After nearly nine years, I recently resigned from my position as Sales Administrator at a small medical technology company. For me, this decision wasn’t a surprise. I often felt like I was swimming upstream just to get through the day, and after so long, I was simply too tired to keep going.
Even now, it’s easy for my mind to spiral into blame—resenting the workload and the strain. But the real question is: why did I tolerate it for so long?
At some point, it became easier—almost therapeutic—to vent about work every evening rather than make a real change. I convinced myself that adapting to difficult personalities and poor leadership was just part of the job. And slowly, I kept taking on more and more responsibilities that others didn’t step up for… until I was always overworked.
By the time I gave notice, I wasn’t even sure anyone truly understood the scope of what I did. So, to ensure a smooth transition, I offered a 90-day notice to help train my replacement. That woman started two days ago—and for the first time, I feel like this transition will actually work.
Let’s call the wonderful woman stepping into my role “PR”—short for Perfect Replacement. She’s a former colleague of my boss, and their existing comfort and trust is the first blessing. But honestly, it’s a strange experience… almost like picking out your husband’s next wife and teaching her everything he loves. I’ve never gone through this before—training someone to replace me—and it’s stirring up a lot of “first-time” thoughts I wanted to share.
Some of them are hard to admit:
What if…she does the job better than me?
the team likes her more?
they treat her better?
she’s paid more than I was?
she does less work and gets more credit?
the team likes her more?
they treat her better?
she’s paid more than I was?
she does less work and gets more credit?
You see a pattern, right? It’s all about me—and about fairness. I sound like a child throwing a tantrum. But I’ve learned to counter those thoughts with new ones:
Counter thoughts:
I can’t wait to see what this next chapter brings.
I’m genuinely happy the team will thrive after I leave—they deserve it.
I hope PR takes this role even further than I could.
The best gift I can give is training her thoroughly.
I trust in my success and in the new opportunities waiting for me.
I’m genuinely happy the team will thrive after I leave—they deserve it.
I hope PR takes this role even further than I could.
The best gift I can give is training her thoroughly.
I trust in my success and in the new opportunities waiting for me.
It amazes me how quickly fear-based thoughts appeared after just two days of training PR. In the past, I might’ve let that fear trap me in a job that no longer fulfilled me—just for the security of a paycheck. And truthfully, I did that for at least four years. But now I see those thoughts for what they are: just fear. And I’m done letting fear make my decisions.
Tomorrow, I turn 59. That number shocks me. Life is so fleeting. The Earth has been here for billions of years, and if I’m lucky, I’ll make it to 80 or 90. There’s just no way I’m spending my precious remaining time doing something that doesn’t bring me joy.
Any job should bring some joy—even if it’s simply the joy of a job well done. And that’s how I knew it was time to leave. If you’re on the fence about leaving a joyless job, here are two questions that helped me finally make the decision:
Do I feel valued at the end of the day?
Recently, someone on my sales team joked that I’d be great at a golf outing "to serve drinks." That moment hit me. I realized I’d been “serving” a team for years—and it no longer felt respectful or fulfilling.
Recently, someone on my sales team joked that I’d be great at a golf outing "to serve drinks." That moment hit me. I realized I’d been “serving” a team for years—and it no longer felt respectful or fulfilling.
If I were diagnosed tomorrow with a terminal illness but felt fine, would I still spend 40+ hours a week doing this?
It’s a heavy question, I know. But it’s revealing. I know people who’d still say “yes”—people like my dear friend Rosemary or my son—because their work brings them joy. That’s a real gift.
It’s a heavy question, I know. But it’s revealing. I know people who’d still say “yes”—people like my dear friend Rosemary or my son—because their work brings them joy. That’s a real gift.
So let me ask you: how do you want to spend your week? What kind of work replenishes you instead of draining you? What would happen if you stopped waiting—stopped hoping the timing would be safer, easier, or more perfect? Is fear the only thing holding you back from moving toward your dreams?
If you’ve been dreaming of a change, don’t wait for a second life. This is it. Let’s live our joyful lives now. Your thoughts today are shaping your reality tomorrow.
Stay aware—and stay rooted in joy.
