Quitting a job is never easy. Especially when the decision is an outcome of circumstances beyond one’s control – for example – the relocation of the family to another city or some pressing requirements on the home front.

Whatever be the reason, leaving a job that you invested your energies in and devoted so much of yourself to, can be an extremely unsettling experience.

It’s mainly got to do with the comfort zone that you have established within the workplace, and the reputation of trust and sincerity that your colleagues have come to associate you with. Letting go of all your professional responsibilities and formally handing over your duties to your successor can make even the most hardened employees a tad wistful and uncertain about what the future has in store for them.

Myriad thoughts are bound to rush through your mind during the last few weeks preceding and following your resignation date. Will you be remembered with fondness and respect? Will your contributions and accomplishments still be valued long after you have gone or will they just fade away into oblivion much like old outdated files and dusty records of the yesteryears? Will your successors give you credit for past achievements or attribute all the present problems to your tenure?

Time and tide have indeed proven that no one is indispensable. Much as we would hate to admit it – the best employees are replaceable and the most stupendous successes can be repeated – with or without you at the helm. So what do you carry with you as you step out of the portals of the job you have loved and embark on a new professional quest all over again? And, what legacy do you leave behind at your erstwhile workplace that remains testimony to your whole-hearted efforts and talents?

These were among the toughest questions to delve into when I had found myself in a similar situation a couple of months ago. After much contemplation and introspection, I arrived at some very frank and honest conclusions.

What I carry with me are my moments of success – memories of delighting a client with a task well done, of the shared joy of great team spirit, of the happiness of an article well written, of the satisfaction of targets achieved and deadlines met, and most of all, of the wealth of goodwill earned. These are mine for keeps – a treasure that needs no validation from any quarters.

As for the legacy I leave at the workplace – it is a bit of me that still lingers within its walls, which breathes in the work I leave behind. Work that makes me proud of myself and infuses me with all the confidence I need to take on the future.       Again – a treasure that needs no validation!