People Seem To Hate Their 9–5 Jobs So Much, Shouldn’t You Too?
Do we need to run and escape the rat race before 30?
“At 21, Kylie Jenner Becomes The Youngest Self-Made Billionaire Ever”
“How Making My First $1,000,000 At 18 Changed Me (In My Teens)”
“What I Learned Retiring Early in my 20’s (as a millionaire)”
Those are some real headlines that you might have seen too. Do you notice something peculiar about those headlines?
They mentioned about two things: youth AND money.
Talks about money cannot be separated from conversations between young people in their 20s. It is the age when most of us enter the workforce. It is the time when we are most passionate yet as stupid as a rock. It is a period of growth.
But I do not know that for some people, it is their heyday. They already made their bucks. They might secretly laugh at us when they overheard us comparing our entry-level salaries.
I can’t help but get bitter. Sometimes I think, did I spend my time wrong? How come I don’t make as much money as they do?
Don’t get me wrong. I do love listening to podcasts talking about the success of other people. I love stealing some productivity tips to enhance my performance at work.
But the more I see those numbers, I can’t help but be dissatisfied with my life. No matter how hard I work, it is impossible to reach what they have at the same age.
Nowadays, the expectation put on young people has become higher. The standard of being called “cool” has changed. You are not cool if you achieve great things at a young age but don’t make great cash. You are lame if you become rich past the age of 30.
I am curious about something. Once they pass the point where money is no longer an important factor in their life, what are they going to do with all the money?
Ah, I know the answer. They are going to work on their own accord. Say no more to the condescending boss. They will escape the 9–5 rat race, I understand.
I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability expressed by telling the story of the heroic resignation. They hated their job. They want to pursue their creative interest without being micromanaged. They want the freedom of living without being controlled by other people other than themselves.
But can someone talk about how you love your 9–5 job? Is it a norm to hate your job?
To someone like me who just started working, it is very demotivating.
I also don’t understand why young influencers flaunting their money are so popular. 99% of them don’t experience the harsh workforce as the majority of us do. What can we relate to them?
I know I sound salty af but I am fed up with this topic of chasing money. Screw the algorithm for thinking I am the correct target audience.
The more I see fellow young people talking about how they are making a hundred times more money than me makes I wonder, do we even live in the same world?
My salary is not even low compared to some people that I know. I should be grateful for that. It forces me to think about how to earn money all the time. I don’t enjoy living my life that way.
People around me are the reminder that life need not be grandiose to be worth living.
I was at my happiest time when we lived in a rented house away from the city. I loved my childhood, even when electricity was scarce and we shared the house with mosquitoes all the time.
I also notice that people that don’t have much is the one who seems more at peace. A conversation with my friend stuck inside my head. He lives in a remote village happily with his wife and kids. He works here and there, making little money for his family. His financial state is not secure at all.
So I asked, “Don’t you want to earn more money and live more comfortably?”
He laughed at my question. “What’s the point of being obsessed with money? We should live along with the course of fate. Accept whatever comes to us and you will find contentment in your life.”
He is already winning in life.
I never liked the idea of chasing money. It steals the joy out of my ordinary life.
I don’t think I lack anything. The feeling of not being enough only comes when I compared myself to others. I might never have a million dollars in my bank account in my lifetime, and that’s okay.
I have my family and that’s enough. I love my life just as it is.
We should also learn from lottery winners. Sudden wealth also comes with consequences. Many lives are ruined. For the money to be more valuable, you need to add a long period of sacrifices to reach it.
So, slow down and savor the moment, please. Why the rush?
