If there’s one thing I hate in business, it’s platitudes. But the adage “It’s never the right time” when looking to broaden your horizons holds resonance no matter where you work, and there are practical, physical, and sociological reasons it transcends many of us.
In order to understand why this feeling arises you need to strip it all back to the function of a company; which is to grow and accomplish greater market share. Successful business will look to push boundaries and conquer new territory, and with this comes milestones which may seem like reasons to stay put. However, these milestones will keep coming and will not reduce in importance. Upon understanding this, its apparent how you leave rather than when you leave.
Another reason for complacency is the hierarchy above you. Regardless whether your workplace is the correct fit for you at this stage of the career, a good manager will sell ‘the dream’ or ‘the long-game’. They can puff up the benefits and glaze over limitations, with sufficient carrot dangled they can market a col-de-sac as an open highway! I’m not implying any sinister motivation from them, but it’s not in their interest for you to gaze beyond your cubicle. You must be equipped with a holistic understanding of where you sit in the market and what your options are, if you don’t, you’ll be selling yourself short in the long run.
The last factor is a renowned sociological phenomenon known as Thomas Theorem which states, “If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” i.e. If you think you can’t leave, you won’t! If you’re spending time creating reasons why you need to stay, these reasons will be the things that shackle you somewhere you should not be. To overcome this, you must define where you want to be, collate your options, and contrast this to where you are.
At the end of your career you will regret the risks you didn’t take, more than the ones you took.