The Day I Quit My Job || The Importance Of Self-Esteem And Why We Need To Know Our Own Value [A True Story]
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt
It takes time and life experience to realize how valuable our doings really are.
Today I'm going to tell you the story about a young lady and her personal Independence Day - the day she learned to esteem her own value and to set boundaries to those who don't.
Here's to the importance of self-esteem and appreciation of manpower in business and life!
Independence Day
It was the 29th of June and her employment contract was supposed to expire the next day.
Due to a mistake of the Human Ressources Department the contract hat a validity period of only six months. Actually their collaboration was supposed to be established for years, but now a little administrational error would change everything.
As always her boss was quite busy. Still she was surprised that he hadn't even mentioned the deadline so far. Probably he didn't even realize that she wasn't planning to sign a prolongation without a renegotiation of her salary. During these six months she had been working like crazy and now the pay day had literally come.
Obviously he thought it was a safe bet. In other words: he had no idea what was going to happen.
On the 30th of June in the evening he finally asked:
Oh by the way didn't you want to talk about your new contract?
She sat down in front of his desk and knew that this was going to be 'her moment'. During the past weeks working with him had become a nightmare. Theoretical she had left the company a couple of times already. If she didn't love her job that much, she would have quit earlier.
The other day he started to yell at her since he didn't like the breakfast she had brought him to the office - even though it was exactly what he had ordered an hour before.
It was time to leave, but before closing the door she wanted to play a bit. She knew that her work was worth a lot more than he was willing to pay her. Also she knew that she deserved to be treated with respect.
Now that she was sitting there enjoying his full attention, she wanted to find out how far she could go. To play back the ball and let him open the match, she asked him what he was able to offer. When he explained that there was no offer and that the new contract was supposed to be exactly like the old one, she told him that she couldn't sign it then.
At that point of time her overtime account had reached the incredible amount of 220 unpaid hours. In only six months she had been literally working five weeks for free. This was an incredibly smart argument.
The re-negotiation of her new employment contract took three whole working days. Probably they weren't fighting for money anymore. They wanted to find out who showed the greater persistence.
Guess who won in the end!
On the 3rd of July in the evening he finally accepted her request. She wanted him to double her salary and he agreed. The negotiation with him was pretty hard and there were several moments when she felt that she was going to lose the game.
During the past months she had learned a lot, especially how valuable her own work was - not only for this company but also in general. With time and experience her self-esteem had grown incredibly strong.
For a few days the hierarchy between them had magically disappeared.
She wasn't just his Assistant anymore, she had become a respectable negotiating partner at eye level.
The day after their agreement was the 4th of July.
He was traveling and she somehow tried to handle the incredible amount of work. During the past weeks it had become almost impossible to get her things done in a regular business day. There were few days without hours of overtime.
At 6pm he called her.
One of his friends was arriving at the airport and he wanted his driver to pick him up. She informed him that the driver had already left the building since his working day ended at 5pm.
He completely freaked out.
His following statement became the famous straw that broke the camel's back as well as their collaboration.
Who the fuck shit into your brain? If I'm right there are currently a thousand people working in my company, so don't tell me that there is no one who can drive to the airport now!
She paused for a second, took a deep breath and then told him that he didn't need to worry about it anymore and that she was taking care of everything.
It was one of these moments she knew damn right what she had to do.
She hung up the phone, grinned, looked at the two colleagues that were sitting close to her and said: 'It was a pleasure working with you guys. Today was my last day at this company.'
Then she took her bag and left the building.
It took her a couple of weeks to realize what had actually happened during these days. It had been quite intense. She definitely learned for life - and especially that her work was worth a lot.
From that day on she knew that nobody would ever be allowed to treat her in such way again.
Remember: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Know your value!
Best,
Marly -
Thanks for your valuable time!
This blog was launched at the end of July 2016
aiming to provide stories for open-minded
people who enjoy living on the edge of their lives,
stepping out of comfort zones, going on adventure,
doing extreme sports and embracing the new.
Welcome to the too-much-energy-blog!
PS: Don't forget that this is a troll-free zone.
Original content.
Yes, of course ..
If God is the one who promised us to make a living on the condition of work
why self-humiliation for food for humans !!
