Last Splash

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Today I have come to a realization about success. While I was employed in a job where I had a lot of responsibility and was very well-payed accordingly, I thought success meant getting promoted and getting raises. That was my measure for having a successful career. I think I may have been wrong on this one.

I'm interviewing for a position that probably 60% of high school graduates could do effectively. It pays about half what my former job did, and with it comes the repsonsibility of managing one person: myself. It's a job a lot of people may be bored with, or think was easy or beneath them. I used to be one of the people that would think that, so I know. I used to think that I had to work my ass off to gain fancy titles to make up for the fact that I do not have a college educated mind. (Just a life educated one, and a very opinionated one at that.) After interviewing with six different managers at this very small company, I'm realizing that while the job might be simple, the people that work there are friendly, jovial, and down to earth. They laugh with each other, they tease each other, and they work together in a positive way. This is so much more important to me than any title I would have. I realized halfway through my second interview with them something I had forgotten back when I interviewed for my former job almost five years ago: the company is sometimes more important than the job. My previous employer went through a lot of changes since I began, changes that made them different from the company I started with in 2003. The reason I chose that company was because of the people, and 80% of the people had changed.

I'm also ready to start a family. Everyone says that when you are ready to have kids, it just hits you, like overnight, and for five years I've gone along and said "yeah, one day that could be me...I mean, it would be nice and all, but I'm happy with my lifestyle now" but I haven't really felt the time was right. Before I lost my job, my husband and I were talking about trying around Christmas, but still not committed to it. Then, I lost my job, and suddenly had nights and weekends off with him and we started to do things as a family, and it just clicked. I am ready. This is the right time. It's amazing how a drastic change in income makes you realize that there are lots of nights out and fancy meals and $25 bottles of wine and massages and pedicures and giving expensive gifts and going back to Marin County for your anniversary you can give up and still be just as happy.

So, that really solidified what my new definition of success will be: a job that gives me time to spend with my family and a work environment where I feel comfortable with everyone I work with, and being a good wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and friend. And hockey fan.