Becoming Better

I was planning on writing this post on February 3, 2008, which marks the one-month anniversary of the date I quit my former employment. January 3, 2008, was the day that I decided that I will not allow an employer or anyone else to define my limitations, to ignore my hard work, to take advantage of my good-will, and to pay me sub-standard salary.

Basically, January 3, 2008, was the day I decided to become a better version of myself. I closed the door to a situation that I could not change and that was not allowing me to grow. And God opened another door. Pastor Joel says, "Don't ever let good enough be good enough." I had done all I could do in my former employment, and that day was the day God showed me I needed to move forward.

Pastor Joel says to forget about the past and to look ahead. This is very difficult for me. I have always thought that our past is what defines us, but I have come to realize that our past is what is holding us back from enjoying our tomorrows.

Pastor Joel says to always strive to become better. There's always room for improvement. What happens if you ever reach the point of achieving all that you can achieve? Where else is there to go? Well, I may not know exactly which direction to take, but now, I am always going ahead and striving to become better. I pray to God for direction as often as I can.

This past month has been a great learning experience. I have learned who my true friends are. I have learned who those people are that I can go to for advice and help. I have learned that through Christ, all that I attempt is possible.

This past month, I have met new people. I have learned new things. I now know that even though I feel alone, I am not alone. I now have the courage to say no. I now have the courage to decline offers that are beneath me even though there is some money to be gained. I know that my integrity is not for sale.

Here I sit, in my shared office, exhausted after reviewing foreign tax issues for the past 3 hours. But, I am not complaining. I agreed to do this tax project because it is a great learning experience for me. I agreed to help prepare 3 different trials this week. I finally get to do what I want, and it feels great.

In the morning, I have to attend to a felony trial and a misdemeanor trial. I also have to attend to 2 new felony clients and 1 existing client. Later, I need to draft a tax opinion letter. And after all of that, I will go to my church to pray for prosperity.

It's funny. For the past 3 Sundays, I have been going to church twice a day. In the morning, I go to the regular Spanish Sunday morning service that lasts for 2 hours. Three Sundays ago, my church started having English sessions at 4PM. The pastor said he would be preaching about direction. At the time, I needed a lot of direction because I was considering taking a job offer from a law firm. And after the first Sunday, I have kept going back. The church was initially planning on only having 3 Sunday English sessions, but today, the pastor said there would be another one next Sunday. So, I plan to go. I like this pastor. I find it easier to talk to him about my issues in English. Even though I am fluent in Spanish, it's sometimes difficult to translate the technicalities. The pastor says they might have English mid-week sessions soon. How exciting! I just hope that my work schedule will allow me to attend those sessions as well.

Tomorrow is a big day, so I better get home. Good night.