I recently walked away after a conversation with a friend and thought, “I deserve better than this.” In that moment, I decided I had had enough. I distanced myself and stopped choosing to interact with her.

It wasn’t easy because we had a lot in common. But her behavior clearly demonstrated she didn’t respect me, my expertise in HR, or my time. She took advantage of my good nature and willingness to help over and over. And I decided I was done.

And you know what? I feel better. I blocked her on my phone, stopped following her on social media, and shifted my focus to spending time with people who were great at being supportive and respectful.

I had a similar experience when I was working at what I called a great company. But really, the day to day interactions with my manager was filled with disrespect and a lack of consideration for the priorities I had outside of work. The behavior I accepted as normal and okay for years was suddenly no longer acceptable. I had leveled up my expectations and had outgrown what he and that company offered.

This forced me to make another tough decision. I had to leave that company and reinvent myself. I had to find a company that respected my contributions to their business results and my other priorities.

To often we accept bad behavior because underneath it all we don’t think we deserve better. If you feel worse after interacting with someone, stop and ask yourself if it is time to make a change. And think about what you want instead.

Sometimes all it takes to make the decision to change is creating a clear vision of what you want instead. And the knowledge that you deserve better. —If you are ready to level up and get treated better at work, let’s talk.