"That's bullshit... You set your own high standards!"

So over the last 4 months I've been having a pretty large issue at work. I won't go into too much detail but I've just felt like a number, not a name and have felt next to no satisfaction in almost every aspect of what I do 8-10 hours a day. Monday night, the company took all us revenue peeps to quite an extravagant event that they probably shelled out 10k plus for. I went... slightly hesitant about how the night was going to go. I normally feel like a loner at these things since there are so many cliques in this company it's ridiculous. Consider it like high school. You've got the jocks, the funny/chill/laid back crowd, "plastic" esque cheerleaders, dorks, super uber dorks, druggies and alcoholics, etc.

I was never in a clique in high school. I tended to just float around and had a small group of friends that I depended on. Anyways, I learned an extremely important lesson from a buddy that night. For the most part, no matter what your job is, there are gonna be things that you simply just can't stand about them... it's just a fact. A favorite quote of mine is "I don't like work- nobody does- but I like what is in work-the chance to find yourself." Well that's exactly what this guy told me. He asked me, honestly asked me, how I was doing... and I put it on him. He listened with a very patient ear (like any good sales person) and when I finished my rant he slowly pulled away, looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Ryland... That's bullshit! It doesn't matter (insert what I said to him about what tortures and torments this job was putting me through), you're gonna get that no matter where you go. When this happens, you set your own high standards. You work for you and yours. I don't care if that's a hobby, a family or a fucking drug. You do it for YOU."

He said it with such conviction, such passion, such energy that I had to ask, "So... you've been here before?" His obvious reply, "More times than I can count."

It was in that moment that I realized he was utterly right. His words cut to my core. Not only had he been there, he'd made it back out... and not just back out alive, but thriving. It was one of those "eureka" moments us homo sapiens tend to have every once and a while where we just go, "I fucking get it!". So, I thank you fellow wounded soldier - you gave me just what I needed to press on.

Now... what should I eat for lunch today???