I stared at the resignation letter on my laptop screen for what felt like an eternity.

Two letters, actually. One to step down from my role as Market Center Leadership at Keller Williams Nashville—a position that had given me incredible leadership experience and opened doors I never imagined. The other to leave MAPS Coaching after seven years as a Sr Mastery coach, working with high-achievers and building systems that transformed businesses.

Both roles had been good to me. Hell, they'd been great to me. They gave me credibility, income, and a sense of identity. On paper, walking away looked insane. To most people around me, it probably still does.

But here's what I knew that they didn't: the very environments that had grown me into who I am were now the same environments keeping me from who I was becoming.

And that realization? It changed everything.

When Success Becomes a Cage

Let me ask you something that might make you uncomfortable: What if the thing you're most proud of professionally is actually the thing that's quietly suffocating your potential?

I know that sounds harsh. But stay with me.

For months, I felt this gnawing sense of restlessness. I'd wake up dreading parts of my day that used to energize me. I'd catch myself going through the motions, delivering excellence but feeling empty. The roles that once stretched me had become boxes that contained me.

Here's the brutal truth most high-achievers won't admit: staying in an environment that no longer aligns with your vision—even if it's profitable, even if it looks successful from the outside—is a slow death by a thousand cuts.

You start making compromises. Small ones at first. You tell yourself it's temporary, that you'll make the change "someday." You rationalize staying because it's comfortable, because it's working, because leaving feels too risky or too unknown.

But comfortable is the enemy of extraordinary. And "working" isn't the same as thriving.

The environment that helped you grow from Point A to Point B might be completely wrong for getting you from Point B to Point C. Recognizing this isn't failure—it's wisdom. Acting on it? That's courage.

The Freedom Audit: 5 Ways to Know When It's Time to Go

If what I'm saying is hitting a nerve, it's time to get honest about your current environment. Here are the signs I wish someone had pointed out to me earlier:

1. You're Operating Below Your Potential—And You Know It

When you're in the wrong environment, you start playing small without realizing it. You stop bringing your biggest ideas to the table because they don't fit the system. You dial back your ambition to match what's expected rather than what's possible.

Ask yourself: Am I bringing my A-game to this environment, or am I unconsciously shrinking to fit it?

2. The Energy Drain Outweighs the Energy Gain

This one's simple but powerful. At the end of each week, honestly assess: Does this role/environment/situation give me more energy than it takes?

If you're constantly feeling drained, resentful, or like you're swimming upstream, that's not a character flaw—that's your internal compass telling you you're off course.

3. You've Stopped Growing (Even If You're Still Earning)

Growth and income don't always move together. I was making good money in both roles, but I hadn't felt genuine growth in months. When you're in the right environment, you feel stretched, challenged, uncomfortable in the best way.

If you can do your job with your eyes closed, if there's no learning curve left, if you're coasting on competence—it's time to find a new mountain to climb.

4. Your Vision Requires Different Soil

The clearer your vision becomes for your life and business, the more obvious it becomes when your current environment can't support that vision. It's like trying to grow an oak tree in a small pot—eventually, you'll either break the pot or kill the tree.

Get crystal clear on where you want to be in three years. Then honestly assess: Can I get there from here, or am I trying to build a skyscraper on the wrong foundation?

5. You're Making Excuses Instead of Moves

The moment you catch yourself defending why you're staying in a situation that doesn't serve you, pay attention. "The money's good," "It's stable," "I don't know what else I'd do"—these aren't reasons; they're excuses.

Fear loves to dress up as logic. Don't let it fool you.

Making the Leap: From Stuck to Unstoppable

Recognizing you need to leave is step one. Actually leaving? That's where most people get stuck. Here's how to move from awareness to action:

Start with the Vision, Not the Plan. Get obsessively clear on what you want to create. When your vision is bigger than your fear, the how will reveal itself. I didn't have my next steps figured out when I submitted those resignation letters—but I knew staying would kill the vision I was building.

Give Yourself Permission to Disappoint People. Someone's going to think you're crazy. Someone's going to tell you you're making a mistake. That's their fear talking, not their wisdom. You don't need their permission to live your life.

Make the Move Before You're Ready. If you wait until you have everything figured out, you'll wait forever. Clarity comes through action, not the other way around. Sometimes you have to burn the boats to force yourself to swim to shore.

Invest in Yourself Immediately. The moment you make space by leaving what doesn't serve you, fill that space intentionally. Hire coaches, join masterminds, surround yourself with people who are going where you want to go. Environment is everything—choose it wisely.

Freedom Isn't Found in Comfort

Here's what nobody tells you about making bold moves: the scariest part isn't the leaving—it's the space between what was and what will be. That liminal space where you're no longer who you used to be but not yet who you're becoming.

Sit in that space. Trust it. That's where the magic happens.

I don't know what's next for me yet, and that's exactly the point. For the first time in years, I have the freedom to create something that's completely aligned with who I am, not who I was or who others expected me to be.

That's not failure—that's freedom.

If you're reading this and feeling that familiar knot in your stomach, that voice whispering "maybe it's time," listen to it. Your current success doesn't have to become your ceiling. The environment that got you here doesn't have to be the environment that keeps you here.

Sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is walk away from something good to create something extraordinary.

Your future self is waiting. But they can't meet you where you are—you have to be willing to meet them where they are.

The question isn't whether you're capable of making the change. The question is whether you're brave enough to make it.

What are you waiting for?