What would it take for you to finally say "I've had enough and can't keep going this direction"? Was it the Sunday blues that put you over the edge? You know, the blues that set in about 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday when you realize the weekend is coming to an end and you have to get up at 6 a.m. on Monday just so that you can head back into the job that no longer thrills you? Or was it when you had to put bandaids on your child's chickenpox so that you could take her to day care and still get into work without penalty?
All of that, and more, happened to me but it was $252.00 that put me over the edge. We all have our breaking points. This was mine.
I was given a promotion into a management position. I was well qualified and knew the job was going to be a good fit for me. I was excited. But then came the raise that came with it. Three percent. Wait a minute. I was assuming more responsibility. I was going to handle some very important accounts as well as manage another person. I was going to have to travel and make presentations to some clients. Three percent? I knew damn well that the guys in the department weren't getting three percent. They were getting raises and bonuses that enabled them to buy brand new SUV's several times a year. The actual dollar amount that ended up being at issue was 252 bucks.
I decided at that time that I would do whatever it took, for as long as I needed to get it done right, and move on. And I did. I became an entrepreneur. That was a little over five years ago. I opened a business and worked fifteen hours a day in two jobs. It was tough. Becoming an entrepreneur may not be viable for everyone; not everyone wants to work for themselves nor does everyone have the resources to do so. But it was what I had to do for me.
My mother died at 56. She died at work. She always wanted to change her profession and do something new but for various reasons could not move in that direction. I will always be haunted by her death and the way she died. That is my motivation for pushing hard to get what I want and to do what I love.
What is your motivation?
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