I wrote down one thing I learned every day for 10 years. And I’m still writing…
“people are often not as big as you assume” and other lessons on leaving a job.
Joe Fox says it over and over again in You’ve Got Mail, “It isn’t personal, it’s business.” and that’s hard to understand in your twenties because so much of who you are is tied up in your work identity and that first job is the only work identity you’ve had so far. But it’s business and leaving a job is actually less daunting than we make it out to be in our twenties. So here are some lessons to keep in mind when you are leaving a job, from someone who has been there a time or two (or five).
Never Stop Learning
You might not be taking a “First Day” photo again anytime soon, at least not sincerely, but that doesn’t mean the firsts have stopped and don’t let the learning stop either. You can just let things happen to you or you can make your days more productive and more useful by looking for the lesson.
Here are a handful of my favorite lessons from my very first journal and the beginning of my journaling practice. My first season of adult “firsts” if you will.
Don’t Go Looking for Love, Go Looking for Things You Love To Do
Whether you are just married or don’t ever plan to be, or you are tired of swiping left and looking for a partner left and right, the “Love” chapter of Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In highlights that at all stages, action—chasing, changing, losing, pursuing, and choosing—is necessary for love. So let your first action be that you are getting busy doing something you love to do.
What’s one thing you wish you’d known before you left home?
At a recent book talk someone asked me this question. And it's such a good question to ask. Not just for “before you left home for college?” Or “before you left home to move to a new city?” What about what you wish you’d known “before you left home for your first day of work?” Or simply what you wish you’d known “before you left home today”…