The Art of Quitting

[timo2]

Interesting article here
The Art of Quitting | Atlas Obscura

"
Even with money playing a factor, there’s a limit with what we’re willing to do if we’re just not interested anymore, or the weight becomes too much for us to bear.
“I left on a whim, the same day that I announced my decision. I had been unhappy long enough to know that quitting was the right thing to do,” said onetime model agent Marie Darsigny, discussing why she quit her “pointless” dream job.
There’s actually a good name for this in the realm of psychology. It’s called “goal disengagement,” and it’s actually a good thing when you get older."

 

[REWahoo]

What the hell does quilting have to do with ER?

Oh, you said 'quitting'...

 

[MuirWannabe]

Sounds very similar to what this forum has long referred to as the BS bucket overlfow.

 

[38Chevy454]

Sounds very similar to what this forum has long referred to as the BS bucket overlfow.

or the related statement: "quit when you have enough and have had enough"

 

[FreeBear]

Funny, I first read "goal disengagement" as "total disengagement"! Well, I took both of these roads!

My old gig devolved from "dream j*b" to t*urd over a few decades. Of course, I changed too. I got a life outside of w*rk and realized what I was missing, namely my life!

 

[Davis65]

"Goal disengagement" is something I definitely have to work towards. I make seek out professional assistance on this from members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who seem to be experts.

 

[Markola]

That's a great article. Thank you. On a really bad day this spring, I marched to CVS and bought a little notebook for 97 cents. I then numbered pages, from 1 to 18. This week I ripped out month 15, and it felt good crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash. At month 12, I plan to start networking. Regardless, at month 0, which is the three year maximum I've set for is job, "buh bye!"


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Willers]

The last line in the article:
,
"It’s not giving up, it’s disengagement."

I hadn't really though about it this way, but it explains my evolution. I don't hate my job and overall I like the people with whom I work. I just have goals and values that don't match my organization. Great run, but it's done.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Daniel J]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Wow, I forwarded that to three people already.
Fantastic article, timo, thanks. I love Atlas Obscura and somehow missed that one.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Funny, I first read "goal disengagement" as "total disengagement"! Well, I took both of these roads!

My old gig devolved from "dream j*b" to t*urd over a few decades. Of course, I changed too. I got a life outside of w*rk and realized what I was missing, namely my life!

DDs dream job (first job) crumbled quickly but she has recovered. She is learning fairly quickly.

 

[FreeBear]

Hey Ed_The_Gypsy,

Is DD looking for another j*b or is toughing it out?

I survived 2 decades in my first j*b after college. I started thinking about a new job and even different career after just a few years. I decided to tough it out in the same gig since my fellow engineering friends were even more unhappy with their j*bs than I was with mine. Eventually, I started preparing for FI, then FIRED.

 

[growing_older]

I've had dream jobs disintegrate into terrible jobs around me. Usually because of a management change higher up in the organization. I've usually stuck it out in hopes the situation would be improved, but it never has, no matter how hard I try. Fixing management blunders layers above you has never worked for me. Ultimately I end up leaving when the place literally goes out of business or I am forced out by layoffs. I wish I was better at quitting before the situations got so bad. I could have saved a lot of years of wasted hard work and miserable work stress.

 

[boog]

Quote from article above: "People born between the years of 1957 and 1965 had an average of 11.3 jobs between 1978 and 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics." I'm quite sub-average - two jobs during that period - still at the second one. Just turned 58 and hope to be gainfully unemployed within one more year. I was able to disengage from an 11 year management stint and return to a staff position about two-thirds through my career while staying with the same company. This preserved (relatively) my sanity and made the work both more tolerable and rewarding. For me, getting off the career ladder climb was the right thing to do. Goals should evolve and lead to satisfaction, not life-sapping stress.