Walk Away, Renée or How I Made the Best Change of My Life

The year is 1966. The band -  The Left Banke. The story - one of love and a free-spirited girlfriend named Renée. But you know that's not what this article is about! It's not just about walking away, but  knowing when to walk away. When it feels right. When the flame has sputtered and died. When all options have been reviewed and re-reviewed. It's about closing a door so that another may open. And it's not just about love relationships. It's about life - work, education, travel, friends, recreation, opportunities. People and places and things that have fully reached their potential shelf-life and have expired.

It's about knowing when to walk away

Sometimes the lines are a little hazy; we throw away eggs when the expiration date has been reached, but we might hold onto aspirin and canned tomato soup longer.

                                      

When it comes to people, where we live and where we work, it is not as simple as discarding a few old eggs into the garbage disposal. Great consideration should be given to the serious consequences that such a decision will place upon the one walking away and the one left behind.

It's equally important to think about what precipitated the need to change your (fill in the blank). When you feel the time has come to change your relationship with your spouse or dear friend, quit your job, move away from your home or hometown entirely, it shouldn't be a snap judgement. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of staying and leaving. A reactive nature may cause this to be the worst decision ever, while a conscientious nature may turn it into the best.

Chaos can lead to calamity as well as great change. Looking deeply into the reasons why you want to walk away from a situation will support your final decision. This life-altering change usually cannot be easily reversed. Think about this before you make it a definite move:

1. Can anything be done (worked on) so that walking away is not necessary or still a little ways off from a life disruption?
2. Have you considered the pros and cons of leaving?
3. Is there a way to take a short break to delve deeper into the situation prior to ending it? During the break you  may want to talk to a therapist or job counselor to gain a different, unbiased perspective. Reading books and conducting research can also shed light and assist in arriving at a well thought out resolution.

Also remember that if the person  or job is  making you ill, unhappy and unfulfilled on a daily basis, after trying all other avenues, the arrow is pointing towards making a change. And as the little poster to the left says, "All Great Changes Are Preceded by Chaos." Chaos is a pretty good indicator that change is going to net you a whole lot more future happiness than you're feeling right now. Makes you think, maybe Renee should have run!