God do I hate Mondays. The 1999 movie Office Space hit the nail on the head within the first few minutes of that flick...so funny, so true...which makes it so sad. I don't necessarily have a fat "Nina" sitting in the next cube over droning high-pitched accounts payable salutations, but my desire not to be at work is still there. Hence me blogging today...anything to take me somewhere else.
There's a guy that I work with who I go on a lot of outside sales meetings with. Sometimes the drives are 45 minutes long...and at first we struggled for conversation, but now I look forward to talking. I expressed my (let's use) 'uncertainty' about my position, and instead of the 'company man' response that I expected which I would have assumed to have tons of motivational cliches and pep talk crap, he told me to find something I really like. He said not to waste time on things I dislike or aren't comfortable with because sooner or later I'll wake up and find that I've spend 30 years unhappy.
It's good advice. I mean, think about it. Most people spend 8 hours or more a day at their jobs, 5 days a week. So if you include 7-8 hours of sleep a night, then you spend just as much time at work during the week than you do at home. How depressing.
Not that I dislike my co-workers, but to think that I spend just as many hours a day with them, as I do with my family/friends/loved-ones.....it's angering.
I know how it sounds..."how lazy can this woman be?", right? It's not that. The truth is, I think everyone needs time away from the permanent people in their lives, but it shouldn't be at the cost of your overall happiness. In this economy these days....all money is green, so get it where you can, but eventually there will be a time when your last few moments are upon you. My bet is you won't be thinking about pending work, or which bills are due, or career successes.
I guess my point is, I shouldn't wake up every Monday morning ten minutes before my alarm with a knot in my stomach. Is it possible to wake up with butterflies?
Is there anyone out there who really loves their job? What should I do to find my perfect match?
I love my job.
ReplyDeleteI love my job so much that I was excited to go back to work the day after my honeymoon.
I am in a really good project right now, so it is a particularly sweet time. There have been times when my job has been quite trying, but I have never had a time when I had a knot in my stomach before work.
I don't know how to find a job you love. I am lucky in that something I am naturally good at and enjoy is actually worth something to someone else. I didn't even go to school for what I do. I just picked it up and liked it so much that I kept picking it up.
I do beleive that you should enjoy work. If that means take a pay cut, it is probably worth it. If it means getting a cheaper car, living in a cheaper house or not spending as much on drinks, it is probably worth it. In the long run, you will make a better living doing something you enjoy rather than something you hate...even if it means short term sacrafice.
Good luck!!! And I will keep my eyes peeled for you...
T
I do love my job, maybe cause everyday I do not know what to expect and it is something different!
ReplyDeleteI guess I am lucky that I have a lot of freedom, I look forward to going to work, the only thing I would rather be doing instead of work is spending time with my family.
I was at that point in a previous career where I felt sick everyday I woke up and had to go to work. I made great money had great benefits, but there was something missing, I never looked forward going to work. I decided to leave and start all over again and I did and it was a great decision.
Remember happiness is a journey not a destination.
After working for 27 years I took voluntary redundancy this year, the toughest decision I ever made in my life. Work was like an extended family so leaving was really tough. The things that I miss most are the people and the daily challenges. I don't miss the office politics, the infighting or the arguments one bit.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I enjoyed my work the amount of frustration and conflict had increased in recent years and it just didn't feel like it was working anymore. I know if I was still there now I would be bitching about it so I am happy I moved on. Luckily I was able to leave from a position of financial strength otherwise I would probably still be there bitching.
I never reached the point that I did not look forward to going to work. I don't think I would have lasted more than a couple of years if I didn't enjoy it.
I frequently worked in excess of 70 hours a week but to me it never really felt like work, sure there were some things I enjoyed more than others but mostly I enjoyed it.
For me maintaining work - life balance was virtually impossible because in a way work was a hobby too.
I don't really know what my next move will be but there are certainly lots of opportunities out there and I won't be doing anything that I cant wake up in the morning feeling excited about doing.
I can't really offer advice on finding your perfect match but I agree that you should find something you really like. One thing that was suggested to me once was to create a mind map, to be honest it didn't really work for me but maybe food for thought to help clarify what is important to you.
Career/life mind mapping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEGaz4z3D8Q&feature=related