The Hard Part About Moving On
The hard part about moving on...(spoiler, basically everything). I’m leaving my job. I loved my job. I still mostly love it. I’ve never hated the idea of going in to work in the morning. But I’m moving on...
I’m moving on because I’m still a young designer and there is so much to learn.
I’m moving on because it’s important to recognise when you need a change.
I’m moving on because I’m not afraid of change (at least the fear hasn't stopped me).
I’m moving on because the rate at which I’m learning new things has slowed.
There’s a quote that I often revisit; “Choose the bigger life”. Each person will have their own interpretation of what ‘bigger’ means. This quote makes me consider what the right change or move would be. What is the bigger life? I generally associate ‘bigger’ to mean a richer, more varied and more satisfying life; these three concepts will rarely mean easier or safer.
Moving on is hard. Even if you’re happy and at ease with the decision.
It’s like as soon as you’ve made the decision to enter something new; your subconscious starts betraying you and undermining you with doubts. I think it’s the natural negativity bias people have that preys on the uncertainty surrounding new decisions. A job or career tends to dominate a person's experience of life; we spend so much time there, every new job is linked to big choices in other areas of our lives, and who is leaving or starting at a given workplace is usually the number 1 piece of gossip at work. It makes sense that changing jobs brings with it uncertainty and a range of emotions.
How to tackle that? I try and focus on the fact that the cost of failure is comparably low for whatever decision I'm making. And that there’s always a way out, even if things don’t go as planned. And that good old quote - “Success isn’t a straight line” can come in handy! Any errors or downturns are learning opportunities and building blocks for future growth.
I can also try planning for failure. I've found before when I've tried this, it has worked pretty well. Imagine that something you where going to do failed (for example, my motorbike brakes down); then think through the possible actions and preferred order. These are the very same things you might come up with if it happened in the moment, so in a sense you're just rehearsing ahead of time. I've found planning for failure can reduce anxiety about decision making, and also lead to better decisions if something does go wrong in the moment.
Why is it hard to move on? Fear of missing out is a big part I think, whatever your reasons for leaving, you might have pang’s of regret about the future. Or you might worry about missing out on the good times. It’s tough knowing that you might no longer see some people. But the people who really matter are the ones who will try and stay in touch, and you make new friends and new routines, just like the last time that you made a big change.
As I say with design. You gotta trust the process.
The uncertainty can definitely eat away at you at times. With creatives, like myself, I’ve definitely noticed that leaving jobs can have a de-energising effect, harming their creative confidence and leaving them less sure of themselves. I’ve experienced this. I've also experienced that burst of energy and confidence when you begin the next thing and realise that you can do it! When you realise your view of your abilities clouded by the routines and habits (baggage) of a previous role.
The whole process of leaving a job can be a confusing one. There can be feelings of frustration at waiting for one thing to end, so a new one can begin. It's natural to feel unsure I'm realising. Throughout life, changing jobs is usually one of the biggest decisions people make, so its always going to be a tense and emotional time. If you’re still really enjoying your job that can make the process even stranger.
It's times like this I like to think to the future. When I imagine my life stretching out before me, I tend to find I can find energy, focus and hope. I know it will be all right because I'm in the driving seat.
- This article was written back in Spring 2017
