Quitting your good job...

Because it doesn't light you up 🔥

---

I remember the day I decided to quit my job.

It was 2006 and I was in a staff meeting with my colleagues in the Protected Resources Division at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

I’d been studying the Myers Briggs system (I’m an ENFP) and had learned that the work that felt like torture to me was fulfilling to other types. I looked around at my coworkers and realized: Ohhhh, they like this! This seemingly simple epiphany blew my mind. These people were literally made for the work we were doing. I, on the other hand, was not.

This is not the kind of work I was doing in my cubicle. This photo is from Barbados, where I was studying coral reef fish.

I was good at my job, but the hours spent sitting in a cubicle writing “government-ese” in Environmental Impact Assessments and Research Permit Reports made me feel like a prisoner. It was time to go, and it was so freeing to know that the people I’d be leaving behind would enjoy their work.

I’ve been thinking about this moment a lot lately. I didn’t stay in that job for 365 days because I was committed to a certain career path. Rather, it was my love for humans and a mistaken belief that because I felt trapped and bored by my work, my coworkers must have felt that same way too.

I can see that so clearly now, as Human Design shows us that we need to celebrate that we are all so different. There are people in this world who love putting together a good spreadsheet. There are people who love planning. There are people who love rules and structure. There are people who love okra.

None of those people are me and lemme tell you how wonderful it is that those  spreadsheet-loving, logical planners exist. Ohmygoodness, they help me so much! They help me plan trips and fill out forms. They create amazing events. And they eat all the okra. (Note, whether you like okra or not is not in your HD chart, but the other stuff is…)

None of us are meant to do it alone. We’re designed to fit together like puzzle pieces—and together, we rise.

I love being a human with you. 

Love,

Kelsey

✨An Announcement 🙌

I’ve made loads of updates to the homepage of kelseyabbott.com and I want you to come see!

I’m Kelsey. I’m a Certified Professional Coach, Human Design Guide and Instigator of Joy. My intention for this publication is to help you be the wonderful weirdo your soul wants you to be. I also write about gluten-free, whole-food, plant-based cooking at Find Your Awesome Sauce and I write love notes to Manifesting Generators at The Manifesting Generator Playground.

I love working one-on-one with clients through Private Coaching Sessions, Human Design Play Sessions and more. Learn more and book your session at kelseyabbott.com.