CHAPTER 12Make a Plan to Move On: Sometimes You Need a Fresh Start
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them—that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
—Lao Tzu
This chapter is for those who have decided they need a fresh start in a new job with a new manager in a new company. The question is how to get from where you are to where you want to be. Do you look for a job while still employed? Do you take “a package” or quit outright to devote 100% of your time to looking for a job? What do you do first, next, after that?
Looking for a job is stressful. It takes time, effort, and an ability to tolerate failure multiple times. After all, every time you apply for a job, at each step in the process, you feel like you have failed until you take a job. You feel like you have no control over your career. It's stressful whether you look for a job while still employed or not.
If you are still employed, you have the additional stress of leading a double life. You still should be giving 100% of your best effort to your job, teammates, and employer (so they do not think you are looking for a job). At the same time, you are planning to deprive them of their best asset—you. You're going to go to work on looking for a job after you've completed the work of doing your job.
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