Recent professional challenges have gotten me thinking – am I with the right company, doing the right kind of work? It’s startling to think that the answer to those questions might be “no.”
My current job is full of great people. I love the company values and enjoy the work. But there are some parts of it that are difficult for me, and it makes me wonder:
How do you know when something isn’t right for you?
I’m thinking back to relationships. It always came down to a gut feeling that something wasn’t right, and that’s when I knew the relationship should end. My experience coming to minimalism was similar. I felt wrong having so many things stored in my closet or under my bed, wrong having so many clothes I rarely wore. When I learned that I didn’t have to, that I could choose to spend and own less, I felt amazingly liberated.
It helped with feelings of inferiority I had from school, too. I used to feel frumpy and embarrassed by my limited means compared to wealthier friends. Choosing the road less taken when it comes to accumulating stuff has helped my confidence and my feeling of being in the right place for me. However, the fact that I can choose to own and have less is a marker of class privilege, and I must acknowledge that.
When it comes to my professional life, I don’t know what will happen. We never truly know, no matter how many plans we make or how much we think we’re in control. And though gut feelings of wrongness can motivate us to make positive changes, I have to remember that it’s impossible to do the wrong thing or be in the wrong place. As The Beatles put it, “there’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be. It’s easy.”
