Alex-
I’ve been at my current job for less than three months. It’s been a great
opportunity and, my boss helped get me out of my previous job. I’ll forever be grateful
that I was able to jump ship into my current position. Along with my current position, I
am doing some consulting with a former coworker who is starting their own venture. My former co-worker is hoping to get me to work with her full on a full-time basis which seems to have better pay, familiar coworkers, an actual job description, and more in-line with what I want to do with my career. I am having a hard time deciding what I want to do especially because my current employer has done a lot for me but I also want don’t want to disappoint my former coworker.
What should I do?
Thanks,
The Hustler

The Hustler –
Congratulations on the new gig! It sounds like you’re just hustling here and there with
no end in stop. It’s that dedication and hard work that will lead you to do great things in
your career. Ultimately, this is really about you, what you want do, and where you see yourself in a few years. You need to be able to thank yourself when you’re older when looking back at pivotal moments such as this one.
Eliminate the outside noise. It’s easier said than done. It’s not meant to be taken as
a signal to shut down and do the thinking all on your own. This is more about eliminating the extra folks who like to chime in with their two cents. Everyone has them but it’s not like  you need them. If you have too much outside noise, it’ll mess with your instincts. Don’t get so caught up in everyone’s two cents that you lose yourself among the crowd.
Talk to your inner crowd. While this may seem completely contrary to the previous paragraph, that is not the case. Your inner circle are those few friends that have insight into who you are and know you better than you know yourself. Yes, you hate to admit it but there’s people out there that will call you out on your nonsense and tell it how it is. These people will tap into the parts you struggle with and give you a sense of clarity that you always knew about but didn’t want to admit.
Be truthful. It’s so simple yet so hard to do especially when it comes to a decision like this. Don’t beat around the bush or sugarcoat it. You have to be honest with yourself and all parties involved even if it means that you’ll be disappointing one of them with your decision. The party that’s left “disappointed” will get over it. At the end of the day, they really need a body to jump in, do the work, and that’s it. No feelings should be involved with the actual tasks and responsibilities that are attached with the job.
No feelings are attached to the job. The job is a list of responsibilities and your former coworker is not looking at you with any kind of emotional attachment. They’re looking for a capable body of doing the work and fulfilling all of the requirements. The “friend” factor may play in a later scenario but your friend is not your friend especially in this decision. Your friend is looking to hire someone that can do it but not a friend.
Your happiness with the decision is the only thing that matters. Don’t forget about yourself – you have to live with the decision and should be ecstatic about it. People tend to get so caught in the details, worrying about others, and before they know it, they forgot about their own well-being. You need to sit down, take it easy, and really figure out what is it that you want from the job. We’re working until at least 65 so why not put some thought into how this particular position plays in your long-term ambitions, goals, and dreams? Never ever forget to take care of yourself. There’s only one YOU and, the world needs YOU to be well.

Good luck with your big decision!
A.