This past weekend I went out to dinner with a couple friends, and throughout the meal we talked a lot about work. I shared some of the struggles I was going through with being busy, stressed, and overwhelmed. One of my friends talked about her new job and how the culture is awesome, but there’s still a lot of company reorganization happening. The other friend talked all about the politics of her company and how a reorganization caused some pretty high-level people to be let go. We also talked about respect, communication, and overall happiness with our jobs.

This conversation really got me thinking: Is the grass greener on the other side? I know it’s an overused cliché, but sometimes you can’t help but wonder, “What’s it like on the other side?”

I won’t lie and say I’ve never thought that before, but I love what I do, so I’m pretty happy with the grass I’m standing on right now. But it’s nice to hear that each company and industry has their own set of problems, challenges, and politics. It would be great if no industry had these issues, but I think these things are going to happen no matter what.

Whenever I’m feeling stressed or frustrated or overwhelmed, I need to remember that no company is perfect. There’s always drama. There always will be politics. There’s always going to be struggles and challenges. It’s determining what’s worth putting up with to do a job you love.

For me, it’s always been and will be a balancing act. Whenever how much I love my job is overpowered by the politics/challenges/stress, I know it’s time for me to move on. The key is being able to recognize it and act upon it.

Have you ever wondered if the grass was greener? What did you do?