Taking the Big Leap: It’s Not an Easy Call

Every so often I like to mix into this blog something both personal and current. How’s this: At the end of September, I got laid off in a restructuring.

It happens. If you’re a little older and experienced, it happens more often.

But, as readers of my book may realize, I take a perverse pleasure in proving wrong the people who underestimate me. Orthopedic doctors in Hong Kong didn’t think my knees would get better. After extensive (and obsessive) research, I found what I thought was lots of evidence that they were dead wrong.

It took me many months, with much detailed record-keeping and experimenting and patience, but in the end, I healed. My knees returned to normal. This became the greatest achievement of my life, and nothing else is really even close.

Today I wanted to revisit a hard decision I made, now that I find myself among the ranks of the unemployed again. Early in 2008, I made up my mind to quit my job in order to try to heal my knees. Sitting at work with bent legs was impeding my effort to heal, because my knees were constantly inflamed.

First, let me make something clear: I could never advise another knee pain sufferer to quit his or her job. That’s a very individual decision. It’s also a calculated gamble. Had I never managed to heal, I would have found myself unemployed, and maybe even unemployable.

But if you’ve got chronic knee pain, it may be worth considering. If you do, here are some questions worth asking yourself:

• How much do activities that I must perform at work worsen my knee pain? Those “activities” can even be non-activities, such as sitting. Or maybe you’re roaming a warehouse eight hours a day, fulfilling Internet orders. Or maybe you’re dealing with a crushing amount of stress.

• Do I have any evidence that my knees will improve if I devote myself to healing them? Do you have a good feel for what your knees like and don’t like, and what kind of program will provide the kind of nourshing motion that will enable them to get better?

• If I leave my job, what support do I have? Financial support could be savings (and you’ll want to calculate how long it will last). Emotional support could be friends and family.

• How hard will it be for me to rejoin the workforce in six months, or even a year? Clearly, some of this depends on factors beyond your control, such as the job market, but certain high-demand professionals may find it easier to transition back into full employment.

• What are my goals, in terms of healing, before I rejoin the workforce? And, if things don’t go well, when do I give up and either live with the pain or turn to pain medication or surgery? It’s good to have goals before you set out on what could be a challenging journey.

• Is there a way for me to keep working, but only part-time? If you recall, in Saving My Knees, I proposed an experiment, with my doctor's support, to try to rehabilitate my damaged knees. My employer agreed, but unfortunately, the experiment was too short. Still, it did prove to me that I was on the right track with my thinking.

Again, it’s a difficult, courageous leap to take, and not for the faint of heart. It may be worth it for you, or it may not be. I can’t decide that for you. Only you can.