Let’s face it, if you find you are continually treated the same shabby way at all the jobs you’ve held, logic should tell you that maybe you need to take a better look at yourself. Unless your former bosses and coworkers are following you from job to job, then the only constant is you. Ergo, you are likely the problem. Maybe it’s a personality issue, in which case you need to decide whether it’s a quirk you are willing to take the lumps for or it’s a flaw that you want to correct. Or maybe the field of work you’re in just doesn’t fit your personality or desires — you have the power to change the work you do. Think long and hard about the issues that crop up regularly. Then, if you go ahead and continue on the same path, you’re at least doing it with full understanding of why. The same applies to other aspects of your life.
A week ago, I left that community I wrote about before. I haven’t really missed it, which should tell me everything I need to know. Were there upper level issues with the running of the community? Sure, but what solidified my decision to leave were the attitudes of the community members who felt — who still feel — that they were being victimized. Instead of taking responsibility for their own part in what ended up being a bad situation all around, they continue to spread their venom and disgruntlement, like a pox. Takes the heart right out of you.
When I left, I resisted the urge to speak my mind. But if I had, I would have said “If you’re finding that the people in charge of all the volunteer pursuits you take part in seem to be treating (or mistreating) you the exact same way, maybe the problem doesn’t lie with them or their management styles. Maybe you really *are* an asshole.”
Life Begins at 41...or maybe 43 