Deciding whether or not to stick with a job you have just taken is a difficult choice indeed.

Whether your job search has been long or short, the realization that you have made a mistake is enough to cause you sleepless nights. I know because it happened to me.

After 9 years as CFO of an advertising agency (not exactly a walk in the park) and almost two years of unemployment, I had a short tour of 5 months as CFO of a firm in Connecticut. I now refer to this as the job from hell. (Or, for the more sensitive among us, the job from heck.)

Anyway, sitting here tonight, it is hard to understand what made that job so stressful. Was it that I had been unemployed so long, and now I was going to have to find another job? Was it that I had turned down another job the same day I took this one and I wanted to kick myself around the room? Was it..? Well, you get the idea.

In any case, beating yourself up is good exercise and you should take all the time you want to do it, just don't leave any visible bruises or folks will think your spouse is working you over.

I would suggest to all of you that before you hit the panic button that you ask yourself if this really is the job from hell. Have you somehow forgotten why they call it work? (If work was too much fun, trust me, they would come up with another name for it.)

However, if at the end of this analysis you determine that it is indeed the job from hell, don't stay. Friends, the cost to you is more than you can imagine.

Just as we often stay in jobs long after we should have quit, we often try to live with our mistakes long after we should admit we made a mistake and move on.

What you should consider at all times is the impact your feelings are going to have on those around you. Are you going to be coming home every night in a bad mood? Are you going to kick the dog? (Unless you have a small dog, this is not a good idea.) And how are all these negative feelings going to affect your health?

The hours you put in at the office, if they are stressful, affect your health. Again, trust me, I know. And, at the end of the day, your spouse doesn't want this to happen to you.

So, take a deep breath, call a few friends, practice your favorite hobby (I would go sailing), and I think you will realize that life is too short. A job is not the only thing that defines you.

And remember, you still have 30,000+ friends in The FENG. A new job can't be far away.

Regards, Matt