Anyone who knows me, knows that I work really hard for what I have. I worked my way up from a starting retail cashier position to Store Manager and then proceeded to work ungodly hours over the course of the next 9 years to support my family. I've always had a strong work ethic, and I'd like to thank my Father for that. Admittedly, I have a bit of a competition in me, and I like to succeed. Better yet, I have a desire to be successful. Like most other men out there, it is vitally important for me to be able to provide for my family, and ensure that they are well taken care of.
After I lost my job a few years ago which I had held for 9 years, I felt lost. I felt defeated, and honestly had no idea what to do. My biggest fear up until then had been being unemployed and not being able to provide for my family. At the time, I was married and had 4 kids to take care of. I was 27 years old, and had no idea what to do. What I did know, was that working in retail was not something I wanted as a career. I hated the hours and how much it kept me from my family. The money wasn't exactly great either. I ended up working an insane amount of hours, and had very little to show for it. I was tired of seeing other people working a Monday thru Friday 9-5 job and making more money than me. They seemed happier. I wanted that.
After looking at a number of different potential career changes, I decided that IT was the way I wanted to go. I had always had an interest in computers and technology, and did a lot of LAN Administration type stuff in my job for the past 9 years. After talking to a number of friends, I took their advice and enrolled into school to get some technical certifications, to help get started.
After I had been going to school for about 3 months, I was lucky enough to finally get another job, this time in the field I was interested in. In less than a year, I was already making the same salary that I had previously been making in my last job, which had taken me 9 years to work up to. I finally had the Monday thru Friday job working 9-5. What a blessing!
I thoroughly enjoy going to work each and every day. I have an amazing boss, and amazing co-workers too. I have great benefits, and am allowed the freedom and flexibility in my daily schedule to get whatever I need to get done. I am proud to tell people what I do now, and where I work. I've already been promoted once, and have another possible promotion into management that I will find out about tomorrow. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I'm not too worried about it. I know that if it doesn't happen tomorrow, it will eventually.
I've heard a lot of people use the phrase, "I work to live, not live to work." I think that is very important. While I do very genuinely enjoy and love my job, it is still a job. I work because I have to. I definitely work to live. I work so that I can support my family and do the other things that I enjoy doing. My job isn't everything to me though. I think that is the important difference. You cannot put your job first before everything else in your life. I think that a lot of men out there make this mistake. I believe that they get so caught up with the desire and need to provide and succeed, that they lose sight of why they are really doing those things. Why are we really working? Who are we really trying to impress, or take care of? A lot of this comes down to time. If we invest too much of our time trying to make more money, or move up one more rung on the corporate ladder, we can lose sight of the other important parts of our lives. More often it seems that family is the first to suffer in this quest. More responsibility usually means less free time at home to spend with your wife and kids. Remember your priorities. Remember that your kids are only young for a brief amount of time. Once that time is gone, there is no amount of money or success that can get that time back.
I am truly thankful that now I have a job which affords me more time to spend with my family. I am excited for the future and even more grateful for the friends who offered their advice and helped to point me in the right direction. I owe them my happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment