i don’t think i’ve ever truly enjoyed working. sure, i’ve had jobs that were tolerable, coworkers i liked, even the occasional project that gave me a sense of pride. but if i’m being honest, that’s rare. most days, i wake up and feel this dull, heavy feeling in my chest knowing i have to go to work. and it’s not like i’m lazy — i show up, i do what i’m supposed to, i meet deadlines, i get along with people. but deep down, there’s this constant voice whispering, “this isn’t it.” and i know i’m not the only one who feels this way. it’s like we’re all pretending that this is normal — spending 40+ hours a week doing stuff we don’t care about, answering emails no one wants to write, attending meetings that could’ve been a message. 🫠

sometimes i wonder if we just accepted the wrong premise altogether. like, why do we build our lives around work? shouldn't work support our lives instead? i once heard someone say, “we weren’t born just to pay bills and die,” and yeah, it sounds cliché, but it hits. i look around at friends, neighbors, even random people online — everyone’s exhausted. mental health’s in the gutter, burnout is the new baseline, and people still keep grinding like there’s some magical reward at the end of the tunnel. but what is it, really? a promotion? a bigger house? maybe a retirement plan if we’re lucky? the truth is, most of us are stuck in jobs that drain us, just to afford things that numb us enough to keep going. i’m not saying we all quit and live off the grid (although it sounds tempting on bad days 😅), but maybe it’s time we ask ourselves: is this how it’s supposed to be?

i try to stay grateful — i have a job, i have an income, and i know others have it worse. but still, it’s exhausting pretending that everything's fine when it’s not. people say “find something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” but that’s a joke, right? even stuff i’m passionate about turns into a chore once it’s tied to a paycheck. monetizing hobbies just sucks the joy out of them. and yeah, maybe this is just a rant, but it feels like we need to stop romanticizing hustle culture and start talking about how unsustainable this whole system is. how are we supposed to live meaningful lives when our best energy is spent on things that barely fulfill us? i don’t have the answers, but maybe asking the right questions is where it starts. so, do you really love what you do — or are you just surviving like the rest of us?

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