Reclaiming Opportunity

I just unquit my job.

If you didn’t already know, I have a casual job and have been working for nearly two years now. It’s definitely not a career I intend to stay in as most of you know, I’m trying to build something of my own. Lately, I’ve felt not good enough or fast enough at my job. It often becomes a cycle of either feeling like I’m letting people down or feeling like I’m not being appreciated for the effort that I try my best to put in. So, a few days ago, I finally put in my resignation to officially quit in the next few weeks.

Fast forward to last night. My coworker sent me a message saying that she saw my resignation and wanted to check in to see if everything was okay. Obviously, I replied back saying that everything was fine and that it was just my time to leave. Here’s when the tears hit. She told me that she always saw potential in me and wanted me to stay. I ended up telling her the real reason why I had felt quitting, and we had a really sweet conversation. She convinced me to give it another month.

I often refer to opportunity as doors. You know, stepping through new doors of potential, taking that next step. Well, sometimes, it’s not just about constantly chasing new opportunities, but also being able to take a step back to see where you are and just take it all in. A step back is not always a setback. Sometimes what we truly need is already where we are. The grass is not always greener on the other side; it is greener where you water it, where you plant your roots and nourish the opportunity and life you are already living.

The co-worker who helped me see this is now a manager, but when I first started out, she was one of my trainers. She told me that even to this day, she still thinks about her trainer who made a big impact on her. She was that person to me. She told me she thinks that I could be that person for others.

Reclaiming opportunity is not only allowed by the person having the will to accept it, but also by others’ encouragement and belief. We have so much more influence on others than we think. Simply by giving someone a compliment or acknowledging their work, uplifts them more than you could comprehend. I’m sure you know it to be true for yourself, so why not believe that it’s the same for others? When we believe in others, we encourage them to believe in themselves and that is so powerful.

For those of you who struggle with believing you deserve the opportunity you seek, I want you to know that you are not alone. I and so many others struggle with that every day, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. I believe in second chances and that everything happens for a reason. As the saying goes, “trying never fails”. Maybe I’ll decide to really quit after this month, maybe I’ll stay and be even happier. Regardless, I’m reclaiming this opportunity thanks to a very special person.

There is always room for growth and improvement. The journey does not need to be linear; it just needs to keep going.