Quitting successfully.
First of all, this is not an advice column. If you do decide to hang it up, based on this article, I’d prefer you not turn around and blame me.
Quitting is very personal. It's a decision only you can make. It can be impulsive, but it doesn't have to be. It's better when it's not. You have to let people close to you know. You may have to deal with the scorn of others who may not understand your reasoning or who may be faced with unexpected changes to their plans as a result of your decision. I wouldn't advise expending the energy required to quit your job, to then turn around, with hat in hand, and ask for your job back. Successful quitting requires some thought. That old adage, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” applies here. Don't use quitting as an attention-grabbing stunt. If you don't want to quit, stay and work it out.
Don't get trapped in upside thinking. Sure it's fun to think about your grand plans and how successful you will be after you quit. That's all swell, but take it from someone with experience quitting, no plan can stand up to actually closing your eyes, letting go of the handrail, and falling backward. There is no way to plan for that.
I don't mean to throw a bucket of cold water or your plan. I just want to point out that even though you need a plan, no amount of planning will prepare you for the way you will feel as you free float in zero gravity. Let me add, don't waste all your precious time getting ready to get ready. Some people stay in the planning stages and never launch. The plan must be executed, at some point.
“If you are not on the edge, you're taking up too much space.” my friend Maurice said. Too much of anything can make you sick, including comfort. Rappers say you can become comfort corrupt. “Silk sheets and down pillows, who the hell would want to wake up.” Insecurity can cost you a bundle. For many people they are not suffering from quitting, they're suffering from staying too long—on the job, in relationships, with addictions. When the horse dies, get off.
You have to accept responsibility to quit—responsibility for your happiness and your decisions. Before you accuse me of going on some narcissistic rant, consider this: if you're unhappy you are making at least six other people around you unhappy. You're not doing anyone any favors by hanging in there and secretly, or not so secretly, resenting them. By letting go you may actually put yourself in a better position to help those around you. At least you may be more pleasant.
We're all damned if we do and damned if we don't. You have to decide for yourself what you want and go for it, but then again you don't have to decide.