It is a wonderful feeling to realize just how in love you are with the one to whom you're married.
Or, in my case, the one by whom I am employed.
This week is Founders Week here at my company, which is a weeklong celebration of our company's history, culture, values, and all those special things that make us who we are. Between that and working on some company-centric projects (including our new-and-improving careers page, in which I've tried to put our unique culture into words and write a top-10 list of why someone would want to join our team), I've been filled with absolute adoration for my job all over again. What a huge blessing it is! I get to spend my workweek with hundreds of amazing, talented, fun people, and I love expending my energy for a company that truly values its employees. From past experience, I know just how rare and quality that is.
I've said it before, but there really are a plethora of parallels between dating and career. Maybe I see them so much because that's where I place probably 90% of my energy and focus, but the list goes on and on -- interviewing for a job is like a first date, some jobs end because of dealbreakers (like all of my jobs in California -- they all had draws that led me to get involved, but each had major drawbacks that I couldn't handle long term), and it gets easy to look back longingly at the good times of the past while glossing over the frustrations (or vice versa, in the case of one straight-up abusive job that still makes me shudder to this day!).
But a marriage? Well, I don't have first-hand experience with that one in the relationship sense... but I do love finally having found my match in my career. It's funny -- at first glance, I wouldn't have expected my company to be such a perfect fit. I mean, a property insurance software company? In Utah Valley, of all places? Truth be told, I applied as a back up, just in case I didn't get the glamorous social media PR job in Salt Lake that I truly wanted. Of course, as time has gone passed, I've been SO glad I didn't get that PR job -- agency life is a grind, and I really prefer working in a collaborative, in-house environment. And how often do I hear that advice in dating?! "Say yes to dates even if you aren't sure you'll be a match because you never know what you'll find upon getting to know someone better." "I never would've thought my husband would be The One until we started dating -- he wasn't at all what I imagined I'd want, but he's everything I need." "Don't worry if it doesn't work out -- you'll end up with the right one eventually." (Reminds me of the time I was thrilled to finally have plans with a crush -- only to go on a blind date the weekend before, get totally smitten, and end up going from the crush's house to a second date with Mr. Weekend. The crush is a great guy, but he's not the perfect fit like the date was - and I don't know that I would've picked the date out of a lineup as a great match if we'd just met in a social setting instead of being set up.)
But I digress.
Careers are so much like long-term relationships, too, in that you really have to work for them. I mean, duh, you'll work at work -- but I'm talking more about honoring the commitment you've made. Life is not all rainbows and sunshine. There are tradeoffs and deficiencies at any job, just like how you'll inevitably marry someone imperfect because no one is perfect. But how wonderful it is to be able to work through those slumps and frustrations, to watch things improve (which can only happen when there's longevity to create perspective), and to develop a bond of trust that comes with patient perseverance. There are so many more lessons to be learned in working through the ups and downs than there are by hopping around, and the payoff is so rich. It's rewarding to feel security, to know that your efforts are appreciated, to have reciprocity. It fosters an environment in which you can really let your guard down and give your all instead of worrying about layoffs, backstabbers, condescending bosses, and a number of things I've dealt with at other jobs. Here I feel safe. My coworkers are my friends; I enjoy spending time with them on and off the clock. Some of them are among my closest friends and confidantes these days. I love our campus here so much that I didn't leave until dark last night -- after a mediocre date, I opted to lay out on our lawn and read a book in the beauty of twilight instead of driving home. It feels like home.
I enjoy my job thoroughly and love coming to work -- and that joy and security permeate the rest of my life. I am constantly amazed and humbled by how many doors have opened in my life, thanks to this job, and how many ways it's made me a better person. (And the same can be said for my career overall. Hard to believe I resented it for so many years!!! Even the worst experiences have made for some of the best lessons.) Had you told me three years ago that this is how things would pan out, I wouldn't have believed it -- or at least I wouldn't have believed I'd be as blissfully happy as I am. But here I am, grateful as can be for a wonderful match.
I only hope that someday I can find a guy who's as constant, appreciative, and inspirational as my company is. I can't imagine settling for anything less!
