Yes. The word that mostly describes my attitude towards life at the moment is...monotony. Every day seems much the same--at least Monday through Friday when I'm endlessly required to wake up early in the morning, shower, have a quick breakfast, take my vitamins and start on the road to another day at the office. Alas, this is just simply the nature of any job though... every responsible human being that is charged with the task of being a "bread winner" feels this to some extent I'm sure. I'd be willing to bet that there are few jobs out there that are exciting and different enough that monotony is hardly a common internalization.
So, as the primary bread winner of my family currently, I pose the question to the universe: "Is there any way to combat this monotony and limit its occurrences...?"
It's not that I'm not "happy" or "content" with my life at the moment. I have many things to be thankful for every single day of my life! Anyone will tell you "it's NATURAL to feel monotony in many instances of life"--and though I agree, there must be some common ways to combat these feelings of "the grind" to create a more fulfilling work/life experience...!
I really do try to change it up at work so that it doesn't get so bad--most of the time. One day I'll be working on fixing things around the showroom, the next I'll be working on quotes/bids almost all day long, the next I'll be working on improving our bidding software's configuration and functionality, all the time having my number one priority being creating quotes/bids for our salesmen. There's really not enough to keep us both busy doing bids all day long though... which is kind of where the monotony sits in. Every bid is different enough that if I were doing that all day, I wouldn't mind it so much--as keeping busy doing SOMETHING all day prevents these feelings rather well.. There does need to be a balance, but I feel that the more busy I am, and the more important I feel to the workflow, the better I perform overall. I really should feel important here--I do have a lot of unique responsibilities--I think maybe it's the psychology of feeling like you're making what you're worth while facing such monotonous circumstances.
I don't make enough for what I do. Yes, I'm just starting out in the industry, but what I do requires knowledge that most people just don't get as easily. PLUS, with my digital media degree, I've been naturally more able to take on additional responsibilities within the structure here. I've brought up my concerns to my manager, Chris Porter, but he's very cunning in keeping me where I'm at. He agrees that we (Peak, Chris, myself) should strive to get me paid more... but he doesn't feel I'm worth more at the moment. The reasoning used was that I'm gone a lot--whether I'm out for personal or familial reasons, or that I have Guard, or that even when I'm here, if I have stuff going on at home, it shows here. He made it sound that neither he, nor Peak holds the fact that I'm in the National Guard against me... but it doesn't bode well for me when adding in all the other absences. The perception with everything considered is that I'm not as committed to what we're doing here as what they (Peak) would like to see. So, Chris says if we can shift that perception I have a chance at getting rewarded for my additional responsibilities. He says that my job description hasn't changed much since I started here (he obviously is overlooking my recent additional responsibilities such as showroom technician, and Quotewerks (our new software) expert. Oh well, maybe someday I'll actually make what I'm worth.
Company's are in a position right now though that they can really pay their employees whatever they want--the Company is already paying them for doing what they're doing, and out of fear of losing their job, most employees just take what they get, do what is expected of them, and just move on making what they made when they were originally hired. I refuse to keep going at this rate. Not only do I barely make enough for my wife and I to survive... I've worked for long enough that I'm worth more with my current skill set. I'm really hoping that Argenta gives me a call to offer me a position with the company starting somewhere between $35-40k.... that way it'll give me the option of making what I'm worth while having a shorter drive to work, and with more opportunities to show my abilities and to earn raises before too long... who knows, I could even become an executive there with the other guys. Here's to hoping.
If I made more in my current position, maybe I'd be more okay with things being so monotonous--or if I were a little more busy doing what I was hired to do--bids. Oh well. The only thing I've found that I can do is just be grateful that I have a job--so that I'm at least making a living and supporting my family in some ways. It all seems to be worth the monotony when thinking of it in that way. I love you Bethany.
