A coworker asked me the other day why I was always so positive. I paused for a second before responding, "What's the alternative? Being negative? What's the point of that?" Then I got to thinking. For a while, I did fall on the negative side of the fence. Yes indeed, I was a Negative Nancy. Of course you must always take some responsibility for yourself, but I think that my problem stemmed from the negativity that surrounded me day in and day out at my old job. It was a daily routine to complain about the job, or someone in the office, and after a while it really starts to become a part of you.
The people that you surround yourself with can have a huge influence on your behavior. When you are spending more time at work than you are with your family and friends, it starts to shape your personality. The environment that I was in was so unhealthy for me, it was really starting to have an impact on my life outside of work. I had said that I was going to quit my job for years, but never had the guts to do it. How do you just give up the stability of a job that you have had for seven years? My husband would always say, "You are unhappy, you need to quit." But I'm not a quitter. I can't just quit. Then finally I did just that. I QUIT. Those words are so foreign to me. I don't think I had ever really quit anything in my life. I guessed I phased of childhood activities like Girl Scouts, but I never just quit. And you know what, it has been quite liberating.
It is an amazing feeling that I took a stand, for myself and with no back up plan, and said, "I want something better for myself." I'm not talking monetarily better, I just wanted something that didn't wear me down emotionally and mentally. Those four weeks of semi-unemployment ( I was still working at the fabric store) gave me time to realize that I deserve to be happy. Everyone deserves to be happy. Why work for a company that doesn't treat you the way you deserve? Sure it is comforting to know that you have health insurance and three weeks of vacation a year, but at what cost? I took a leap of faith. Faith in myself that I could do better. And you know what, I was right. I ended up landing a job that I didn't even apply for. I applied for a front desk position and was told they were not hiring. The general manager saw my resume and pursued me for a management position.
Perhaps I am babbling, but I really feel like there is a point in here somewhere. It was not until I decided that I wanted to be happy that good things came along that made me happy. If you are unhappy with where you are in life, things aren't going to change for you, you need to make a change. Why let anyone or anything else dictate whether or not you are going to be happy? You have the power to be happy, it's up to you. So whether you have negative friends that zap your energy every time you talk to them, or you wish you had a better job, do something about it. Nobody ever said you aren't allowed to move on. There are so many options in the world, why not find the one that compliments you? It is never too late to make yourself happy.
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