Of the 9 jobs I had in the 10 years after college, there were six that I chose to quit six, and three that quit me (through closing up shop or otherwise pivoting the business and thus no longer needing me).
That means that roughly every 18 months or so, I had a resignation conversation with my boss, drafted a resignation letter, turned in my badge and computer, and said goodbye to colleagues and teammates.
And just like when you break off a relationship, there can often be a lot of emotion involved when you quit your job.
For me, sometimes I felt victorious and was sure I was moving in the right direction toward my next chapter. Other times, I dreaded the conversation, felt completely awkward, or felt like I was letting my team down.
I had some bosses who took the news well, others who tried to convince me to stay, and still others who didn’t know how to handle it at all.
Despite all the ups and downs of the emotions and uncomfortable situations, once I decided to quit, I made a commitment to my Self and followed through, no matter how difficult or awkward the situation was.
As Tony Robbins says, “It’s in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”
But how do you get to that level of certainty in the first place, that unwavering commitment to your Self? Especially when you’re in the thick of it and feel like you’re in a fog, how do you know when it’s time to leave, and how do you maximize your chances of success as you transition into your next chapter?
Down below, we’ll walk through the 5 gauges of the Uncareer Path Dashboard, using the acronym VIBES. The gauges are simple assessments and reflections you can use right now to determine exactly where you are with your current role and whether it’s time to move on.
The First Whisper That It Might Be Time To Quit Your Job
Years ago, I heard Oprah talk about the concept of whispers from the universe. What she saw, across the thousands of interviews she’s done over the years, is that the universe is always talking to us.
First, it does so via a subtle whisper, a gentle breeze. It might be just a simple thought that crosses your mind, such as, “Hmm, that doesn’t quite feel right,” or “That feels different from before.”
These whispers are a hint to pay attention, check in, reflect, and potentially make a shift in your current career situation. If you don’t, the whispers get louder and turn into, as Oprah puts it, a thump upside the head.
If you ignore that, then it’ll be a brick upside the head, followed by an entire brick wall crashing down on you, which could look like getting fired, having a lawsuit brought against you, having to file for bankruptcy, or any other devastating and life-changing events.
If you don’t want to get to that point, and if you’re ready to stop numbing yourself and pay attention to what the universe is trying to tell you, start listening for those whispers. Then, use the Uncareer Path Dashboard to make sense of what those whispers mean.
The Uncareer Path Dashboard
When I was moving through my own uncareer path, I didn’t have a formal dashboard or organized process to help me gauge where I was or when I should make a career shift. I relied a lot on my gut, and I became extremely sensitive to those whispers from the universe.
After the initial honeymoon phase of each job, I always had my antennae up, listening for those whispers. It was partly to ensure that I was personally fulfilled through my work, but more importantly, to ensure that I was maximizing my contribution to and impact on the world.
If you’re reading this, you likely have a similar pull toward doing work that matters. You’re not the “clock in and clock out” kind of person. You’re a seeker. You’re looking for something deeper.
Your job isn’t just to earn you a paycheck; it’s your opportunity to give your gifts to the world, and you want to make sure you’re doing so in the best and most effective way possible.
And that’s exactly why the Uncareer Path Dashboard can be such a helpful tool, to help you effectively and efficiently analyze the gut feelings and subtle whispers you’re getting, which in turn can give you the clarity and courage you need to make any necessary shifts.
The Uncareer Path Dashboard Gauges – VIBES
When you’re checking in about your current job, you’re really searching internally for the feeling – the vibes, if you will – that you get from your role. And of course, your VIBES just happen to be the 5 gauges that make up your own personal Uncareer Path Dashboard:
- V = Vision
- I = Impact
- B = Boredom
- E = Energy
- S = Sundays
Gauge #1 – Vision
The first gauge is your Vision Light, which measures whether you see a future for yourself in this job, role, or company. Think back to the honeymoon phase, when you first started this current role.
What was your vision for the future at that time? What were your hopes and dreams for yourself in this role? Did you have specific goals you hoped to achieve, skills you hoped to develop, or projects you hoped to work on?
