The last 5 years I worked at my place of employment, I did just that. I worked 12/15 hour days (got paid for 7.5 hr days) just trying to keep up with the workload and trying to prove that I was a valuable player in the organization. I had devoted myself to this organization for over 35 years and I just wanted to stay until I hit retirement age. I loved what I did, but each day I could see the workplace was changing around me. I was eventually forced to retire and I thought I would die. It has taken me 4 years to finally accept and realize that it was a blessing in disguise that I finally left. When you allow yourself to work under such conditions it takes away all your self esteem and you know longer feel you are of any value. At last I am finally realizing it was not my fault for what happen. It is the world we live in today. Large organizations no longer want the older employees, we cost them too much money, they would rather pay young, less motivated people less money and if the job isn’t done as well as in the past, then it still meets today’s standards and it is just fine in their book. It took sometime, but I now know what value I was to my career and I have no regrets. Maybe one I should have been the one to tell them. TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT, I AIN’T WORKING HERE NO MORE. ~ Rosalie Carew
If you have to prove your worth to someone, then unfortunately they don’t value your worth!
Set a high standard on yourself, never prove anything to anybody, they should be able to see that.
Criticism doesn’t make you smarter 
Sometimes a good heart doesn’t see the bad 
People who genuinely care about you 
Walking away has nothing to do with weakness