I had my own "Great Resignation" ten years ago. Here's what I learned.

Here's a few things to consider if you're thinking about leaving your unfulfilling job during the “Great Resignation." And a few actionable items to work on to prepare you for the shift to a more autonomous life.

A record number of Americans are leaving jobs to pursue more life fulfilling work. They want to feel joy, achievement, or autonomy and there is nothing wrong with that. But if you’re looking to leave a job in the hopes that you’ll have time to stick to your fitness routine, eat healthier, experience more joyful activities, and have greater life satisfaction, then I’ve got really bad news for you.

Barring a few extreme examples, most people won’t find any of those things lingering at the other side of their resignation. If you can’t make time for the things you want to do and find joy exactly where you are right now, then you won’t do it when you leave your job. You won’t do it at any other job. You won’t do it if you work for yourself. You won’t do it if you win a billion dollars and are independently wealthy. Studies are pretty clear that whatever your life looks like now is what your life will keep looking like. In lottery winners, nothing really changes after they win the lottery, least of all happiness, and most of them wind up just as broke as they were before winning the lottery with an increased feeling of loss and lack of happiness.