The Quite Courage To Step Away

We live in a world that celebrates speed, presence, and constant expansion. We are taught to grow louder, bigger, faster. To occupy space. To chase recognition. To never slow down.

But there is another kind of strength. One that does not announce itself. One that lives in reflection, restraint, and honesty. A strength that asks different questions.

What if growth is not always about adding more. What if sometimes it is about knowing when something no longer belongs.

Misplacement does not always arrive as failure. Sometimes it arrives dressed as opportunity. It feels like movement. Like ambition. Like progress.

Yet inside, something feels out of place. Quiet at first. Almost invisible.

I felt this for the first time when I decided to move to Australia. My career was moving forward, but my values were not always following. My mind began to work in a way that no longer matched what was around me.

There were moments where my need to step into bigger roles was driven by money or politics. Not by gratitude. Not by merit. And each time, something inside me pulled back.

The biggest sacrifice was leaving Italy. I left my friends. My routine. My social life. My career. Everything I knew.

I travelled to the other side of the world. A place where I knew almost no one. I did not speak the language. I had very little information. There was no social media to guide me.

At times, my growth felt dictated by my surroundings. By outside voices. By cultural influence. And even though I loved the culture around me, it did not fully fulfil me.

Starting over forced me to search for something deeper. My own path. My own identity. My own reflection.

There was a time when I felt very big. Bigger than I truly was. It looked like confidence. It looked like certainty. But it was an illusion.

Inside, I was shrinking. I realised I was beginning to shadow someone else. Not because they asked me to. But because I allowed it.

My thoughts. My emotions. My decisions. They were no longer fully mine.

When clarity arrived, it came quietly. Without anger. Without drama. I understood that staying meant becoming someone I was not.

So I chose to step away. Respectfully. Not completely.

There is still respect. There is still gratitude. I learned a great deal. About work. About discipline. About life.

And with honesty, I know the misalignment lived in me. Not in them. It was my responsibility. My timing. My inner work.

Almost everything that shaped me comes from Italy. In Italy, numbers matter. But they are not the only answer.

Art. Beauty. Colour. Design. Creation is not only measured. It is felt.

This way of seeing the world still lives in me. And so do my friendships. Friends across countries and years. Bonds that remain.

And like the sea, I came across fire. Fire that pushed me. Tested me. Shaped me. Over time, I learned not to destroy it, but to control it.

And now I speak to you

Have you ever felt out of place, even when everything looked right from the outside.

Have you ever stayed somewhere, knowing deep down it was slowly pulling you away from yourself.

If so, listen. Not everything that looks like growth is meant to be kept.

Sometimes the strongest decision you can make is to step away. With respect. With clarity. And with loyalty to who you truly are.

Some of the strongest decisions are silent ones,
made in respect,
and in loyalty to who you truly are. Martino Pulito