For the past 9 1/2 years I worked for a company that serves individuals with Developmental Disabilities. When I first came to the company, I had only minimal experience serving such a population, but quickly fell in love with it. I worked my tail off for over 5 years in the same position until the promotions finally started opening up and thru much hard work and dedication, I quickly advanced within the company. In late 2013, I reached my ultimate career goal within the company - being a Director with my own region. I poured my heart and soul into the position and quickly, my new region grew. I fell in love with the marketing aspect of things and loved that this "baby" was all mine! The region began taking off and everything was going so well. And then it hit me - I was exhausted, frustrated over things I couldn't change, and I knew in my heart it was time for me to move on.... (Wow! Wasn't expecting that revelation)!
I'll never forget the day when I hit my breaking point. I was driving to work and it hit me - it's time to move on. Not one who is a fan of change - I gave the situation to God and prayed He would open whatever doors needed to be open and that if it wasn't time for me to go, that He would tell me that too. That day was a particularly tough day at work and I came home and updated my resume. (Something I hadn't done in nearly 10 years). At the same time, I also typed my resignation letter to the company. I didn't have a job lined up. I hadn't even applied anywhere or talked to anyone about looking for a job. But my resume and resignation letter were ready. I had reached my limit of what I was willing to deal with. I also looked at my financial situation and determined what the minimum salary was that I would need to be able to leave my current position.
That night and the next morning, I continued to lift the situation up to God. Low and behold - at a meeting that was in a completely different County from where I live, I ran into someone I had known for 13 years. She asked how things were going with me and I said I was looking for a job. I asked her if her company was hiring. Much to my surprise, she said yes. Factoring gas into the equation, it would be a significant pay cut though ($10,700 to be exact). Ouch!
That's when I had to decide - what is the price of happiness? Can you even put a price on it? In the end, I prayed, crunched the numbers many times over (thank goodness I had been doing the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and paid a lot of bills off), and prayed some more. Taking this pay cut would put me at the bare minimum of what I could live on, but I would get my sanity back. No more being on call 24/7, no more trying to fill 3 roles at once, and no more working long days that involved taking work home all the time - and no more Coach purses, buying patio furniture on a whim, and getting monthly manicures and pedicures. $10,700 - that was the price of my happiness.
Now, a week into my new job, I feel peaceful for the first time in years!
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