Everyone has a point where they can not be pushed any further. For some it's a short line, for others the tolerance is greater. Generally I would say I fall into the former, yet in my working life I somehow manage to weigh up monetary needs against personal needs and somehow fit into the 'keep pushing and I'll keep coming back for more' mode.
Tonight I think I finally broke that tradition. I've sat here for several hours writing an email in my head; scratching out the personal remarks, rewriting sentences, getting back to the point of contention, removing any discourse about my emotions and trying to stay on a professional tangent. Hours later I'm still back to where I was three days ago thinking I need to just bite the hard biscuit and tell this one client in particular that I have no interest in doing their work.
Have you ever met a person that has their own opinion, and that there is no other opinion to be had? The client who has no idea how to do what you do, but still wants to tell you how to do it better? The client who tells you they want x, y and z and then the next day wants a, b and c? To be swiftly followed the day after with x, y, c and d? Even though those four components don't actually go together and will never follow each other logically?
I didn't know until this afternoon that my frustration would leak out in the middle of a client conversation so much that I would feel the need to stack my dish washer. Physical mindless activity was preferable to listening to the needs of this client, yet I couldn't have one or the other I had to find an outlet for my frustration.
We have three big catalogue/inserts planned to be designed and printed within the next three weeks, and I have to say I'm so close to pulling out of this and don't know if that is funny or not. Do I stay or do I go now?
Actually I think I just answered that question...I think I'm outta here...
