Life is what we make it

“The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their time working to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

Most of us can relate to it. We spend a significant part of our life in the 9 to 5 jobs. We try to secure a lifestyle and establish security in a world which we all know is insecure.

A monotonous affair

A major part of the waking hours is spent commuting to work, getting through emails, attending some of the boring meetings, having that not so pleasant one on one conversation with the boss, or be on a never-ending conference call. All this to earn a living. The majority of us go through this life like robots. Each of us deserves to work on something that pays more than a paycheck.

We dream of breaking this monotony some day. But cannot gather the courage to break the shackles and move out of the comfort zone.

The ‘Job Satisfaction 2016’ survey by TimesJobs.com revealed that 60 per cent employees are not satisfied with their current job.  80 per cent said they are looking to switch jobs.

A day in my life

Two years back, a day in my life,  looked something like below

• Wake up at 6.30am in the morning
• Start for office at 8 am and get stuck in the traffic for two hours
• Reach office at 10 am and get busy with meetings, emails, conference calls, and continue in office till 8 pm
• Leave office at 8 pm and head back home through the same traffic to reach home at 9.30 pm
• too tired to talk to anyone, grab dinner and get ready again for the conference call with customers in other time zones.
• Continue on the conference calls post 12 am and then hit the sack at around 1 am.
• Repeat again the same the next day.

It took me a year and a half to arrive at that bold decision to quit the grueling schedule. The job did not align with my values and my long term goals. It left me stressed. I hated going to the office and I hated being dictated by the organization I worked for.

As soon as I quit my job, months of anxiety felt lifted from my shoulder. I felt more relaxed. Of course, there was the concern on what I had planned to do next, but I had prepared myself for the change.

Does your job align with your values and your long term goals? If they don’t then you are inviting stress. Fear of losing everything keep us hooked to the job that we don’t like. In the process, we neglect our wellbeing.

Steve Jobs once said:

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Life is what we make it- break the monotony of the job you don’t like

So, what will make you ready to break the monotony of your daily life and follow your heart? Here are a few things that I had done before I quit and it worked for me,

• Develop a hobby and work on something that you are passionate about. Take up pro bono work that would add value and help you fulfill your long term goal.
• Invest in self-development. We live in a fast-paced world which is forever changing. It is good to keep up with the changes.
• Look at internal opportunities that will force you to come out of your comfort zone.
• Choose a mentor who will guide you in achieving your dreams.

As quoted by Lao Tzu,” A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

So if you are one of those dissatisfied employees, take your next step today.