The "Great Resignation" is a Great Reevaluation

About halfway through 2021, I started noticing something interesting happening in my work. My clients all wanted support around their working life & career.

Whether it’s pursuing a creative venture/side hustle, transitioning into more fulfilling work, redesigning an existing career or recovering from burnout; they all wanted to experience more meaning, fulfilment, ease & balance.

They were ready to reevaluate, reimagine & reinvent their work & their lives. And ultimately, they all wanted a life that’s a reflection of who they are.

About a month later I learned that there’s a term that describes what I saw was happening with my clients – The Great Resignation.

The Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit, is a term coined by Anthony Klotz, a professor of management at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Klotz anticipated that there would be a huge resignation wave based on a few different things due to the pandemic, including burnout, employees feeling undervalued, lack of flexibility, toxic work culture and more.

The pandemic forced us to reflect & take a hard look at our lives. It highlighted what we care about most & invited a great deal of us to reevaluate our day jobs, asking ourselves if they’re aligned with what we value, our priorities & how we want to impact the world.

Many have been asking themselves: “Is this it?” “What do I want?” “What makes my heart sing?” “What’s next?” and “If not now, then when?”

I think the past year has brought a deep realisation, for many, that they’ve been ‘living to work’ for a very long time. So perhaps this is the moment in history where we’re being asked to stop “making a living'' and start “making a life” (inspired by the words of Maya Angelou). To allow work to be a space that nourished us in deeper ways.

Change always starts as a feeling.

A niggling sensation that things aren’t quite right. That something is “off”. It invites us to explore further. More. To open up to new possibilities. To seek out opportunities. It can feel really scary to step into the unknown, which is why we often come up with a long list of reasons why it’s not the right time.

But here’s the thing –

Our minds will never be ready to take a leap into unfamiliar territory. In the end, you have to go with your heart. This isn’t about acting on an impulse. Making hasty decisions is likely going to get you back to where you are.

This is a moment ripe with possibilities and it’s calling you to really listen, pay attention, and then, take aligned action.

If you’ve been contemplating a pivot, a shift, in your life or career, I invite you to take the time to explore and get abundantly clear on what alignment really feels like for your next chapter. Don’t rush the process of discovering what that thing is, even if it takes a little longer it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Love,

Naama