For 13 years I loved my job hosting the Suze Orman Show on CNBC. I mean, seriously loved it. Every time I sat behind my desk and settled into my chair, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to be doing. I felt alive, vital and excited. I waited with anticipation (like a little kid about to get a present) to hear what question the caller was going to ask me.
It didn’t matter to me that as the years went by, many of the questions — OK, nearly all of the questions — I had heard before. I could feel that each question was vitally important to the person asking it, so I listened and responded as if it was the first time I had ever answered that question. My intention was to always make the caller feel important and respected. Sometimes people asked me if my on-set enthusiasm was an act. Anything but! The show was an incredible platform to share my passion and love for the one topic most people hate to talk about — money!
About a year ago, something started to change. I woke up one morning, and I knew that it was time to end the Suze Orman Show. There was no external trigger; just a feeling that I had shifted, not the workplace.
Could I have ignored that feeling and just keep on keeping on? Sure. But that would have been so disrespectful. To myself, and most of all to the viewers. I never wanted to give less than 100 percent. And let’s face it, if you stay on for the wrong reasons, your eventual exit will likely not be on your own terms. I wasn’t going to fall into that trap.
On February 20th, 2014, KT (my spouse, Kathy Travis) and I walked into the office of CNBC President Mark Hoffman and we told him it was time to wind down my show. Was it hard to do? You bet it was. Over the last year my mind kept saying, "Suze, just keep doing what you have always done. Don’t change now; stay with what you know." But my heart knew it was time for me to go. By taking the initiative to recognize I needed to move on, I have had the great experience of leaving without regret or acrimony.
I can think of no more important career advice than to listen to your gut and to own the power to control your future. If you hate your job, that’s on you. Yes, your boss may be a jerk, and the atmosphere toxic. And you can’t give notice next week because there are bills to pay. I get it. But that is not an excuse to stay there forever. You must move on. Maybe it may take months or a year to figure out your next stage, and your next job. What matters is that you are not resigning yourself to a less than ideal situation. Can you do it? Well, the truth is if you want to be happy, really happy, you must do it.
For me, now I am going to take a year or two off from TV and work on educational tools, classes, and apps that will make it easier for you to make the best decisions when it comes to your money. I am also going to take time this time to become as strong and healthy with my body as I am with my money. I am so excited to see what the future brings — I almost cannot wait to go to sleep at night just so I can wake up the next morning to see what gifts lie ahead.
As I write this, I have already taped my final show, and it was great. Here is what I know for sure: I will forever love my run at CNBC. But I also love knowing that I knew when to leave. On my own terms. That for me is priceless!
