In 2008, a colleague announced that he was taking the voluntary severance and leaving. I was surprised, the volunteer severance was no better than the lay off severance and he was too young to retire. I asked him, “Was it a difficult decision?” I can still see the big smile that lit up his face, “No, not at all, in fact I’ve been planning this since the layoffs last year and I was afraid they weren’t going to offer it again.”
One of the most common topics that clients bring to me is their struggle and/or confusion about which path to take. Should I stay or should I go? Should I stand my ground or give in to that colleague who is disagreeing with me? Should I speak up when I know my boss is wrong or keep quiet and let her figure it out?
How do you know which way is the best way and avoid going off a cliff? Listen to your gut. Your head may logically reason you into a direction that you don’t really want to go; if you don’t tie your logic to your gut then you may find yourself on the edge of that cliff and going the wrong way. Sometimes it takes some practice to hear your gut so that your choices are clear. And sometimes, while listening, you need to gather more information to choose the best path.
As I considered the path of leaving my corporate job and becoming an entrepreneur, I started listing all the things I loved about my current job, what I could do in my own business to incorporate all that I loved to do, all the financial actions I’d need to take to assure a good buffer of support, and finally I spent some quiet time just getting centered on what I really wanted and listening to my gut. This resulted in a path that was not easy but incredibly rewarding. If I had been only logical, then I never would have left and if I’d only listened to my gut then I would have left too soon or left to go down a path that was not the one I am on now.
The key is to balance your head with your gut so that you take your best path and then trusting you are on the right path, especially when it gets a little rough.
How has this worked for you? Please share in a comment!
