Executive Assistant's Corner: When Do You Know It's Time To Go?

It's been a while since I've posted on our blog, and I do apologize for that. No, I haven't run out of things to share about our job, but I did do a crazy little thing - I resigned. It's one of those crossroads.

Yes, I left a high paying job with one of the top companies in the Philippines so I can devote my full time to my writing and freelancing career. Some people might say it was a poorly timed decision. We were in the middle of paying for a house and car loan. The house was turned over to us just this month and there are so many things that needs to be done to improve it. It's our dream house. So yeah, you can say that it's very poor timing, to leave a high paying job at this point in time. One can look at it that way, and sometimes I worry about it too.

But when it's time to go, it's time to go. There's no two ways about it. It wasn't an easy decision to make. For sentimental reasons and nothing else. I've been with the company for almost 12 years, seeing it through 2 acquisitions. I'ts like my baby. So, you can imagine how difficult it was to leave.

When do you know it's time to go? When you can no longer remember why you're there.

As we go along the twisting pathways of our careers, our daily tasks become a pattern. Reliable. Predictable. Comfortable. No matter how stressful the job is, we mold ourselves into the required shape and adjust. It becomes the norm for us and we don't give it a second thought. We just do it. But we all do this for a reason.

Our jobs, assisting the movers and shakers of a company, is not easy - but it can be gratifying. You wake up every day with a sense of purpose. It's more than the money, more than the privilege, more than the stature. It's knowing that you matter, that you are making a significant contribution, that you are learning and improving by being in that job. It's believing in the values that our bosses represent, and in the company we serve. In SOMETHING.

Can you imagine being the EA of Richard Branson or maybe one of the Google Boys? To know that you're part of something big and relevant, gives you pride. It's the fuel to our engine. Yes, money can be a fuel too. But if you lose your sense of pride in what you're doing... the money starts losing its appeal.

You wake up with a heavy step, unsure of your place, in disagreement with everything. It's not healthy and so not worth the time.

Responsibility calls and we might hesitate to leave a job we've come to despise. But life is too short and surely we can find other means to regain the income we've lost. So now, I'm living my dream, and I've recovered my purpose. Is it scary? You bet. Am I scared? Of course not. Being an Executive Assistant to one of the best leaders an EA can ever hope for has taught me so much - about life, about the corporate world, about people, about business. These lessons will serve me well.

I've been inside the Dragon's Lair... any challenge that I meet outside, is a piece of cake.

When do you know it's time to go? You just know. When that time comes, you'll know. It'll ooze out of your pores and invade your every thought. And there's this voice in your head that won't stop nagging! Yeah, it was like that... it could also be schizophrenia.

Does this mean I have nothing more to say about being an EA? Absolutely not. We're just starting..... There's a lot of things to talk about and I hope to be sharing more articles with you.

Thank you for continually subscribing to my site. Wishing you all success and fulfillment!