6 Steps To Take If You’re Planning To Quit Your Job

Medical Life
November 6, 2023

Quitting your job is extremely daunting, and understandably so. You are about to leave the comforts of financial security and future predictability — in pursuit of something unknown.

When I was contemplating on whether to quit housemanship in September 2021, I was plagued by anxiety, indecision and fear — fear of future uncertainties, of failure, of making the wrong decision, of being criticised and judged by others, of disappointing your parents and family etc.

Deep down, I knew I wanted to resign, but it took me many months before I actually had the courage to do it.

If you’re considering quitting your career, here are the 6 steps you can take to help you gain more clarity in deciding whether to call it quits or not:

1) Don’t rush into a decision.

Don’t quit your job out of impulse or reactivity. Don’t rush or force something, just to escape the pain.

Let all the heavy emotions flow through your system.

Acknowledge it – the frustration, depression, anxiety, sadness, disappointment, humiliation, confusion etc.

For now, just accept what is.

Look at your current dilemma, as if from a third person point-of-view, and observe them for what they are.

2) Give yourself time and space to think things through.

Take your time and really think things through.

Ask yourself, “Can I imagine myself in this job for the rest of my life?” “Do I love doing this?” “Does it make me happy and alive?” “What else can I do instead?” “What are my plans moving forward?”

Take some days off to really think things through. It’s imperative that you have time alone with yourself in calm and stillness, to reflect on these questions. Journal and write down what you really want out of life.

If you could have it all, if you could live your dream life right now, what would it be like? Don’t let fears keep you from thinking big. Let go of expectations and years of conditioning. And give yourself permission to go beyond the realms of your imagination.

Here are some questions you can reflect on.

3) Make a plan

What are your plans after resigning? Plan it out properly and slowly take action. Research for any job openings. Reach out to people who you think can help you. Hire a coach. Start the side hustle you’ve always wanted, but never had a chance to. Prepare a 6-month emergency fund. Join online classes and courses to figure out what might interest you.

If you’re a doctor, you can join our upcoming workshop to discover alternative careers that are fulfilling and aligned with your true Self. Or you can figure out possible non-clinical career options that you could delve into.

Other than that, read books about career development. Here are some books I would recommend that have helped me on my own journey:

Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want, by Dr Grace Lordan — This book is about the practical ways you can do to find a career that suits you based on certain criterias.
The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, by Martha Beck – This book helps you understand what your Soul truly desires out of life.
What Are You Doing With Your Life?, by Jiddu Krishnamurti – This book is a philosophical and spiritual book about what to do in life. Gives a different philosophical perspective about what to do in life, how to go about life, helps you become aware of what we’ve been conditioned to think, act and feel.

4) Have a goal to move towards

Set a goal that you can strive towards right after you quit housemanship. But remember, the path towards your goals is not a straight or linear line. It looks more like this:

In order to get clear on your path, you must begin with a goal. In order to get clearer on your goal, you must tread down the path.

Most people don’t know what to do because their goals are not clear or specific enough. Maybe it’s too general and vague. And that’s okay! That’s just how it is at first, anyway.

As you go along the path towards your goals, you will gain more insights, receive more opportunities and meet new people who will guide you along your journey. So your goals will become clearer and clearer as you walk deeper into the path.

But all it takes is to begin with an end goal in mind.

5) Start taking action

Once you have set a goal, start taking the necessary steps towards your goals. Don’t worry about not having it all figured out. Take action on what you know right now with confidence.

Remember, clarity comes from action, not by lazing on the couch waiting for things to happen.

Once you’ve gotten everything in place – your alternative career option; or your side hustle starts seeing progress; or you got accepted a job offer; or you have your emergency fund ready – then you’re ready to reconsider the question, “Should I quit my job now?”.

However, one crucial thing to point out: We all know from experience that life loves to throw us a curve ball. We can make all the plans we want, yet things can still go awry. As the saying goes, “We plan, God laughs”.

As a consequence, our minds would start coming up with various reasons why we would fail. Thus, we are left more confused, with questions to which we have no answers to yet.

In that case, what should we do? This leads us to the last step…..

6) Meditate

We live in such a noisy world, where we are pulled in all sorts of directions, demanding our time, energy and attention. Our heads get cluttered with so much junk (just like the thousands of Whatsapp groups we have in our phones).

In the midst of all the chaos, try sitting in silence. Calm the chatter in your mind, relax your body, breathe in deeply and slowly. Close your eyes and be one with stillness.

Then, in your head, visualise your dream life. What would it look like? How would it feel like? Feel the surge of joy and excitement fill your body.

What does your heart say at that moment? Don’t let the logical, thinking mind come in and control it. Respect your heart space. Your mind has been in charge your whole life, now it’s your heart’s turn. What does your heart feel about you quitting your job, and pursuing something you actually desire? Let the silence sink in, and listen to your heart. Seek guidance from your intuition.

As you do this long enough, you could tell deep in your heart what the answer is (if you don’t let the thinking mind override it, of course).

Figuring out whether I should quit housemanship was a gradual process for me. But the biggest turning point for me was when I decided to become brutally honest with myself. I started facing my fears and asked myself the deep questions that I’ve been trying to avoid because they were terrifying, like “Is this career the right one for me? What if there is better way? Whose life am I living — mine or my parents? Will I waste away my life for something else?”

Then, one day, I had a sudden realisation. I just knew what I had to do — it was time to move on. I gave myself permission to live life on my own terms, rather than being pulled back by social expectations.

I may not know what lies ahead of me, but I’ve learned to find magic in the mysteries and be open to infinite possibilities. I let my curiosity and excitement be my guide. I reframed this new adventure as something fun and exhilarating, not as something frightening or anxiety-laden.

And that has made all the difference.

Conclusion

Whether you agree or not, I believe work shouldn’t just be about paying the bills or putting food on the table. It shouldn’t have to be full of pain and suffering, either.

Instead, it should be something we’re excited to wake up to every morning. It should be filled with meaning, purpose and service. And these are all possible for you.

So, I hope these steps have provided you insights into what your ultimate decision will be.

Whatever it is, always believe in yourself. Be patient. Trust the process.

You got this.

P.S.: Are you a doctor who is burned out and feeling stuck in your profession? You want to discover a more fulfilling alternative career, but you’re not really sure how… Then join our upcoming workshop: Alternative Careers for Doctors 👩🏻‍⚕️👨🏻‍⚕️

REGISTER NOW: https://awakenacademy.co/workshop/

Hello! I am Christal

I'm a doctor, trainer, coach and author of 'Should I Quit?'. I founded Awaken Academy, where we help doctors discover alternative careers that are fulfilling and aligned with their true Self.

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