Who am I? I am I.

You know, the past few years, I've had so many changes in my life.  Physical changes both personally and in my surroundings; changes in friends and people that surround me.  Just SO many changes.  It is so easy, amid all this change, to lose sight of yourself.  I have always been very solid in who I am, how I want to treat people, and who I want to be.  And that, lately, has become weakened because of Life.  Today, though, I attended the Retirement Party of a coworker I worked with 10 years ago when I first got hired at the company I work for.  I am significantly younger than the group of women I worked with as a part timer a decade ago but still remain relatively close to a few of them.  Most of them attended my wedding and let's face it.... they along with this company have practically raised me as I started work here when I was 19.  I have grown significantly within this company which is what I set out to do when I got hired.  My goal was never to be rich or to be one of those ambitious go-getters always concerned with rising to the top.  I have to say that despite that, things have worked out well for me, and I have climbed the ladder rapidly while maintaining myself. 

However, I have to acknowledge that being around certain people with different ideals about work and career can really wreak havoc on your solidity in yourself.  I think, with everything I have been experiencing, that has happened to an extent and it may be contributing to my feelings of discontent in my job.  Going to that party today and being around those women that I worked with, learned from, and observed back when I was "impressionable"  really did me a huge favor.  I remembered who I was and more importantly who I am and who I am not. 

I am not that girl who is ruthless in her attempt to get to the top.  I am content where I am wherever that may be because I know that I can always be learning something in that place.

I am not that girl who feels like I should "be making more money with the education that I have."  I chose where I am and that choice was not based on monetary reasons ... it was based on the fact that I wanted to work here and contribute to a place that gave me so much throughout my younger years. 

This is it.  I am going back to being that girl.  I worked hard to get what I needed to get so that I could do this job.  Not vice versa.  I am done listening to people complain about my place of work because they, like I, have a choice to be or not to be here.  And speaking of Shakespeare .... two other Shakespeare quotes have crept up just today in this realization. 

1.  "All the world is a stage."  - That is right ... so I can come to work and put on a show.  I can give the people what they need.  I can be an actress and choose my role.

2.  "Above all, be true to yourself."  - Remember who you are.  Where you came from.  Why you are here.  And who you want to be.  Be that.  And nothing else.