I know many of us have heard this saying one way or another, but do you actually practice it? Around this time last year I was a few months into my new "career" as an ALMOST college graduate, as I began working for one of the top companies in the United States, Quicken Loans. I was a Mortgage Banker at the age of 22 and my graduation was right around the corner, sounds like the dream life right? At this time I was making well over the income of everyone around me, lived downtown, found the love of my life, had a Bachelor's degree in Communications...what more could I ask for? Right when I thought I had it all figured out last year I realized I had nothing figured out at all.
I worked 70-80 hours a week, met my boyfriend at Quicken Loans so he was doing the same hours. We were both mortgage bankers! Everything on paper was just "perfect". Each and every day I used to dread coming to work, not because of the job but just because of my personality. My personality is outgoing, loving, friendly, unity...whereas at work I was not so loving, closed minded, losing myself. Working so much, I did not have time for the things that were most important to me, which at the moment last year of being hired into a top company, was money but my family is the most important thing to me. Being able to spend time, give time, love...I did not have that. Instead, I replaced material things and money with my love. I steadily sent my family money, forgot birthdays and made up for it by buying something nice or sending more money...what is all the money in the world if you can't spend the time reaping what you sow?
Living life this way for over a year was exhausting and quite frankly, I missed the times where I could just lay back for a day or two...or get out of work at a decent time so that I could actually be a girlfriend or wash a piece of underwear. After a year, of literally sweat and tears into the business, I recently, March 27th, 2018 separated from the company. I began at Quicken Loans January 17, 2017...a day that changed me mentally, physically and emotionally. I decided to separate because mentally, I was weakened. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses are keys to growth. I knew I was weak in the area of stress as I can not handle too much of it with little to no time. Physically, I felt even worse as I gained over 30+ pounds within the year from working 13-14 hour days and eating like crazy and sitting right down at my desk. Sure, I could have worked out...but I was not mentally strong enough to work those hours and still sleep. Emotionally, was a combination of no time to get my mental or physical life right. It was the only way for me to "get out".
Today, after being unemployed or as I like to call it a "peace-cation" for almost a month I have learned a ton. One, I have to stay busy or I get bored. Second, I LOVE to give, give, give whether it is simply making the best meals I ever had for my boyfriend (who does not want me to go back to work now), catching up with family and friends, helping my mother through her surgery, and just overall being involved. I have learned that I am strong when it is something that I have the desire to do. There were so many people in my ear telling me to leave and stay but at the end of the day, I knew I was going to be the one to either push me forward or hold me back. I took separating from the company as a step forward because I realized quickly money is not the root to fix all of your problems and that I did not want to work 70-80 hours for the next 5-10 years at the age of now, 23.
Moral of the story here, sometimes it takes giving up all you got, to get what is really meant for YOU.
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