I have just finished three of the most boring, menial, repetitive, pointless days’ work I have done since my days of student jobs. For the first time in many years I kept shoving myself back from my desk and yelling “I hate my job!” (A perk of working alone in a shed, I realise, is being able to shout my frustrations out loud! I shout often in my shed, but it’s usually cheerful whooping. Or bad singing.)
I hated that I was just trading my brain and my days in exchange for cash. I wasn’t producing anything useful, helpful, fun, beautiful, interesting or creative.
But, looking on the bright side, the past three days have reminded me of a few things:
- I am fortunate to earn enough money in my life. Therefore doing stuff that I hate simply to earn more money is stupid.
- I am fortunate to have received a good enough education to allow me lots of options for my working life. Therefore doing something I hate when I could do stuff that I enjoy is stupid.
- I am so lucky to love my work. These past three days have been the only days in years where I have not been eager and excited to begin the day’s work. It’s really stupid of me to spend my days doing something that makes my heart sink as I sit down at my desk at 9am.
- Given that I am in the fortunate position in life to be able to earn enough money for my life in a variety of possible ways, it is really stupid not to focus on doing work that simultaneously pays enough, makes me happy, and adds value to the world.
- I’mm a very lucky man to only have hated the past three days of work. There are billions of people in a worse off position than me. I’mm a total idiot if I don’t make the most of being educated, able and living in a rich, free country. Work I hate in pursuit of cash I don’t desperately need is stupid.
Right: I’mm going to turn off my computer and go blast away the frustration and ennui in the gym.
And then tomorrow morning I’mm going to put aside a couple of hours before I do anything else to have a good think about the sort of work I truly want to be doing and give myself a stern talking to.
Never again do I want to spend days thinking “I hate my job”. That’s stupid.
If the 3 days is a good enough reminder then it might have been a useful 3 days
very true!
I’m sure there are so many people, myself included, that feel much the same as you did……I just wished I was brave enough to do something about it like you!!!
I’m in a stressful job that is not making me happy, I work more hours than I want to, earning more money than I need to and it all keeps me away from my true passions in life. This post really spoke to me. I am now making a change!