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Career Advice-- I hate my job, but love working for my boss..please help?

So here goes...I work in NYC for a stressful, demanding, and frustrating company. I am damn good at my job regardless of the stress and frustrations that we ALL go though. The thing is, I work for a very cool, laid back, and respectable boss. He understands that the job is stressful, annoying, and that it can get the best of you at times. It gets the best of him as well. He's done everything in his power to reward me, promote me, and make me successful; and for that I am VERY grateful. This is why I am his right hand man in the company. I report to JUST HIM. In short, he's basically doubled my income in a little under 4 years. I went from basically making 50,000 a year to 100,000 a year. As I mentioned above, I live in New York City, where 100,000 a year really means nothing. Here is my issue: Last Wednesday I had my performance review for this year. On paper and verbally, the review went VERY VERY WELL. I had no complaints at all. Even with the small things he called me out on. Unfortunately, money wise, not so much. I must admit, in the past 4 years, I've been spoiled with promotions and astronomical pay raises. Pay raises ranging from 10,000-20,000 annually. Not this year! I got a whopping 3600 annual pay increase. What a nice punch in the stomach; great way to ruin the moment of me getting a good pay increase? LOL. Anyways, it's been bothering me for the past 4 days! I WORKED MY A$$ OFF this year ALONE than I have in the past 4 years combined....and he knows it, so why the low a$$ pay raise? I mean, granted, I did go wayyyy above and beyond willingly, but I did it for HIM (because he is a very good boss AND for me because I like being successful and making money--banking on a very good raise). I'm very confused, im very angry, and I don't know what to feel or do. Should I just keep my mouth closed and not say anything? I don't want to appear to be ungrateful because I really am grateful (and of course, I do make really good money for a single 28 year old), but when you go from clocking 10-20,000 pay raises a year, you kinda get used to it. A part of me wants to indirectly screw him over by not working so hard anymore and just doing the bare minimum? What do I do? Should I talk to him about it? or honestly just let it go?? Im not a stranger to hard work!! As I said, I will work my a$$ off for any person who is a cool manager, but why pay me so high in the previous years only to pay me 3600 this year. Any advice would help!

Public Comments

1. You have no idea how lucky you are. First of all, you have a great boss. Second, you're lucky to have a job when millions of people are losing theirs or are out of a job. Lastly, you're lucky to receive an increase when most companies still aren't paying any annual increases. So, to be brutally honest, I think you've been spoiled and have no idea what you got. If I were you, I'd keep doing a good job for your boss. But if it's just the pay that you're after, then look for another job. But if you do, it will be very hard for you to find another great boss. Take it from somebody who knows that good bosses are one in a million.
2. One shouldn't take things for granted. You may have had some good years. Given the current economy we are in today, one would be grateful to just have a job.