Just like Johnny Flynn said
The breath I’ve taken and the one I must to go on
Put the grenade pin in your hand, so you understand who’s boss
My defeat sleeps top to toe with her success
~Alt-J: Matilda

Got a moment? Go ahead and Google ‘how do I know when it’s time to let go?’ Come on, do it; you know you want to. What will you get? 585,000,000 articles on breaking up, moving on, and saying goodbye.

It was about two months ago that I searched that very phrase in a moment of conflicting opinion. (Now don’t get all feisty or forlorn for me…that hot husband of mine and I are righteous and good. This decision includes him; this is not of him.)  You see, I needed career advice and I wasn’t ready for a brain to pick or a mentor to mull with. Husband and I had been bouncing hypothetical, but I required neutralized and unemotional guidance. So of course I went to the Internet.

Hidden amongst the millions of hits was the gem I required – Iyanla Vanzant: When to Let Go and Move On. Now I’ve read some of Vanzant’s work before and I’ve witnessed her truth moments on a little show called ‘Oprah’. While I usually find her a tad preachy, this time she resonated well with my spirit.

Q: How do I know when it’s time to let go?

1. You feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle.
2. You feel obligated, not excited, to stay.
3. You’re not valued.
4. Fear is holding you back.
5. You’re compromising yourself.
   

It’s a simple list and a short and easy read. But it helped define the course and made me realize what I needed; what we as a family needed. We needed me to leave the job that I loved and the city that was growing on me. Why? To accept a career, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a roadmap, a challenge, and a lifestyle. To do my part in our forever future. My letting go and moving on is one big step in OUR moving upward.

So, tomorrow is my last day with my job. It’s bittersweet and was not a decision we made lightly. I respect and love the people who passionately make up this great contact center community of ours. My colleagues, partners, and clients that spark my customer-centric brain and make me more creative are so appreciated. And those that make me laugh uproariously will be greatly missed. But if I look up and reread those five answers, the only answer that matters is clear.

Here’s to battles that can be won. Here’s to excitement. Here’s to value. Here’s to faith of moving forward. Here’s to accommodation and never settling. Here’s to another adventure! (And thank you dear hot husband. You are a wonder.)