The Fear of Brown Grass

What They’ve (Probably) Warned You About “Making The?Jump”

The grass. Whenever I’m making a decision that welcomes big change there’s always somebody to remind me about the grass. Did you know that the grass is always greener on the other side? Do you even know what “the other side” is referring to? The other side of what? And who cares if the grass is greener—what if the lot is nicer? Home Depot sells fertilizer for twenty bucks.

Before getting started, let’s clarify one thing: “making the jump” can refer to many different scenarios. I’m a creative and I write about creativity—in my mind it’s jumping to another creative team or going freelance. This could be for anybody looking for change in the name of forward progression. You think you finally have a plan to get ahead and, dammit, you forgot about the grass!

Allow me to set the scene: you’re a graphic designer at a just-fine design shop. Your job pays OK, it doesn’t come with a toxic environment, the work is sometimes inspiring and oftentimes, well, just fine. The job itself can be a grind but when things are good, you do enjoy it. The sticky realization here is that there really isn’t anything outrageously bad about your job. In fact, there are some great benefits. Your team is lovely, you aren’t working late, you get to go on vacation without worrying about the figurative office fire. On paper, the pros may even outnumber the cons. You’re doing just fine. But, alas, you crave progress. You need change. We’ve likely all been the main character of this scene before or will be at some point in our careers.

This scene describes one important detail: the need for change. Many people are clocking in each day to scenes that match what’s mentioned above. And many people are happy to do so. That’s not who we’re addressing here. If you’re content, you deserve that happiness.

Back to our make believe.

You and your coworkers are chatting about life during lunch break. You start talking about the future. Suddenly, you’re asked about the proverbial “next five years.” You hesitate. Thoughts bubble. The sentence starts: “Hmm…” You hesitate once more: “I’m don’t know. Maybe…” Out it comes: “I think I’d like to give client-side a try at some point.” The room goes silent. A fork hits the ground. The lights dim. Tinnitus starts to ring. Heads turn to the backlit entrance. Here they come, the office botanist. You zoom your vision to focus on their lips. As if in slow-motion you can see your coworker’s tongue stretch to their front teeth.

“The grass is always greener on the other?side.”

End scene.

I’m being dramatic, I know. Hey, so are they. The grass isn’t always greener.

The devil you?know.

A similar sentiment is found in the saying “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” You may also receive these words of wisdom when contemplating change. The problem is that these types of sayings discount the power of change. They rely on being stagnant versus continuing momentum. What you do for a living makes up the majority of your life. You have the ability to make that something that inspires you, makes you proud, and gets you out of bed in the morning. Professional settling should be no less avoided than romantic settling. Could you imagine being told “the grass is always greener” after telling a friend that you aren’t getting everything you need out of a romantic partner?

Side note: there is something to be said about having realistic expectations from your job (and relationship, for that matter.) Don’t put up with any regular demands that don’t sync with your values. But also, don’t expect to surpass your employer’s values and be handed everything you ask for simply because you want it. Being denied a $20,000 raise without a major uptick in performance may not be enough to up and leave your job. Are you being underpaid by $20,000? Then maybe so. Context matters.

How do you know when to pursue something new?

If this question had an easy, black and white answer we’d have the secret to success. The truth is, there's no surefire answer. In fact, generally speaking, we decide to make the jump later than we ought to in most cases. Think of how often you hear “I should have done this days/months/years ago!” after somebody takes a big leap. The questions to ask yourself in your current situation: are you feeling fulfilled and are you still learning? If yes, continue and ask yourself again in six months. If no, what’s next?

What if you feel ready for something new but the change seems too?scary?

Of course the idea of change is scary. Different is different and we tend to imagine the worst case versus the best outcome. The trick is to break down the fear. What exactly are you afraid of? Here are a few scenarios and their solutions below:

"What if I move jobs and don’t like my new team?"

More often than not, the process of hiring a new employee also considers whether or not they’ll fit in with the company’s culture. Not only this, but you’ll be exposed to that culture during the hiring process. Take note of any questions or comments that could be seen as red flags. Ultimately, this very worry is one you would have had prior to accepting the job you’re at now—do you like your current team? If yes, then rest assured knowing you’ve been in this position before and found success. If no, it’s worth finding something new purely for the chance of meeting people you’d enjoy collaborating with.

"What if I go solo and don’t make enough to pay my bills?"

Do you plan on forgetting everything you’ve learned up to this point when you fly solo? I hope not, especially if your solo ventures will land you in the same industry. If things don’t work out, you still have your resume up until this point plus new experience as an entrepreneur. This will ultimately only sharpen your skills more and make you even more hireable. If things don’t work out, you can always return to a more structured job like you have now.

"If I go freelance, how will I find clients? I don’t know how to sell myself."

Think of all of the things you’ve had to learn to get to where you are now. This is just another one of those things. You’ll find a process that works for you. I recommend meeting other freelancers (maybe not those you’ll be competing with.) They’ve developed a system that works for themselves. You can do it too. In situations like this, I often remind myself that far dumber people than I have found success doing X. By that logic, I can too.

Bonus tip: you’re an average of the five closest people you surround yourself with.

"What if the grass actually is greener and I prove my doubters right?"

The biggest takeaway for this question is this: ignore those who doubt you. Those who don’t want to see you succeed deserve no space in your head. That being said, I won’t let this (more important) advice serve as a cop out answer to the question.

Even if you have to beg for your current job back after a so-called failed attempt at seeking change, know that by taking the plunge you’ll have grown hugely as an individual. The recipe for success calls for many doses of “failure.” I’m a firm believer that most failures exist as wayfinding tools on the path to success. Through that lens, you haven’t proven anybody right. You have more knowledge after seeing the grass on the other side, you aren’t living a life of speculation.

Author Denis Waitley said:

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing."

I could go on and on with these examples. They aren’t hard to debunk and there aren’t any outcomes that would lead to professional ruin. Never say never, I suppose, but calculated decision-making mixed with sound reasoning and a well-calibrated moral compass will rarely lead your professional life into total, unrecoverable disaster.

I want to leave you with?this:

To hell with the grass. Learn forever. Fear is the enemy of progress. People oftentimes have good intentions when they warn you about what you don’t know. Remember: they often don’t know either. Hear their warnings but consider their experience. There are situations where their hesitations are valid. If you sense this is the case, seek several opinions from those you respect. If you’re receiving nothing but deterrence, note that. Ultimately, only you know what’s best for yourself. Trust your gut.

And don’t forget: fertilizer is cheap.

If you liked this read, you’ll like my newsletter. Give it a shot to read creative blurbs like this just more personal and, well, blurbier. Plus, I’ll let you know when I publish my next article. And feel free to reach out if there are any specific creative affairs you’d like me to attempt to unpack.

Stay curious,

Kenzie.