Why Getting Fed Up Gives You More Reason to Stay Hungry

fed up

“Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.” – Thomas Carlyle

Over a year ago, I worked with all I have got to make another man rich. I remember working 10-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week to exceed performance quotas. Of course, I was getting paid but not nearly as much as what my boss was making from my dedication and hard work.

I was a stellar performer because I had to provide for my wife and my son. That was my sole motivation.

After two years of devotion, I was suspended for 10 days without pay by upper management. The client thought my performance was not good enough. The news came out of nowhere.

During my years of working for this company, I was given performance bonuses on a consistent basis. My performance evaluations were good to excellent. So when I woke up one morning and read the memo, it felt as if I was blindsided by a freight train.

I have bills to pay. I have mouths to feed. I have a child to send to school. I couldn’t afford the 10-day suspension.

With all confidence, I talked to the boss to argue my case. I had records to prove my suspension was unwarranted. This is when I discovered businesses do not operate like justice courts.

The owner was not interested in what I had to say. He couldn’t afford to lose the client, but he could afford to suspend me. Throwing me under the bus was a business no-brainer for him.

It was then I realized I wasn’t a human being in his eyes. To him, I existed to bring him profits.

I was maddeningly furious that I wanted beat him black and blue and literally throw him under the bus before I left. I spent the next few days with my mind tossing and turning between anger and anxiety.

Then one day, I told myself I’ve had enough. I was ready to take matters into my own hands.

Instead of submitting to fear and doing nothing while serving my suspension, I applied to hundreds of companies online as a freelance writer. I’ve always wanted to write for a living but my father always told me writers don’t make money.

A couple of days later, a few companies were interested to acquire my services. The pay was a fraction of what I made before and the hours were long. I didn’t care; I used all my bottled up anger and frustration as fuel to keep writing.

As expected, the boss called me back to work after my suspension period. I told him I will, but I never did. Until now, his staff sends emails encouraging me to return. Why would I?

“A setback is a setup for a comeback,” says Dr. Eric Thomas.

It’s been more than a year since I received the news that change the course of my life. Nowadays, I wake up excited, thrilled to be writing for a living and touching people’s lives. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I guess I owe my former boss a big thank you for making me realize I’m tired of making him rich.

Photo by Ryan Hyde

8 thoughts on “Why Getting Fed Up Gives You More Reason to Stay Hungry”

    1. Hello, Bethany! Thanks for reading the article! Congratulations for having the courage to leave a secure but toxic situation. That must have been difficult but I’m glad to know that things are working out. :)

  1. I am so glad I literally just happened upon this blog and just happened to read your article! The same thing happened to me (a little differently but same concept) and I have reacted the exact same way. I took the “setback” and am making a “comeback”. I loved what I did for a living but could not longer accept the abuse so I left. It took me a few days to wrap my brain around all of it (anger/anxiety) then decided I really would love to be a freelance writer. Today I finished building my own website, which is something I would never have attempted before. I needed a platform for my writing so I could start freelancing. I am much happier and feel completely free. The website is built but under some serious construction, but I couldn’t be more excited. I am happy for you and I! Great article!

  2. Hi Henry, great article… This is what separates the winners from the losers. When something like that happens to them, winners use what they have to launch themselves in a different direction and discover their true destiny. Losers just stay put and continue whining. My experience is that nothing happens by accident and that there is a reason for everything that happens in your life. Iif it’s something that seems bad, it’s most likely a setup for a comeback.

    1. Hey, Jimmy, thanks for your kinds words. I agree with you 100 percent. What may look bad on the surface is really nothing but a preparation for greater things to come. Cheers!

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