The list of reasons we are scared to quit our jobs

There are many forces us keeping us in a state of misery that are challenging to unpack.  Here are some ideas from people I’ve worked with:

  • Identity: We define ourselves as workers, as someone that “doesn’t quit,” as someone that works hard
  • Relationships: We are scared that people will not accept us if we step into an unknown path and don’t have answers for where we are headed
  • Belonging: We don’t feel part of anything except our company or work community
  • Biological: We mistake comfort for safety and try to avoid the feeling of discomfort
  • Inertia: It is easier to do what we did yesterday than to imagine a different possibility
  • Emotional Pressure: We want to please the people we work with and our broader network
  • Financial Realities: We literally will run out of money if we don’t work for a month
  • Future potential money Fears: We cannot overcome the feeling that we will always need “more” and spend a lot of time imagining the worst case scenario (“what if I get sick?” etc…)
  • Time-based economic pressure: “If I stay only six more months I’ll get my next bonus”
  • Meaning: We find a lot of meaning at work and are not sure what could replace it

What else would you add?

About Paul Millerd

Paul is a writer, creator, and curious human that is passionate about how people can reimagine their relationship with work to do things that matter. He published The Pathless Path in 2022.

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