Work creates mixed emotions for me. In order to live in todays society we must maintain a base level of income to survive. For the vast majority I believe this is done through employment from a company and is very much a job. When I think about work and the constructs of a career that has been somewhat instilled in me from a young age, it becomes more and more apparent that this idea of a job/career, working in a profession, based on a list of suitable options, is very much an illusion, portrayed to confine people to a set of instructional directions to contribute to society as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I believe a large part of modern society is fantastic and at a humans core level, it is important to progress as a species. The direction of this progress is debatable, but I strongly believe instinctually, that in our body, mind and soul is a desire to continually move forward and grow.

I think back about when I was a teenager and the various conversations I had with my parents, elder relatives and friends about what the next stages after school looked like. For the most part, especially by my parents and elder relatives, the advise was a preconceived idea around studying, working and what success looks like. I think for the most part, especially since the establishment of the modern day global economic structure, this has been the ideal construct. Choose a path, learn a skill, contribute to society, regardless of your true feeling towards happiness and how these incredibly under considered decisions can really shape your mind, soul and to an extent, very much dictate the rest of your life.

Sure, it’s easy to speak on the above like society has created the ability for all to do whatever they desire. When in reality this is not the case and everyone needs to contribute towards these constructs and pending the advise you receive, your investment in yourself and the decisions you make, you are afforded openings in time to pursue more personally preferred pathways. Obviously there are a variety of others factors that can contribute too working opportunities like family money and circumstance but fundamentally whichever course you are suggested and directed dictates greatly your path.

I don’t by any means wake up and dread coming to work, I enjoy my job and it provides me an opportunity to both support my family, advance in my career, create opportunities for financial growth in other areas and have a fairly comfortable life and although sometimes I feel like it’s a contribution to someone else’s dream or vision, it dose give me a sense of purpose.

The amount of time we spend in our jobs throughout our lives makes me query everything. What is it all about?

Work is an area of my life that is an essential but is of great question. I have friends who have opted to leave the ‘western world’ for lifestyle jobs in the snow or in the ocean but this creates restriction around what opportunities you have moving forward in your life, but where is the balance and what is the right option? I’m very much still navigating this landscape and most definitely an area I am still searching through, because with something that dictates such a significant part of our lives, it has a great deal of contribution in the search for happiness.

If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life

Thanks,

Dean