As many people know, I've spent many years in the professional realm as a marketing specialist and social media manager. So how did I know when it was the perfect time to pack up my post-its and make my passion a reality as a life coach? Find out three of my top hints for knowing it was the right time to quit my job, and how to tell when it's time for you to move on.

While I loved the people I worked with, I had known for a time that the role itself was not fulfilling for me. Here are some of the biggest indicators of when I knew it was time to wish my coworkers a bittersweet goodbye to take my life coach role full-time:

1. The role didn't use my strengths or fit my values.
While I valued the creative aspects of the job I was doing, that made up only 20-30% of my time at work. The rest of it was spend creating spreadsheets, managing the movement of our product release schedule, and really diving into administrative tasks. The problem? I'm not administrative. I thrive on variety, person-to-person communication, and directly helping other people. Spreadsheets weren't doing that for me, and I knew they never would.

2. I wasn't being pushed or forced to grow
When you work on a regular release schedule where almost every week looks exactly the same for you, it's easy to get in a rut, and to get bored. I knew that there wasn't going to be some magical change in my position where I got to do big thinking, or create overall strategic plans. I wasn't going to expand my skill set doing the same things week after week. And I worked for a very small company and there was no chance to grow into a new role at any point of time either. They say you're either moving forward or moving backward -- there is no standing still. By this definition, it was either make my own path forward, or continue moving backward.

3. Simply put, I wasn't doing what I was passionate about.
I truly believe that each person was born with specific talents and virtues. And I wasn't using mine! I've been described my entire life in the same way, with the same compliments, and the same strengths highlighted over and over again. I'm giving, I'm loving, I'm always thinking of others and always willing to help a friend out. The best compliment I've ever received? "You genuinely know how to make whoever you come across feel loved." Now tell me, how was I utilizing this in a cubicle working on spreadsheets? I wasn't. This was the biggest indicator for me, and also the scariest! It's hard to make a decision for a gut feeling instead of a "practical, stable" choice, but the truth is I was selling myself short working in marketing. 

I hope this helps you make your decision, or at least gives you something to think about! We all have only so many days left on this earth -- I'd like to spend mine doing something I absolutely love, and am wonderful at.

Share your thoughts with me in the comments below, or join the party on my Instagram and share there: https://www.instagram.com/katrina.widener/

You'll also love:

• Explore these actions to calm anxiety

• Learn why mentoring and coaching is so important

• Find out how to trust yourself when making everyday decisions

And when you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:

• Start your journey with self discovery and goal setting.

• Take the next step with one-on-one life and business coaching.

• Be challenged, inspired, and supported through a group coaching experience.