The Right Decision

Sometimes, making the right decision for yourself doesn’t always feel good. 

I can remember two very recent times where I had to make a decision for my life that didn’t necessarily feel good. One was leaving my last job and the other was ending my relationship. 

Let’s talk about the job situation though as I am sure the “ending the relationship” topic will be its own post in the future. 

I actually referenced this job in one of my first blog posts called “When Faith Makes you Stay”. At that time, I wanted to leave my job but the Lord had so much in store for me there. I was mostly being impatient (read for all the details) but ultimately learned I needed to wait and see what God had for me in that space. 

Well after over 4 years there, I was starting to feel like I needed to leave and move on to different opportunities. I learned so much and really got a solid footing in my profession there; they gave me opportunities that I never would have gotten and put me in a great position. I conquered fears there and really learned who I was in a professional sense. However, there was a point where I learned that .. it kind of stopped there. Where I wanted to go professionally couldn’t happen in that space for a multitude of reasons. Therefore, I prayed and asked the Lord to open up new professional opportunities for me and I’m happy to say, He did. 

When I got an offer for a new position, I was over the moon. But then the reality of potentially leaving was very scary. Was I really ready to make this leap and leave everything I knew? 

Well … I left. And yes, it was very scary. But here are some things I learned in leaving that I wouldn’t have gained if I stayed. 

Growth Requires for You to be Uncomfortable 

Putting in my resignation was uncomfortable. Telling my coworkers that I was moving onto a new opportunity was uncomfortable. Telling my manager was uncomfortable. Telling the VP of the company and the leadership team was uncomfortable. And not only was all of that uncomfortable, but it was also HARD. Like I said, I learned and grew so much in that space; leaving was hard. However, after some time in my new position, I learned that I would have never learned all that I was actively learning had I not had an uncomfortable season and left. Has my new position been all sunshine and rainbows? NOPE. Has it been worth it? YEP. I wouldn’t trade my experiences at BOTH companies for the world. And even at my new company, I was uncomfortable because I was learning things I had never done before. But that season is required for growth. Which leads to my next point…

It Won’t Always Feel Great

There are two pieces to this point. First, it won’t always feel great to make the decision and stand in it. While I was excited about moving into a new opportunity, I recognized that I was leaving a lot. I was comfortable on all fronts, and I was happy to a certain extent. I didn’t want those feelings to go away, even though I knew I was ready to move into a new job. There was even some part of me that felt guilty for leaving the company. But sometimes you have to know that what’s on the other side, is better for where you are in your life. The grass isn’t necessarily greener, but it just has different brown patches. 

Secondly, learning a new “normal” won’t always feel great either. With my new position, I was waking up about two hours earlier, communing, and getting off a little later. I was also meeting new people, learning new things daily, and getting used to new management. Yea…didn’t feel great all the time. In fact, it was quite overwhelming. However, I knew that adjusting to this new “normal” was going to be worth it for many reasons, including career advancement. 

Making the right decision for your life is going to come with many emotions and thoughts. You may regret it, and you may not. You may be overwhelmed and excited. You may be scared and nervous. But you have to trust that you know yourself enough to trust the decisions that you make. Yes, that takes practice, but every time you do it, it gets easier and easier. 

Trust me, I know.