My Work-iversary: Rethinking How We Celebrate Work and Life

Vanessa Harris
May 5
3 min read

Last month, I quietly marked six years at my municipal job. As the notifications rolled in, friends, colleagues, mentors, and even distant connections offering their congratulations, I felt a warm appreciation. Six years is something to be proud of. I know that. And yet, under the surface, I noticed a quiet tug. A feeling I couldn’t quite name at first. Gratitude, yes, but also something else. Something more complicated.

I’m leaving this role in just a couple of days. Not for a bigger title. Not for a better salary. Not even for another job right away. I’m choosing to step away for a season. To rest, to explore, to move across the world and start a new chapter that looks nothing like the life I built here.

And as the congratulations poured in, I found myself reflecting: Why do we so often celebrate endurance in one place, but not the courage it takes to leave?

In many ways, staying has long been seen as the ultimate career success story. You spend 5, 10, 20, even 30 years with the same organization and it’s a testament to loyalty, stability, commitment. There’s real beauty in that, especially when the choice is intentional.

I recently saw a colleague celebrate 30 years with her employer, a milestone she should absolutely be proud of. For her, it fits. It supports her values, her family, her life. And that deserves to be celebrated.

But there’s another kind of story too. The one where growth means going. Where success isn’t measured in time served, but in experiences gathered. New cities. New roles. New lessons. New versions of yourself you might never have discovered if you stayed too long in the same story.

Leaving isn’t failure.

Leaving isn’t giving up.

Leaving can be an act of listening.

Listening to the quiet knowing inside you that says: You’ve learned what you needed to here, and it’s time for the next adventure.

I’m proud of my six years. Proud of what I built, the people I met, the lessons I carry forward. But what I’m most proud of right now is not the time served. It’s the decision to honour when that season was complete.

I think there’s space to celebrate both… The loyalty it takes to stay, and the bravery it takes to leave… The way a long tenure shapes you, and the way new beginnings stretch you.

As I prepare to close this chapter, I’m holding all of it with gratitude. Not just the work I did here, but the life I’m choosing next. The unknown that waits for me across an ocean. The reminder that growth doesn’t always look like climbing higher. Sometimes it looks like stepping into the unknown, trusting that you’ll build something new with everything you’ve learned along the way.

So yes… happy work-iversary to me.

And happy new beginning too.

With lightness and curiosity,

Vanessa