AYDAF: Hard Work Pays Off

It's that time again.  Time for another installment of Advice You Didn't Ask For!

Today's topic:  Hard work pays off.

Ah, the sweet memories of my childhood.  The time when my parents, grandparents, teachers, and any authoritative adult in my life gave that wonderful piece of advice.  I remember being praised for my good grades, my dedication to school, and getting a job at the young age of 14.  I remember those adults telling me that as long as I kept working hard, I would soon see the benefits of that hard work.  In my mind, that meant if I worked really hard, I'd make bukus of money.  

Now, here I sit, 36 years old.  I have a Master's Degree, a Bachelor's Degree, and an Associate's Degree.  I am a few days from starting my 7th year as a teacher.  My yearly salary, after all the take outs, sits right above the federal poverty line.  The amount I owe in student loans from getting all of those fancy degrees was the equivalent of TWO YEARS of my salary BEFORE take-outs.  Even with my husband's pay, we often find ourselves juggling bills, cutting out extras, and sticking to a pretty strict budget to get by.  

So, where all of those adults wrong about hard work paying off?

Yes and no.  Depending on how you take that common piece of advice.

As an educator, it's literally my job to tell my students how important their education is.  As a parent, I have given my own children that piece of advice since the first time they questioned anything they were doing at school, or in life in general, that they struggled with.  I explain to my students and my children that in order to get anywhere in life, they need a good education, and they need to work hard.  Even though there are lots of children out there that won't ever have to worry about money, many more children won't have that luxury and have to work hard for everything they get.

I've worked hard my entire life.  I've done all of those things that I was advised to do.  I went to college, even though I was raising three children.  I pursued my dream career.  I spent many a sleepless night huddled over text books and my computer to write papers and complete assignments.  I continued to hold down a job while going to school.  I worked HARD.  So, did it pay off?

The first milestone

When I was 19 and a single mother to two very small children, I had no choice but to utilize public assistance.  I had food stamps, my kids had state insurance, and I had day care assistance vouchers.  My job paid the rent and the bills.  Even with all the assistance, I lived paycheck to paycheck.  After a couple of years of living that way, I decided to start working a little harder to find a job that would help ease some of my burdens.  I ended up landing a pretty decent job working for an extremely large retailer at their corporate headquarters.  

I went from a job that made $7.50 an hour to a job that paid almost $12 an hour.  That was pretty good money, back then.  I will never forget the feeling I had when I got that first letter telling me that my income no longer qualified for food stamps.  I wasn't worried that I was now going to have to buy my own food.  Making another $5 an hour made a HUGE difference, and I took that as proof that my hard work truly had paid off.  I was able to feed my children without the use of public assistance.

The college plunge

After a couple of years of working in retail, I was inspired to pursue a college education.  I'd wanted to be a teacher since I was 5, so I decided it was time to make that dream come true.  For four years I took full-time college courses, worked part-time, and raised my kids.  I lacked sleep, money, and patience, but what an amazing feeling when I walked across that stage to receive my Bachelor's degree.  A year later, I was hired as a 4th grade teacher in the school where I now currently teach.  I worked my butt off, and had finally made a 20+ year dream come true. 

The great chase

If you've read the Prologue section of the blog, you'll know that Casey and I met in high school, lost touch, and reconnected 14 years later.  From the minute I saw Casey again, I just KNEW I still loved him.  Actually, I never stopped loving him, the emotions just all flooded to the surface when he was standing in front of me.  What I haven't disclosed, however, is that it wasn't a "love at first sight, got back together" reunion.  Casey and I weren't even on speaking terms at our first meeting, due to drama with his then girlfriend.  I was simply taking our daughter to meet Casey for the first time.

That first meeting, however, put into motion a very long, grueling, emotional chase to rekindle our love.  We both ended our current relationships, and Casey moved to Arkansas.  He didn't move to be with me, he moved to get away from a nasty living situation and to start over.  I ended my relationship because I knew I had feelings for Casey, and it just wasn't fair to be with someone when I didn't love them.  

For the following three months, I went through an emotional roller-coaster.  Casey told me CONSTANTLY, he didn't want a relationship, but I knew that we were supposed to be together.  I knew fate had brought us back together for a reason, and so the hard work began.

I worked my butt off, and eventually managed to convince Casey into giving us a chance. He was so worried that his past would interfere with our future, and he was right, but we just worked through it.  We've had our downs, we've had our struggles, but we've worked hard, and now we are very happily married,  He is my best friend, and I just couldn't imagine my life without him.  My hard work definitely paid off.

It's not just about money

So, I've worked very hard throughout my adult life, and I'm not rich.  I'm not swimming in monetary compensation from all the hard work.  What I am swimming in, however, are the other blessings that have come with my hard work.  I raised three amazing children, I put myself through college, I got my dream job, and I am married to my soulmate.  None of those things were easy.  I worked long and hard to get the things I'm most truly thankful for.  

Sometimes, we have to remember that money isn't always the reward for hard work.  In fact, money shouldn't be the only reason to work hard.  Work hard to follow your dreams, work hard to get something you want, and work hard to rise above difficulties.  When you do those things, you will be very happy with the reward.  

Hard work DOES pay off.  

That's your advice you didn't ask for.  You're welcome!

'Til Next Time!