Looking Back: Thankful for Work

I posted this in my old blog back in March 2011. A lot has already changed since then, but I think the things I realized that day still apply today.

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A great part of my life right now revolves around my profession – online writing. I work in a corporate setting, in an 8-5 (sometimes 7-4, or 9-6) job. I go to work in the morning, spend most of the 9 hours at work in front of the computer, my fingers typing away to the accompaniment of the click clack of the PC keyboard, and then get up and leave in the afternoon. I have had this schedule, with a few deviations and variations here and there, for the past four years and several months more or less.

I have to admit that most of my work has already become a routine over the years, and it’s not always great. Combine the monotony involved, its sedentary nature, and add in office politics – it isn’t always fun and exciting. There’s stress, mostly boredom, and the days when I dread getting up in the morning. There were days when I got disappointed because of expectations that didn’t happen or were not met, times when I felt I wasn’t being properly compensated for all my efforts, and days when I wanted to quit and find a new job.

But I stick – partly because I wasn’t serious about finding a new job, partly because I was afraid of a huge change, and partly because I know I’m doing a good work, even though I don’t always feel like it’s paying off.

Looking at everything now, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for. After several years, even though my original excitement for work has already been tempered, I still manage to reach my goals, sometimes even exceed my expectations. Despite the monotony, I haven’t grown stagnant. I’ve never been a burden to my superior, to my colleagues, or to the company. After all these years, I can say that I have done my work well, and that I am a contributing member of the company that I work for. That I have earned my keep, that I am earning my keep. That I have been productive, and that I remain productive until now. And these, these are more important than the money I earn every 15th and 30th of every month.

I also have freelance work. I have clients more than I can handle on my own. I have a writer that I pay to help me with some of my projects. I am never idle, and for that I’m thankful. All these – they give meaning to my professional, and my overall, life.

Work is not always good, yes, but I am assured by the knowledge that I continue to grow in life through my work.

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It's almost two years since I posted this, and I'm thankful I have stayed. I now hold a supervisory position at work. I have handled as many as 15 people in a team, and we've had various accomplishments. And now, as things get a little shaky here, I'd like to have the same resolve I had back then - to stay a little bit longer and learn.