A Pope's Gutsy Choice: Would You Do the Same?

Pope Benedict XVI: Time to say "Vale!"

The Pope has given us pause. When is it time to step out of a job? Why did he decide to toss his lifetime gig? Illness is cited as a reason. Also, and perhaps more importantly to him: the inability to meet his own high standards. Pope Benedict XVI is leaving before the world realizes it's time for him to quit, before he disappoints himself or is an embarrassment to the Church.

Even those still functioning at peak performance struggle with the decision to pack in a career. Also, the timing and manner of that departure are critical to how they feel about themselves afterwards, not to mention their transition to something else.  

Here are some previous posts on the question of when to leave a job and the emotions surrounding it:
On leaving at the top of your game: Elaine Woo
On leaving when you don't want to: Sofia Escobar
On the difficulty of taking a buyout: a blog about my own decision
And here's a study of contrasting decisions (or lack thereof) and their life-and-death consequences : Happy Fernandez and Ariel Sharon, in The Forward

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