Everyone considers leaving their job at some point.

As people, we want to be considered responsible. Society encourages you to be responsible and rewards you accordingly. No one wants to be considered the type of person that bails out when the company gets tough and cutbacks are made. However, holding onto a dying system is not healthy (or profitable) either. Timing is everything. I have also witnessed people looking for a new job on Wednesday, rolling into the weekend and then thinking Monday will be better at work. Their efforts are inconsistent in the search and they remain unhappy, fooling themselves into thinking there is no place else to go.

Committing to leaving your job should be done after a careful audit. Perhaps it is the time to start looking around for greener pastures. Perhaps you held on through recession and could be positioned nicely for a promotion, and leaving could hinder your progression. Timing is part of the equation. The other part is a check up to see if it makes sense from an emotional and financial perspective to start looking at online job ads.

• Audit your career by asking yourself:
• Did the recession create more room for advancement or less?
• Are you committed and happy in this job? Why or why not?

Is the company financially stable? Look at their financials over the last five years. What is the trend?

• Do you trust your boss? Will he/she be an advocate and guide your career path?
• Will your boss leave the company? Does that change your picture?
• Do you trust the leaders of the organization and believe in their decision making?

If your pay was cut during the recession, is there a timeline to get it back?

If your health benefits or 401 (k) was cut, is there a timeline to get it back?

Deciding to leave a job does not equate to failure or giving up. Looking at the hard facts about your career and telling the truth will give you the answers. You have all the answers you need. They are all there, you just have to slow down, ask the questions, tune in and make a decision.

Knowing when the job is over and when to leave is where your power lies. Holding onto something with a cat’s claws only makes letting go even tougher when the road disappears from under your feet. Surrender is the key. Letting go is being in flow.

Suffering is resistance to what is. Resistance to reality is painful. When your contingencies of what you need it to look like are outweighed by your ability to change, misery is the result.

Staying in a position with a company after recession may be a good choice for you. Certainly if you feel valued and you are compensated fairly, then stay. Auditing your current employer both emotionally and financially is extremely valuable and can help you make the decision of starting a job search or not.

When working for them isn’t working for you anymore, it’s time to leave.

Bio:
Elizabeth Lions is the Author of I Quit! Working For You Isn’t Working For Me and has a private career coaching practice helping engineers and IT professionals. For more about her work or to contact her directly, please visit www.elizabethlions.com