Today I am officially celebrating 10 years at my current job, while this is exciting it is scary at the same time. Is this my ultimate dream job maybe not. It's not to say that I don't enjoy my job, I really do.
BUT
Something happened at work last week that really had me thinking. A co-worker decided to resign from our company after 34 years of service. An email was sent out to the teams advising of her departure and the following day would be her last. She was just 1 year away from retirement and with no reason she decided that she wanted to leave. No fancy retirement party, no penny of the year you started, no letter from the company CEO....nothing. Her closest co-workers scrambled to go out and buy gifts and some food for the next day to ensure she saw how much she will be missed.
BUT
Something happened at work last week that really had me thinking. A co-worker decided to resign from our company after 34 years of service. An email was sent out to the teams advising of her departure and the following day would be her last. She was just 1 year away from retirement and with no reason she decided that she wanted to leave. No fancy retirement party, no penny of the year you started, no letter from the company CEO....nothing. Her closest co-workers scrambled to go out and buy gifts and some food for the next day to ensure she saw how much she will be missed.
Can you imagine after 34 years coming to one work place day in and day out. All I can hope is that she did not feel alone, that she had nobody to confide her feelings.
This really got me thinking about my dreams and goals. Could I picture myself working for one corporation for that long. What is life like after such a big decision. I have only been here for 10 years and even though that doesn't measure up to anywhere near 34 years I wonder what would it be like not to come to this work place anymore. To see the same faces that you have coffee & lunch breaks, sit in lengthy meetings, go through numerous technology changes, cut backs, weddings, babies, vacations.....you share so much of your life with these people.
Branko and I have some big dreams that include our forever home renovations, kids, vacations and maybe one day owning our own business. We both love the idea of working for ourselves, that kind of independence is freeing.
After Blogpodium it was clear that most bloggers walked away with that feeling of I can do better, I can succeed at whatever I set my goals towards. Feelings become more vulnerable. Once you become vulnerable you allow yourself to take that leap that you need. You can read about some really great "I can do better for myself" posts over at Alex, Becky, and Natasha`s posts. Each of these write ups let me know how myself and so many others are not alone in this race...not just in the blogging world but in real life too.
For now my blog is a hobby, I wrote about it here the dreams I have for this little space but what I really want to focus on is our life dreams. As crazy as it sounds the blog has really made me realize how much more I can do...from renovating to meeting total strangers.
Where do I want to be in the next 10 years.......I am not 100% sure but what I do know is that this blogging atmosphere and the people that I have met have helped me realize your dreams are attainable and I really do feel like if I needed an honest opinion or even a good old laugh I have community of writers to fall back on.
In 10 years I hope I can look back at this and say I took that leap and let myself be vulnerable.
I would love to hear where you hope to be in 10 years.....
Where do I want to be in the next 10 years.......I am not 100% sure but what I do know is that this blogging atmosphere and the people that I have met have helped me realize your dreams are attainable and I really do feel like if I needed an honest opinion or even a good old laugh I have community of writers to fall back on.
In 10 years I hope I can look back at this and say I took that leap and let myself be vulnerable.
I would love to hear where you hope to be in 10 years.....
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Wow, congrats on 10 years! That's a huge milestone, and one to be proud of. Thanks for the shout out and whatever you find for yourself in the next 10 years, you definitely won't be alone. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be sitting on that dock :) Is the water warm? xx
ReplyDeletePut on some coffee... I'm on my way.
PS. that is SAD that the company did nothing for someone who dedicated all those years to their job. Sad. Sad. Sad. Some corporations need a kick in the butt.
Have you ever read Gary Vaynerchuk's blog or watched his Ted Talks videos? He also has a YouTube channel.
He talks about the THANK YOU economy.... if more corporations ran by 'small town rules' the world would be a better place. Small town rules where people work on a hand shake, where they call you by name, where your word means something... ahhhh... go watch his stuff. It is epic.
Hugs !!
Lynne xx
Hi Lynne! I think after a bottle of wine the water would have seemed warm enough ;)
DeleteNormally, they do a big thing for somebody who is retiring but it was so sudden, but sometimes they have cuts and some people get laid off just before their retirement in that case it is extremely sad because they are basically kicked out the door.
Can you imagine 34 years! I mean....I wasn't even born YET!
I will def. check out the videos! Thanks!
At my old job we used to call some people "lifers". See, the job wasnt ANYONE'S dream job (unless tracking paperwork and making coffee makes you weak in the knees), there was no room for advancement, and the pay was low. But some people stayed there for YEARS and I think it was because they were too afraid to move on from what was comfortable. A lady I worked with just retired after like 40 years of service or something. My parents were all "lifers" at their jobs too (I think it was a generational thing, but in their case at least there were promotion opportunities).
ReplyDeleteRight now I am happy at my current job. My bosses are great, it is mostly non-stress, and the pay is good. But will I be here forever? I dont know. Our generation was raised to believe we can do ANYTHING, which is a problem because we then cant decide what to do!!
Congrats on 10 years at your job- now go ask for a raise :)
Ugh, we totally call them "lifers" here as well, the other problem is they don't want to change with the times and it becomes difficult. I hope I never become a "lifer". Even if I stay at the same company I will push myself to learn new things all the time!
DeleteCongrats on the 10 years!! I agree with Casey - go ask for a raise!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the kind shout-out :)
Cheers,
Becky
PS. Great post - I can feel the honesty from here :)
Thanks!!
DeleteAfter 11 years at the same organization, I quit my job last week. I have a new job to go to at another organization, but in some respects I'm in the same boat as you. It's really hard to leave a company that I've loved and that's supported me as I've started out in my career and that I've invested a lot of myself into. My blog has made me think about what's possible over the longer future. I feel a passion for it, but I wonder if it would still feel the same if it was my "job."
ReplyDeleteGood on your for making a big decision! I am lucky that the company I work for is so large, this gives me ample opportunity to move around to different positions if I really wanted a change without leaving the actual company. But I still think that owning your own business is the best!
DeleteCongrats on 10 years! I'm with Becky, you should definitely ask for a raise! I've had so many jobs that left me unfulfilled and I've realized that in order for me to be happy I need to be challenged and creative on a regular basis. I'm not sure where my blog will take me but I'm happy I started it because it's already helped me experience so many things I never thought I could. I'm slowly starting to get over my fear of being vulnerable and I find when I do that, great things happen. All the best!
ReplyDeleteAmen to that Amy!!!! I truly believe once we get past that feeling everything falls into place.
Delete10 years is a big milestone, and a great time to reflect. Anything is possible in 10 years, right? So why not dream a little bigger :)
ReplyDelete!0 years is huge, especially that people switch jobs so often these days. I have to say I felt a pang of sadness for your co-worker who had such a quiet exit after such a long time. I'm not sure where I'll be in 10 years...I have lots of dreams but for the time being I'm lucky enough to generally enjoy my job even if it isn't my passion.
ReplyDelete