Just in case you’re struggling with a decision of whether or not to do “it,” (insert whatever you need, to represent the “it”) I’m here to add my 2 cents, in hopes to be able to help you know what decision to finally make. What decision have you been struggling to make? Ok, wait… before you answer that question, (while you’re thinking about it), let me tell you about a decision that I finally made about something I’d been struggling with for a very long time! Maybe this will help!
Quick back story first: I’m the type of person that will keep doing something for years, especially if it seems to be working, like keeping a job, ‘cuz it’s paying the bills. Don’t get me wrong, being a consistent person is not a bad thing, it’s just the complacency that kicks in, that ends up being the problem! Like I said, I don’t mind being a consistent and reliable type of person at all. I’ve lived in the same apartment for years, driven the same car for years and had the same job for year, but I’m not complaining. Being someone that can be counted on, feels really good actually. It makes people trust you, so it’s a good trade off. It’s when you wake up one day and realize that you’ve been doing the same thing for so long, that you start to dread one more day of said thing. That’s what my story is about…dreading the same thing over and over, but not seeing a way out!
I’d worked at my job for over 20 years, doing customer service. I started in 1998, following a short stint in telemarketing, TAing outbound calls and couldn’t stand it. That nearly drove me into a mental breakdown. I would make bonuses on just about every check, but I still wasn’t happy calling people at home. So, one day after absolutely having enough, I put my 2 weeks’ notice in and left to pursue my career in inbound customer service, which I’d wanted to do for years. I loved inbound customer service calls. Over the years, I grew better and better at handling customer inquiries and excelled very fast with my performance. I also did a tiny bit of training in other departments, just to break up the monotony of the same routine, day in and day out. Then to add some excitement, I made myself a self-proclaimed spirit maker, decorating everybody’s desk for their work anniversaries and birthdays. I was so consistent that it started feeling like another job I was doing. I’d come in super early, just to get someone’s desk all done up with lots of balloons and all their favorite color streamers…it made my heart feel good. I was really good at it, until I got word that my boss was going to have me work with a teammate of mine, that didn’t even like that kind of stuff. After a while, I just stopped doing it altogether, telling myself it was because I didn’t want to work with another person decorating, but really, I had grown tired of it anyway. I was bored and trying to reinvent myself, instead of just quitting and leaving.
Then one day in 2019, I took some FMLA time off and called in to report my hours. The girl on the other end of the line told me I didn’t have hours left, so the day I took off was unpaid. They had canceled my FMLA altogether, because I was short due to a previous leave I had taken, and the time hadn’t been accumulated back yet. I was devastated. She said it wouldn’t be until 2020 that I could take paid FMLA time off and that propelled me to finally take some action and leave! I wasn’t angry, just a little hurt that this happened, but then realized that the Universe was helping me move! So, I applied to retire early, (which ended up being a super easy process) and let go of my medical and dental so I’d have more money to survive on, until the next job came along. I withdrew my entire 401k and pension and did not pay any fees at all. At tax time, everything worked out perfectly for me and I even got a refund back!
The moral of the story is…
Sometimes, we just have to know it will be ok and close our eyes and jump! I had been at my job for 21 years and never thought I’d get the courage to leave. I was thankful for the income, but miserable due to being stagnant. I’m so glad my FMLA was canceled, because I probably would still be at that job, waiting for a sign to leave and not taking action! TAKE ACTION!!
notthejenfrombackthen 