These past two days I started to feel really frustrated about the job situation. For one project I knew what the right thing was for business, and I fought for it with other coworkers. We all thought we were doing the right thing by not just taking orders from other business units, who were not as close to the market as we. However our boss, our very new boss, only wanted peace and appearing good at headquarter so he literally told me that he wanted his "trouble kids" to shut up and just do whatever we were told to do. I cannot believe how things turned out to be this way, while he said at day one that he would help us move the obstacles and that’s his ONLY job.

Then I learned one of my best performing coworker recently had red light in his marriage. This guy works from 6AM to 7PM Monday to Friday, working at several events during weekends every month. He is not the sharp, smart type, but he truly listens and stretches himself to as many different cultures as he could since he is in charge of new york city. He is nice to all the people he deals, no attitudes, trying to be objective on every issue, and actually very knowledgeable for his area. What the company paid him in return? He missed the same opportunity twice to move up. This time before my green, new boss came, he almost thought he would get this promotion. But not sure if it’s political or whatever insider story, he missed it again, at many people’s disappointment. He has been here for many years. 100%, or 200% into the business, and now what? a divorce request from the wife that he is never home.

I cannot help asking myself. What really lasts? Now everyday is my boss really my boss? The company buys me 9-5, and does that define who I am? I remember a black joke that in a party when the host restricts everyone NOT to talk about anything related to their work, nobody finds a word to say. Is there more than work or family to define a person?

What lasts?