How does that compare to your vision for your role now? If your vision of the future of your role is even stronger now than it was when you started, that’s a great sign that you’re on the right track.
If, however, your Vision Light has dimmed a bit, is blinking yellow, or has gone out entirely, this can be an indicator that something might be off. By itself, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should hand in your resignation letter tomorrow, but it does warrant further investigation.
Check in with yourself as to why your Vision Light might be blinking. Is it because of something temporary (e.g., a frustrating project that you’re tearing your hair out over but that will soon end), or something that you believe to be permanent (e.g., the skill sets required for the role are not ones you’re interested in developing)?
Are there any internal shifts you can make within yourself or within your team to stop the yellow blinking warnings and get your Vision Light back to a solid green?
For example, perhaps you’re not clear on your career progression options, so you commit to reaching out to HR to gain more clarity. Or, perhaps you don’t get along with your current manager but realize that it’s possible to transfer to a different department under a different leader.
Exploring potential paths like that could lead you to shift not only your day-to-day reality but also your perception of your vision for your role, thus turning the whole situation around.
Remember – it’s never about resources; it’s always about resourcefulness. In other words, if your Vision Light is blinking, start by first assessing whether there’s anything you can do to address the core issue.
If there’s absolutely nothing you can do, it might be a sign that it’s time to move on.
Gauge #2 – Impact
Over the years, I’ve often fantasized about the simplicity of clocking in and clocking out. If only I were wired to compartmentalize my job and not assign it all the soul level meaning that I do, I would probably have stayed in my first job and still be there today.
If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re wired the same way. You don’t see your job as just a job. You see it as an opportunity to discover your true soul purpose and calling and to maximize the impact you can have on the world.
Sound about right? I knew it. You’re my people.
And because you’re wired this way, that’s why the Impact Indicator is going to be such a key gauge for you.
To use this gauge, start by reflecting on the impact you would ideally like to have on the world. If all the barriers, red tape, office politics, and bureaucracy were removed, what’s that mark that you’d ideally want to leave on the world through your work?
With that in mind, think about your current role and the impact you’re having. Are you able to tie your current role to a level of impact that’s close or equivalent to your ideal?
The key here is not to focus on the type of role you have but your perception of the impact you’re making.
I’ll say that again. The key is not the exact role you have and the quantifiable amount of impact you’re making. The key is how much impact you perceive that you are making.
For example, let’s say we have two electricians. The first one believes that their role exists just to fulfill work orders, connect wires, and fix pesky electrical issues.
The second electrician believes that their role is to power people’s lives so they can do life-changing work and make once-in-a-lifetime memories with their families.
See what I mean? Same role, two completely different outlooks on their impact.
The first electrician’s Impact Indicator is flashing red because it’s running on empty. The second electrician does the same exact work, but their Impact Indicator is beaming a bright, healthy green.
Gauge #3 – Boredom
This next gauge, the Bored-ometer, might seem pretty self-explanatory and straightforward, but there’s actually quite a bit of nuance to it.
At the surface level, this gauge is your opportunity to measure how engaged or bored you are with the work currently on your plate. Do the projects you’re working on excite you, or are you bored out of your mind and just doing the bare minimum and checking the boxes?
But even more importantly, WHY is your Bored-ometer at that level? Have you fallen asleep at the wheel because you just can’t take it anymore and thus are just barely getting by as a way to numb yourself?
Have you spoken with your manager about your lack of engagement and worked with them to try to brainstorm ways to increase your growth and interest in your role? If not, why not?
The WHYs of the Bored-ometer gauge are even more important than how bored you are, because they clue you in to potentially deeper issues.
Years ago, I had a job where I was so inordinately bored that I would spend hours at my desk teaching myself how to write with my left hand.
Yeah, that’s right. I would literally spend hours copying sentences with my left hand to while away the time.
Could I have spoken up and asked my manager for more engaging opportunities in my work? Sure I could have. Why didn’t I? Because I didn’t believe my manager cared about me or my job satisfaction.
See? I told you the WHYs were the most important part.
Gauge #4 – Energy
Have you ever had an experience where you physically do work, sometimes very demanding work at that, but you end up feeling even more energized at the end than when you started?
