How To Stop Hating Your Job
It is not as bad as you think.
Another morning, another start of a dreadful day marked by the sound of the alarm.
You opened your eyes. The ceiling stared at you blankly, just like your feeling — empty.
This day, yet again, you need to shower early and get dressed to meet your fellow sufferer. If you work at home like me, instead of meeting humans, you are greeted with what Sean Kernan called, “your work spouse” — the monitor.
Enough with the laments and let’s do this. Here are some ways to turn the grumpy Monday mood into a bright Sunday morning.
No matter how insignificant you think your job is, you always have an impact on others
On a bad day, you think to yourself, “What’s the point of all of this?”
You don’t hold the steer. You are not in the control. Every time you execute the task given by your supervisor, you feel no difference between you and an automatic cookie-making machine.
But you are wrong. You might not realize it because you think too lightly of the impact you cause on others.
I still remember the song my history teacher made back then at elementary school. He probably didn’t think much when he made it, but it left such a big impact that I grew to love the subject.
When you helped the client finish their job quicker, you save their fate from being scolded by their manager.
Or the example most of us could probably relate to, writing. My total article numbers are low, but plenty of people have reached out to me to say that my writing left an impression on them.
Your job is not unimportant. The fact that you leave an impact on others proves it otherwise.
Nothing is going to be a waste, you are leveling up the current version of you
I have shared that I don’t really like my job, but I don’t think of it as a waste.
I have changed a lot in terms of discipline and efficiency because my job demands me to be as quick as possible. It certainly helps me to keep up with my writing schedule.
Your current job might have nothing to do with what you really want to pursue, but you are sharpening the life skills that are going to help you in the future.
For example, you might hate your job because your boss is a controlling freak. He won’t let you breathe for one second because micromanaging is his middle name.
But let’s think of it in another way.
You are building your patience in dealing with an asshole. From him, you are learning how-not-to-treat people if you don’t want others secretly wishing you dead.
You are learning a great lesson that not everyone gets to have.
Realize that someone is secretly proud of you
Your parents don’t show it, but they are really proud of seeing you becoming independent.
From your perspective, getting a job is just another event in your life. However, for them, it means a lot.
Seeing their kids — who love to whine from getting less allowance — finally earn their own money, is a delightful experience for them.
Your friends are also proud of you. Every time my friends shared the good news about being promoted or getting a new job, it makes me proud of them and inspires me to also work hard.
And of course, you yourself should pat yourself on the back for getting to this point. Good job, myself.
Share your fortune
Since I began to donate to my less fortunate neighbors, I carry my job more seriously.
Now, my performance at work will have an impact on other people’s life other than mine. If I earn less or God forbid, lose my job, they can’t put a nice meal on their table like before.
5% of my salary doesn’t mean much to me. Yet for others, it determines whether they will sleep well tonight without thinking about how they are going to make it alive tomorrow.
Make donating a part of your budgeting. Start small.
You are the main character of your life, so don’t succumb to the background
Life is boring and it often feels like a perpetual cycle. I don’t disagree.
But if you think of yourself as the main character in the movie that is your life, you can turn the days to be more exciting.
This requires some level of narcissism and imagination, but I often imagine myself as the hardworking protagonist in a coming-of-age movie.
In the movie, we often see a transformational phase of the main character from a nobody to becoming successful. If you notice, that scene is always fast-forwarded.
You are currently living in that fast-forwarded scene.
In the movie, they skipped through it because we are taught to love goals more than the journey. The period of agony to reaching it should be kept hidden.
But in real life, you don’t get to do it. You must embrace that life is unlike a polished and well-edited film. The cliché jargon, “Journey before destination” is true after all.
These thoughts keep me sane despite the mundane flow of life. It makes my life more colorful because each day, I know I am getting closer to the place I want to belong.
I hope some of these tips will resonate with you and if you hate your job that much, please consider leaving. It is not worth the heartache.
I wrote some articles about these topics, if you are interested here are some of them.
Maybe We Do Need To Follow Our Passion
I am feeling lost and I can’t take it anymore.
Thank you for stopping by!
