This post is about me turning over dead and dying material, old habits, and patterns to feed the soil. It’s time to compost.  

Dear reader, only you know what is best for you in your life and career.  And even if you are not sure what’s best for you, I hope you choose what feels good or better or most right for you, even if it’s a bit scary. Trust that each decision you make will lead you to something better eventually.  Know that with every decision, you are doing your best with the information skills and experience you have at the time.  

I decided to leave my job a year ago, so I have had a lot of time to reflect. I had absolute clarity that this was the right decision. The three lessons I share stand out the most as I reflect on the 11 years since I wrote my first post about career composting. 

You are the boss  

Don’t ask what needs to be done.  Do not wait to get guidance or approval first. Who would give you approval?  You ARE the boss of your life.  Act like it.

As a boss, clarify the problem to be solved,  what needs to be done and the approach you have in mind.  Show up with at least 3 possible approaches.  Pick one and go do the thing.  

Ask for help

When you are stuck and a task is taking longer than it should, pause and step back.  What signals do you feel?  I bite my nails.  Other people get stomachs or headaches.  These physical sensations are signals for you.  Use them. Often, they are telling you to ask for help.  

Tend to yourself

These physical sensations, like my terrible neckaches, tell me that it is time to take a 30-minute break.

Sometimes, I focus on one task to the exclusion of all others.  I forget to read, exercise, or even eat.  Remember to sustain yourself with all the activities that you need.

Use your compost

Notice your reactions to your situation.  How do you feel emotionally, mentally, and physically?  Are you bitter, irritated, or sad?  Are you bored or overwhelmed? It is not always easy to name an emotion.  Take some time to describe, in words, how you feel.  

I left my job because I was in survival mode.  That was not good for me, my family, and definitely not my work.  I used a coach to determine what to do next.  

We are the boss of us; we can ask for help and tend to ourselves, possibly with a bit of help and support from others.  Remember, only you know what is best for you.  And when you look back at your decisions, grant yourself grace & kindness.  You were doing the best you knew how at the time.  And now look at you. My how you have grown.  

Today’s musical accompaniment: Nathaniel Rateliff’s Early Spring Till on Spotify, YouTube

Photo by Gabi Miranda on Unsplash