“One of the most courageous decisions you’ll ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.” ~ Brigitte Nicole
I’ve walked away from things both big and small in my life.
Th big things included a marriage that annihilated any sense of trust, safety, and self-worth I had.
The smaller things were relationships and friendships that took up way too much energy or felt one-sided.
Recently, I decided to walk away from a job I’ve been at for over 20 years—with no plan, no other job to go to, and two young children to support.
One year after the acquisition of my company, I was one of the few people who hadn’t been laid off. Yet, here I was voluntarily walking away from my job at a time the market is flooded with unemployed people. Some people may say I’m crazy, and maybe even a bit irresponsible for taking this risk.
But you know what? Most people have told me I’m brave.
And, I believe I’m brave. Because I’ve learned that it’s more important to me in life to honor my heart and be true to my soul than to live in fear and complacency.
Many of us have that “suck it up” mentality. We aren’t quitters. We stay in relationships, marriages, jobs, business partnerships, financial investments, and even friendships because we convince ourselves it’s not that bad. Things will get better. We have no other option. We won’t survive financially if we leave. We can’t raise our children alone. It’s a paycheck. I need the benefits.
“What if I don’t find something better?”
I don’t believe this. We can’t attract something better until we let go of what’s not working in our lives. The choice to walk away may seem daunting or have consequences we’re not ready to yet face, but we don’t ever have to stay in something that’s making us miserable, disempowering us, or hurting our hearts.
People often ask me, “What made you walk away? How did you know it was time?” after every big thing I’ve walked away from or let go.
Listen, it’s different for everyone. We all have varying levels of tolerance, circumstances that force us to stay in things much longer than we want, and reasons we hold onto things. But these, for me, were some clear, tell-tale signs that it was time to let go:
These are the ones that transformed me from the broken-hearted, shattered woman I was at that moment in my life into the strong, compassionate and empowered woman I believe I am today:
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