Not all resignations are written with ink. Some begin quietly—with a sigh, a fading passion, or long glances at the clock. Sometimes, you don’t leave your profession; rather, it leaves you. So, when your energy shifts from a space of achievement to a field of dull tasks, it doesn’t necessarily mean you must leave. But it definitely calls for you to pause and ask yourself: Does what I do every day still reflect who I am? Are there hidden signs telling you that this profession no longer suits you? Let’s explore this through several points discussed by journalist and personal development expert Ranim Al-Saqr.
When you accomplish but feel no inner impact
There was a time when even a small achievement filled you with pride, as if you were adding a brick to your own inner structure. Today, nothing moves inside you—even if you complete the toughest tasks or receive words of praise. Everything you do feels like a mere administrative procedure—just a “done” box checked—yet inside you no longer responds. You don’t expect appreciation or feel satisfaction; everything has become just another duty fulfilled. Days repeat, tasks repeat, and you repeat, while your sense of self diminishes. This is the most dangerous stage; because the silence feels like stability, but it is actually extinction.
Why does achievement sometimes feel empty?
-
Because you’ve emotionally detached from what you do, even if you’re skilled at it.
-
Because skill does not mean attachment, and mastery does not equal belonging.
-
Because work has lost its impact on you and become a soulless act.
When you start feeling like you’re playing a role that isn’t you
What began as professionalism may turn into continuous acting. You use language you’re uncomfortable with, laugh at the wrong time, and adopt a style that doesn’t express you—just because it fits the environment. Gradually, you lose the connection between your true self and your work persona. You become skilled at social maneuvering and hiding your spontaneity—not because you want to, but because the environment requires it, the role demands it, and the public image needs it. Over time, you forget how to behave naturally and find yourself living a role you can’t step out of, even after work hours.
How do you know you’re acting more than expressing?
-
When your work language feels foreign compared to your life.
-
When fatigue starts the moment you enter the workplace.
-
When people praise a presence you don’t recognize in yourself.
When you start counting down each day from the moment you wake up
As soon as you wake up, your first thought is: How long until the day ends? You don’t remember when you started thinking like this, but it’s become a habit. You check the clock more than your goals and think about your next break more than your career development. Everything feels temporary, filled with a silent wish for it to end. Tasks? A burden. Meetings? Draining. Attendance? An obligation. No moment brings you true enjoyment; everything becomes silent waiting for something you don’t enjoy to finish. Time that used to make you feel alive now feels like you’re moving against its flow.
How do you know time has become your enemy, not your ally?
-
When you start your day wishing it would end instead of beginning.
-
When tasks feel like heavy burdens, not inspiring opportunities.
-
When the hours spent feel like endless waiting.
-
When you no longer see yourself in the future your career is supposed to build.
When the professional future no longer reflects who you are
Your career future is supposed to be an inspiring map—milestones, achievements, goals you climb towards. But when you lose enthusiasm for this map or see it as a path that doesn’t resemble you, that’s a big sign. You might get promoted, assigned important projects, or offered a position, but without excitement—only pretending. Because the path no longer reflects your vision of yourself; it may even contradict it. And the further you go down this path, the more you feel you’re drifting away from the person you once wanted to be.
When do steps forward become steps away from yourself?
-
When you see your career future as something imposed, not inspiring.
-
When promotion drains you instead of developing you.
-
When you lose faith that this path really has a meaningful end for you.
When you start thinking about quitting but stay silent
Every few days, the thought comes: Maybe I should leave. You don’t say it out loud, but you feel it as a quiet, recurring pulse inside. You review the reasons, then run away from them: Not now, the salary is good, no better alternative. But you know this thought doesn’t come for nothing. Something inside you has started breaking—maybe it’s already broken. Silence doesn’t protect you; it only prolongs your stay in a place that no longer gives you anything but a paycheck, while taking away everything else: motivation, identity, passion. Staying here isn’t strength—it’s a polite escape from facing what you already know.
Why is silence about the idea of resignation more dangerous than the thought itself?
-
Because it hides a real anxiety behind seemingly logical excuses.
-
Because it creates a fragile coexistence with a reality that doesn’t resemble you.
-
Because it prolongs staying in a place that no longer adds value to your life.
Post a Comment