It was awsome! My boss said such great things about me! It’s so nice to be appreciated, I so miss that erywhere else in my life. And I haven’t felt appreciated at work for many years.
And they gave me a bonus, which wasn’t expected as they don’t give bonuses to new emplyees, but they made an exception. That feels good!
At first I was thinking: wow, the money is nice, I sure need it, but the background for the money is much more important: I am appreciated, I’m not going to be fired, my career is taking a good turn finally, I am gaining confidence, I’m in control of myself.
Then I thought: I was so desperately looking for a way to finance a trip to Ireland with my parents and children in the summer vacation (my parents said they wanted to travel at least once with each grandchild before they are too old, and offered to pay for the kids, but I had no way of paying for myself). Wow!
Another thought: I had’t felt appreciated, or had such good evaluations, for many years. I also hadn’t enjoyed my work in as many years. It’s no coincidence. I must like what I do in order to succeed. After almost having despaired of it, it turns out I can enjoy working in software developement. Great!