A 2023 LinkedIn study showed that nearly 70% of Gen Z and Millennials planned to leave their job that year in search of other opportunities. And over half of Gen Xers were planning to do the same. The impetus for change comes from a need for personal growth, higher pay, more flexible work arrangements and better work/life integration. This wave of change in the workforce was been named The Big Quit, which followed the previous exodus brought on by the pandemic – The Great Resignation.
I am part of the Great Resignation. And I completely identify with workers who are looking for change in their careers. For me, the pandemic showed me that I was living to work, and not working to live. A job that I had started 12 years ago no longer fit my current life, but I was too busy to stop and notice. I kept trying to make it work, no matter how much I was drowning. But the pandemic changed everything, and I was forced to take a really hard look at myself. I began to wonder if there was a way I could find a new balance. I dove into personal development and hired a career coach. I was extremely invested in figuring out a way to honor my role as a mom and wife in a way that would allow me to continue making a living in a meaningful and joyful way. I had now seen what it was like to be fully present for myself and my family during the pandemic and I just couldn’t unsee it. I could not go back to life as we knew it before. I was determined to find the solution. I problem-solved for others every day for over a decade as an attorney, now it was time to do it for myself.
Through this process, I learned and accepted that our choices aren’t life sentences. We are allowed to change our minds and choose again. I went to law school because I felt a deep purpose to help others and to be an instrument of change. Working with my career coach taught me that my life’s purpose hadn’t changed but the way I wanted to use it had. Our values and priorities change over time, and we have to do the work to realign how we show up in order to honor them. Our gifts, talents and capabilities may stay the same, but how we use and apply them can change as we go through different stages of life. I came to the conclusion that my legal career had come to an end and it was time to pivot, grow and find joy again through something else. I went back to school to become a professional coach and launched my coaching practice in July 2021 and I couldn’t be happier. I am once again reinvigorated by the work I do through my coaching, where I help busy professional women find balance and joy in their lives, set and reach important goals, and feel more fulfilled with their days.
It’s never too late to reevaluate what you want your life to look like and what really matters to you. We are always at choice to get off the hamster wheel and examine whether our current way of living and making a living is serving us. We live in a fast changing world, and that includes us as well. The more in tune we can be with ourselves, the more we can show up fully for others and ourselves as well. This is what allows us to live life with true joy and fulfillment.
My advice for anyone thinking about change or feeling like something is off is this – get clear on the vision for your life one year from today. What does your ideal life look like? Where are you, how do you make a living, how do you start your days, how much fun are you having? Once you have a crystal clear vision, you can start to reverse engineer and make a plan to create that vision for yourself in real life. I developed a year-long plan and broke it down into smaller steps, as small as creating a daily morning routine to help me start my days with intention and feeling centered. This is what I teach my coaching clients to do now.
I invite you to take a pause and ask yourself what is important to you in this season of life. Once you’ve identified that, decide how you will shift to honor those priorities. Remember that it’s never too late and you’re always at choice to refocus on what is important to you and what truly brings you joy.