The Importance of Forgiveness and Healing After Toxic Workplaces

This resonated a lot with me and I suspect for others who have productivity ingrained in them, or are navigating life after toxic workplaces or job loss, it will too. https://www.timcheadle.com/learning-to-live-slowly/

Equally important was leaving things behind. I was still holding onto grievances, to the anger and frustration and self doubt sowed by toxic workplaces and missed opportunities. One day a friend asked me if I’d forgiven some of those past experiences, and that question rocked me. I had not, and I needed to. Forgiveness was hard, necessary work, but it wasn’t for them. It was for me. Decoupling my work from my identity meant recognizing that professional missteps were not personal failures. I learned to see past situations for what they were, where the conditions were never right for me to succeed in the first place. Understanding this helped me see the fear and pressure others suffered too. An honest look at the past was the only way for me to grow and heal. [...] When friends ask me, “What’s your dream job?” I tell them the truth, I don’t dream about labor.