On Quitting

I quit my job at huge New York law firm almost exactly a year ago.  It was something that I'd fantasized about for months and months beforehand, but up until the moment it happened, I couldn't quite believe that I was on the verge of making such an impactful decision in my life.  Yes, people have many jobs over the course of their lifetimes, and as my grandmother often says, "You don't marry a job."  However, leaving my first "grown up" job to move across the country will always mark a turning point in my life (I'm still a lawyer, but I promise my job is so different now).Quitting is often associated with a sort of character deficit or weakness, and indeed, when I began searching for quotes about quitting, I came across dozens of quotes touting the virtue of "never quitting."  Sometimes, though, quitting is the absolute best thing to do.  When I found this Steve Jobs quote, it rang true to me and offered a different perspective on quitting. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in perseverance and hard work.  Great things rarely come easy, so it's definitely necessary to overcome challenges in order to actually accomplish something awesome.  But there's also value in focusing on whether the struggle is actually worth something and having the confidence to change directions if that's not the case.My last job did not add anything valuable to my life, and it did not allow me to add value to the lives of others in a way that was meaningful to me.  There were also long hours and tons of stress and excruciating boredom, but those were secondary reasons behind me ultimately deciding to leave.  A year later, I'm still managing this major transition, and I can't say it's been easy.  Every job has challenges and there will always be good days and bad days.  The main difference now is that my good days at work vastly outnumber my bad days.  I'm still searching for ways to balance my professional goals, personality traits, intellectual interests and geographical preferences (still missing NY like crazy), and I'm sure that juggling act will continue for quite some time.Despite the doubt and fear and stress that came along with quitting my job (and moving back to the Bay Area), I don't regret my decision.  It taught me that making a change to improve an area of my life is never a bad idea.  It is a choice that I should make whenever possible.  It also taught me resilience and, most importantly, how being more patient, thoughtful, honest and introspective can help avoid bad decisions in the first place.  Hindsight is 20/20 after all.Sometimes it takes a while before actually quitting is possible.  Sometimes we have to be rational and remember we are adults and have bills to pay.  So in the meantime, let's try to find one thing to do each day that moves us closer to the day where we can say "I love my job" (and without any irony).