It's been nearly a year since my last post. I must humbly admit that I've made very poor choices during that time. My work load got heavier and heavier, and I abdicated my responsibility for my own reactions. I indulged my baser emotions and allowed stress to rule my life. It affected my health and my family relationships.
I finally decided it was time for a new job. My thinking went that if I started over with a new company, people wouldn't come to me with questions outside of my area because I wouldn't have been there long enough or worked in enough areas to answer all those questions. Well...I was mistaken. If people know you've done something in the past (and of course they know because you put those things on your resume); they're going to ask. Four weeks in to my new job and I'm working more hours than I ever did at my old job. I also gave up a lot of intrinsic benefits like location and proximity to my house thinking that it would be worth it for fewer hours and less stress.
So I've come to the conclusion that I am responsible for the way I react. I am responsible for controlling my stress. Even though I am busy, if I make the time to write a post, even a small one, it may help me to be more accountable to my readers and myself and to take responsibility for my reactions and emotions. There is the potential of things improving at my new job. I am hopeful that this will happen. If it doesn't happen, then I will have some additional choices to make. I will need to decide where my priorities really lie and what I'm willing to give up to have the time that I need with my family while my kids are still young. I will share my decision-making process with you if it comes to that.
In the meantime, I will calmly handle my workload and put it away when I'm at home so that I can focus on quality time with my family.