And his friend is still waiting at the airport. ... Patiently waiting, getting tired of the mediocre food available at the kiosks. He keeps looking at his watch even though the battery stopped 3 months ago. "Where is that darned driver" :-)
Hahahaha, thanks for the laughter :-D
I think he grew a long white beard standing at that airport terminal - lol.
Dear @surfermarly . It needs a lot of need that you have.
Of course, a high self-confidence person can do that.
Congratulations on working with Steam and success. we see you and hope to future.
Brilliant post Marly!! Too often people just put up with being treated badly in the workplace and what for?? Great message here, stand up for who you are and your own worth :)
Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you enjoyed the read. And YES, many people just keep going without really knowing why...
Stepping off the rat wheel and finding freedom to create and actually be one's self is incredible. What a feeling it must be and an inspiration for the few seeking it. I would imagine immense weights have been lifted and the girl can finally breathe........
THIS. Often people are forced into certain structures and mechanism where they can't ever be creative. I've never really understood why most managers don't prioritize bringing out the best in their employees.
Oh Man it reminds me a theory Will Vs Skill which i read in psychology book. I do agree
Man is the incharge of his/her own will. He needs to put things in a balance. She seems a very courageous lady who remained very decisive and dominated his boss like an impressive person.
In Holy Quran it is mention
In this regard i can remember another great Quote
Great Job, I am following you since yesterday and I REALLY appreciate your write up @surfermarly
Keep writing such worth reading Articles
Stay Blessed :)
What an inspiring comment, thank you! Great addings here.
Probably these big life decisions are pushed by emotions but then based on rational arguments. The simple fact that we feel uncomfortable shouldn't be the only reason for us to quit something. Big changes require solid arguments. My formula is: think - feel - act (in this order) :-)
Again, thanks for stopping by I appreciated your thoughts!
Marly, I loved this story.
It is a crazy moment when something happens and you can never go back, its a delirious feeling, pure action.
Thank you for sharing this story, I was wondering how you ended up quitting your last job. Standing up for your value is an epic end. Proud of you. I hope this inspires someone to leave their crappy boss with as much spunk as you did.
As always, thank you for being inspiring :)
Thanks for your lovely feedback!
You're absolutely right: it's pure action and adrenaline and endorphines. Still you don't know if it was the right decision until you do the next step. Making a decision and closing one door is brave, but the really hard part comes afterwards when you need to turn your new opportunity into a real chance.
Life is such an amazing ride!
There have been occasions in my working career where I'd have loved to have the guts to do similar; I guess we all have.
It's not always the best decision to quit. We need to balance reasons and be very safe before making such a groundbreaking decision. Sometimes closing one door means changing your whole life situation. Such moments require a lot of courage, strenght and persistence.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts :-)
I've always dreamed of running a café by the sea. Simple fresh and clean food. We moved to the coast this year which was a step in the right direction but still a long way to go until I find the courage to move closer to my dream.
I'm a corporate man, always have been so not great at not having some form of perceived safety blanket.
Love this!
I'm very proud of this person for understanding her worth. Now she can work to positively affect the lives of others, free from the shackles of unappreciative employers.
Well done this lady!
My last day was the 29th August 2017 - lets see if we can gain freedom and keep it!
Hey Ash!
I'm very proud of her, too :-)
What I know from your posts and our conversations is that you did very well on that 29th of August. Crossing my fingers that life will always reward you for your courage.
Great post that soooooo many of us can identify with. My last bout with this type of thing-not the verbal abuse- but just being treated unfairly for one reason or another and dared to notice. Trying to negotiate with my boss was impossible so I did the next best thing, in my mind, and started my own business using my expertise that was carefully ignored and did a similar business with a twist. It was very hard and I had to have a job, my boss knew my circumstance, I managed to juggle the two "jobs" until
my business attracted investors which made things really begin to happen. Looking back, it was a true miracle that saved me from drowning after the big plunge! I never look back to those days only to gain respect for all that are in this type situation and make it "out"!
I'm overwhelmed by the feedback! It really seems that many of us have lived similar situations in our lives.
Thanks for your insight, what an inpsiring story! Whenever we start something new it requires special efforts. But mostly when we're really convinced about a project and doing what we love, things fall into place anyways.
Working hours don't count if you follow your heart!