It’s sad to watch things slowly decline over time. Businesses that once offered stellar customer service and no longer do, teams that long ago ceased to operate like well-oiled machines, great relationships that have now grown cold and tired, and realizing that your perspective on improving an organization is neither valued nor wanted. These changes can be so gradual that their effects go unseen at first, perhaps even for years. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that something is wrong and must be fixed. Once this happens, without immediate and often drastic action to make things as they should be at every level, the negative changes will only continue to accumulate and create more problems. The difficult part is doing your best to fix those problems, especially when there are a number of things that are beyond your control. It becomes heartbreaking when you realize that all your efforts were for naught and you’d be better off looking for something else.
This is where you’re faced with a choice: continue trying to change this situation into how you’d like it to be or find something else that is already like that. If you have any hope of salvaging your current situation, you’ll probably stay there until your hope is completely depleted or you learn of something else that is much better in comparison. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom and seeing that this situation will only continue getting worse before you decide to look for a way out. It can be difficult to leave, especially if you’ve grown close to the people you met there and have invested a lot of time trying to fix problems. But if you’re burning yourself out trying to make a difference and it’s clear that you can’t, then it’s time to go.
Getting out of a bad situation and into a good one is the best thing you can do for yourself. It may also be just what the other people there need. If you’ve been going around and constantly fixing the mistakes of others, they have no incentive to do better because you’ll always be there to save them. But if you’re not there anymore, they’ll have to take responsibility and be more careful. And if some of them have been sticking around just because you’re there, then your absence might give them the incentive they need to leave and find something better for themselves. Either way, you’ll no longer be burdened with all the problems of that situation. You’ll be free to pursue something better and more in line with your values and interests. And you’ll be able to do much more good there than you ever could in a bad situation.
I’ve been doing this for a while now and it’s dramatically improved my life. Even though I’m not completely out of the woods yet, I’m much happier and better off overall than I was before I started this. There were many things I was able to do immediately, and others that involved waiting for the right moment; once I knew that the time was right, I jumped at my opportunity. No matter where you are in life and how your situation looks, you can always do something to put yourself in a better position. The more areas of life in which you can do this, the more satisfying, fulfilling, and joyous your life will be. I’m finding this out for myself and loving every minute of it. I wish you all the best and hope you find something that works for you.