; I have been doing this job too long to quit now.
The better question to ask is: “How could I support my family and pay my bills by doing work that feeds my soul, and that I love to do?”
What a concept!
You’ll appreciate your family even more. Even paying your bills won’t seem so bad.

# 4 Uncross your arms

Stop being so negative! The more reasons you create to explain why you can’t make your dreams come true, the more you’ll believe what’s NOT possible in your life. As a result, you’ll simply drag yourself back to that office for more useless paperwork, meetings, performance reviews, too many emails and worst of all—those office birthday celebrations!

# 5 Don’t EVER give up

Brain synapses work in a powerful way. You think a thought in your mind, and you can’t help but to think of a similar thought. So as you think of a new possibility in your work—doing what you love—you think of a solution you never considered before. Be careful what you think; the opposite is also true.
For example, right now, do NOT think of a green door.
You are not listening to me!!
You see; to NOT think of a green door, you first have to think of a green door!

# 6 Ask better questions

Vocational Passion takes new muscles. To help prepare, start to ask better questions. For example, as you think about your life’s work, ask yourself, “Do you realize that…?”
As your mind races for an answer, new ideas emerge.

As you think about your life right now, finish the sentences, “I am grateful for…?” and, “Isn’t it great that…?”

These questions will help to get new positive emotions flowing.

# 7 Build a better support network

The more time you spend around those who are stagnant in their work lives, the more stuck you will also feel. Start now to spend time with those people who have the same passions as you do, and you’ll gain new energy in your life.

# 8 Rethink your definition of success

The more you measure your work and life success using external factors such as great pay, great performance reviews, a big office, a large staff, a happy spouse, a great job title, and proud in-laws (the worst measure of all!), the more pressure you’ll feel to continually raise the bar to live up to these expectations.
These expectations will keep increasing, and are totally out of your control.

# 9 Make a decision and then take action

There were three frogs sitting on three lily pads, and two frogs decided to jump. How many frogs were left on the lily pads? This will be the most important and most useful math lesson you will ever learn.

#10 Treat making money, and spending what you make, with more respect

When you work at JUST a job, you don’t really appreciate what you make. You just want more of it, hoping it will somehow make up for all of your unhappiness at work. You don’t even appreciate it when you spend it. Again, you just want to buy more stuff to make up for your unhappiness.
The good news is that when you earn money doing the work you love, every dollar you earn and spend takes on more meaning and satisfaction.

Quit your job- Re-join your life instead!

Jobs lead to careers, which lead to retirement, and then death.
VOCATION (doing the work that calls you) can be done forever—until the day you stop breathing. When you are doing work that you love, you won’t see the difference between work and play. The only people who retire (retreat and get ready to “tire”) are those who do not love what they do. With vocational passion (doing the work you love), the concept of saving and or putting off your work happiness for after retirement won’t make sense to you any more. So when you get those AARP (retirement fund) notices in the mail, run in the other direction!!

You can and should make better use of your life and your work NOW. You’ll be happier, and so will the people around you who love you.
Isn’t this enough?

As always, I’ll be cheering you on as you go- Craig Nathanson

Craig Nathanson is the author of P Is For Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day and a coaching expert who works with people over forty. Craig’s new E-book, Discover and live your passion 365 days a year is a workshop in a box designed to help busy adults go insane with their work. Craig’s systematic approach, the trademark "Ten P" process,’’ helps people break free and move toward the work they love. Visit Craig’s online community at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com where you can take a class, get more ideas through Craig Nathanson’s books and CD’s, get some private coaching over the phone or read other stories of mid-life change and renewal.

Craig lives and works in Petaluma, California. His office is located atP.O Box 2823, Petaluma Ca, 94953. You can reach him at 707-775-4020 or at craig@thevocationalcoach.com.

Craig's Vocational Passion Newsletters are edited by Anita Flegg at The Sharp Quill. The Sharp Quill -- www.sharpquill.com -- specializes in writing and editing for small business. You can see Anita's vocational story at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com/_vocational_community/_real_stories/story_anita.html

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