For some people, exercise is something that regularly brings about this phenomenon. For others, it might be a really engaging hobby, a get-together with close friends, or an epic novel you just can’t put down.
If you’re in the right job, your work should generate energy, not zap it. You should have more energy at the end of the day than at the beginning of the day.
As I write this, I know that every word I type is giving me more energy, and once I hit ‘publish’ on this article, my energy level will be higher than when I first started writing.
If your Energy Tank feels like it’s running on fumes, this is a good opportunity to stop and assess, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet.
It’s very likely that there are parts of your job that give you energy, parts of your job that drain your energy, and still other parts that are energy neutral.
If your Energy Tank warning light is on, do yourself a favor and keep an energy log for a week. For 1 week (5 working days), write down everything you do from the time you start working to the time you “clock out.”
This includes everything from checking emails and answering Slack messages to attending or leading Zoom meetings, completing reports, filing paperwork, coding, drafting documents, doing design work, and anything else that’s part of your day.
It’s most effective to log things throughout the day so they’re fresh in your mind, but you can also do it at the end of each day. For each thing you did, note whether it gave you energy or zapped your energy.
At the end of the week, you should have a much clearer picture of the types of tasks in your current role that give you energy.
From there, you can then decide whether it’s possible to shift your role to minimize the things that zap your energy, how long those shifts might take, and whether it’s even worth fighting for that possibility.
Gauge #5 – Sundays
When I was in the throes of my uncareer uncertainty, the Sunday Night Warning Light was one of the gauges I relied most heavily on to tap into those initial subtle whispers.
Every Sunday night, I would check in with myself. How was I feeling about Monday morning and the week ahead? Excited? Nervous? Content? Worried?
If I felt dread, anxiety, unease, restlessness, or any other “ughhhh” feeling for too many weeks in a row, that was my sign that something needed to change. Not necessarily that I needed to quit my job, just that I needed to dig deeper.
While the other gauges require more extensive inner work and reflection, the Sunday Night Warning Light is a simple, easy, and quick way to instantly gauge your current job fit at a high level.
To this day, I still check my Sunday Night Warning Light every Sunday, as I look forward to the week ahead. And to be honest, I’ve had times when every single Sunday for months I felt myself dreading Monday morning.
And just as we talked about above, if you hit the snooze button on those alarm warnings from the universe for too long, those whispers will only continue to get louder and louder until they clobber you upside the head, which is exactly what happened each time I ignored or brushed off my Sunday Night Warning Light for too many weeks in a row.
Because of that, I know better now than to ignore my Sunday Night Warning Light. When it starts blinking, I pay attention, and I look to make the shifts needed, even if they’re not easy.
Next Step – Calibrating Your Uncareer Path Dashboard
So there you have it – the 5 gauges of the Uncareer Path Dashboard – VIBES:
- V = Vision
- I = Impact
- B = Boredom
- E = Energy
- S = Sundays
And now that you know all 5 gauges, start by picking one that most calls out to you at this moment.
If you’re not sure, close your eyes, place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly, and take a deep, slow, soul-cleansing breath.
Then, without thinking, determine the area you most need to focus on first. And remember, all 5 gauges are connected, so most likely, digging into one will lead you to explore another, and so on.
There’s no set order to the gauges, so you can go through them in any order, only do the ones that serve you in your current situation, or just focus on a single one.
The important thing is that you use these questions and these tools to gain the clarity you need, because clarity is power. If you feel stuck and unsure right now, it’s probably because you don’t yet have the clarity to determine the path forward.
Once you gain that clarity, the rest will follow. So, don’t yet worry about how to write a resignation letter, how to hand off your projects, when to make the transition, how to find another role, or any of the other logistical details.
Set all of those aside for now, and just start with the intention and goal of finding the clarity you need, and trust that the how’s will come to you when you need them.
And if at the end, you realize that you do indeed need to quit your job, by all means – commit to your Self and move forward in your inner knowing. It takes a lot of courage to move through this process, so I commend you for doing this important work.
The world thanks you too. Because once you shift your role or find a new role – one that lights up all your VIBES – you’ll be able to maximize your impact on the world.
