Leap!

by Maggie Blehar

I recently quit my job. It was a full-time job with good benefits. I had been working there for almost three years, and when I started, I thought I had found the perfect place for me. It was a job that required an advanced degree, a job I was extremely passionate about. Everything was great, until it wasn’t.

Let me clarify… I recently quit my job without another lined up. On my last day, as well-meaning, caring coworkers who I will truly miss hugged me goodbye, the inevitable question was repeated over and over: “Where ya going now?”

My response of “nowhere yet” accompanied by my ridiculously huge smile was met with incredulous stares and confused expressions.

I could read their thoughts. How could I quit a well-paying, secure job that I had worked hard for in the middle of a global pandemic where, despite this “great resignation” trend, finding employment is currently extremely difficult? How could I quit a job without another waiting for me?

My sister shared a quote with me a few years back: “Leap, and the net will appear.” It’s actually written on the outside of a building in the Passyunk neighborhood of Philadelphia and I walk by it often. This quote had been replaying in my head for the past six months. Uncoincidentally, I had been utterly miserable at my job for the past six months. (Longer than that, if I’m being completely honest with myself.)

During every breakdown, every anxiety attack, every outburst of frustration at the sheer toxicity of my work environment, Leap! sounded in my mind. Leap, leap, leap! As I sobbed to a coworker turned friend a few weeks ago, I said through my tears, “I’m so unhappy here. For 9 hours straight I’m just unhappy. I can’t let myself be unhappy like this anymore.”

Her response? “Maggie, just quit.”

Maggie, just quit. The Leap! that had been echoing in the back of my mind finally clicked, so I did it. I quit.

The next day, I was checking out at a local shop and the woman behind the counter asked me how I was doing. Before I could think about it, I responded: “Great! I just quit my job!”

Her eyes widened. “Wow, you’re so brave.”

Bravery? Maybe. But I think I would call it love instead. I finally found the love for myself that I had been giving everyone else but myself for far too long. My cup had been empty for a while, and I was still trying to pour from it. Well, as the saying so correctly goes, you cannot pour from an empty cup.

Whether my decision was bravery, love, or a little bit of both, I have never felt more free. I’m not scared, I’m not worried, I’m not anxious. I’m just happy, and I’m confident that the right job will find me. In fact, a few days after I resigned, three different jobs reached out to me. I had been applying for months, with zero response, and then I heard from three at once. Leap, and the net will appear.

It’s scary to take a leap of faith, and I’m not saying you should quit your job right now (unless you’re spending every minute there unhappy, like I was, then definitely go quit your job right now). What I am saying is: take the leap. Nervous to start a new relationship? Tell the butterflies to be quiet and ask that person out. Scared that a publishing company will reject the brainchild you’ve been working on for years? Click “send” confidently. Feeling self-conscious in a new pair of jeans? Rock that shit.

Every successful person in the history of the world took a leap, and guess what? Their net appeared. In America, we are told starting in pre-K that the only way to be successful is to get good grades, go to college, secure a 9-5, work there until we retire. If that’s something you want, then more power to you. If it’s not, call BS on the system that’s tried to convince you that gratification comes in the same package for everyone. It so doesn’t.

If you need a boost, a sign, a message from the universe… this is it. Just leap! I promise you, your net will appear.

Maggie Blehar is a Philadelphia based writer. She loves traveling, walking her dog, painting, meditation, working for social justice, digging deeper into her zodiac sign, and crossing Philly restaurants off her bucket list. She has been plant-based since 2011 and is always in search of ethical companies to support. Some of her favorite organizations are: Don’t Eat the Homies, Farm Sanctuary, CHNGE, Gentle Barn, and the Equal Justice Initiative. You can find out more about her at www.maggieblehar.com.