The Resignation — and What It Teaches All of Us About Getting Unstuck

I read a story recently. A mid life employee had just resigned. No notice. No warning.

Just… gone.

It caused chaos, of course. Colleagues scrambling, managers reassigning work.

But when she was asked why, her answer:

“Companies don’t give notice when they’re letting you go. You just show up and find out it’s your last day. Why should I give them more courtesy than they’d give me?”

Now, I didn’t agree with her completely — but I understood it. To her, the old workplace contract was broken. It didn’t feel mutual. Or fair.

🧠 It Wasn’t Anger. It Was Clarity.

When asked what might have made her stay, she was quick to answer:

“Everyone wants to feel like they’re working toward something. If there’s no progress, no purpose — what’s the point?”

For her, it wasn’t about pensions or plaques.

It was about purpose — progress that felt personal. Momentum that mattered.

She went on to say she couldn’t afford to buy a home on her salary.

She had no mortgage or dependents keeping her there.

The work was draining, and if she wasn’t growing, she wasn’t staying.

And then came the line that’s been ringing in my head ever since:

“The corporate ladder doesn’t exist anymore. Boomers won’t retire, Millennials are stuck in the middle, and now AI is taking over. Where’s the room for me to grow?”

That wasn’t entitlement.

That was a clear-eyed view of the system — and a decision to opt out.

📌 Progress vs. Motion

Her story made me reflect on how often we confuse motion for progress.

We climb ladders without asking where they lead.

We keep turning up out of habit, loyalty, or fear — even when the path ahead doesn’t excite us.

The truth?

Many of us — have felt this same stuckness.

We’ve just been taught to push through rather than question it.

But sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is stop.

Take stock.

And choose again.

💬 If You’re Feeling Stuck…

Maybe you’re not about to hand in your notice.

But maybe you’ve felt that same itch for change.

That quiet voice that says:

“I want more than this.”

Not more pressure. Not more burnout.

More meaning. More purpose. More you in the work you do.

Ask yourself:

• What systems or expectations are keeping me here?

• Am I showing up from alignment — or obligation?

• What would “progress with purpose” look like right now?

🌿 You Get to Redesign Your Ladder

Becoming unstuck doesn’t always mean walking out the door.

Sometimes it starts with telling the truth — to yourself first.

The ladder you’re on might not be broken.

But if it’s leaning against the wrong wall, no amount of climbing will take you where you want to go.

Your career, your business, your life — it’s all yours to reimagine.

That’s where the real results begin.

One love,
— Shirley your Rooted Results Coach🪴 to root down and grow forward? Let’s talk.