Everything is meaningless…
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Jane has just reached another level that I can’t reach. Since she was graduated five years ago, she had changed a total of eight different jobs.
Not long ago, she told me she wanted to change her job again. I believe that her current job should be her longest job, even the longest is only a year. I have to admire her boundless enthusiasm for life and concept towards surviving. She looked wronged and said to me: “Working should be a happy thing, a job that doesn’t make me happy, why should I continue?"
Yes. Every time she changes job is because she feels that the work doesn’t make her happy and it is meaningless to continue working. With five years of working experience and eight completely different jobs, Jane still doesn't find happiness and meaning in work.
Every new job, need to get familiar with the new environment, learn new knowledge, Jane learned things very quickly, but I really do not know whether it is her strength or weakness. At first, she was always working with curiosity and enthusiasm, also had some small achievements, these small achievements are her passions. However, after a few months, Jane always feels trapped into an endless repetition, dealing with trivial things that make her work meaningless.
When she thinks that she will continue working a meaningless job in the future, day after day, year after year, repeatedly until old, her heart is full of sadness.
I asked Jane:“What kind of work do you think is meaningful? Jane said: “Of course is to do the work I liked and interested in.”
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Jane’s story reminds me of another friend of mine Dale; Dale is a singer, but also an online anchor. This should be the kind of interesting job that Jane was yearning for. I also once like and envy Dale’s work and life, imagine that becoming a singer should be fun, can have their own song, can be remembered, but also get a lot of love from fans, isn't it?
Later, after got closer to Dale, only slowly understand, in fact, he is also envy me and Jane. Dale told me that it was because of the love of music make him enter the industry, it is true that he enjoys the job, but sometimes there is a pity that when you turn your most precious interest and love into a job for a living, you lose the joy and the enjoyment that you got at first.
As an ordinary majority, you have a job, but you can also have your interests, such as singing, painting. The interest is simple and pure; you can fully appreciate and enjoy the good, this pure interest will make life more meaningful. But once this interest becomes a profession and becomes a job, you have to run it as a commercial thing and naturally lose its most precious side. I think this is the regret that Dale has.
You can't sell the cow and drink the milk at the same time. Your choice will automatically give up on something at the same time; one cannot make an omelet without breaking an egg, life will always have regrets.
It is a very meaningful thing to be able to have a lively, interesting and colorful job, that can also help many people and influence the world. I also have to admit that some people have done it, but that is a minority.
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Once upon a time, when I just started to work, I also full of enthusiasm towards new life, eager to find a fun, meaningful, well-paid job. But after years of working in the workplace, it's a brutal fact that the job is simply to make money. Don't be unrealistic about your job, don't think of it as the full meaning of life.
A meaningful job is not easy to find, even if you able to find, it may not make you happy, you might not be able to handle it. But you don't have to do what you think is meaningless, living a meaningless life.
Many people have misunderstandings about their work and think that work is life. In fact, work is only a part of life, not all. The meaning of work does not mean the meaning of life, whether your life is meaningful or not, is not necessarily depends on your job.
Life is more important than work, there are many elements to support our life, but to think carefully, income is the basic elements to maintain our life. We care about the meaning of life, the well-being of our family, but do not forget that only work can give you the nutrients to continue to move forward in life. Isn’t work make our working time become more precious and more valuable?
If work isn't as meaningful as you think, and you don't have a meaningful job, put down all your fantasies and unrealistic expectations of work, and accept the fact that the job is simply making money to keep you alive. Then continue to work your feet, use the money you earn to do meaningful things, find and get meaning in other parts of your life.
This is... Wow. I don't know, you left me thinking a lot. Because what we always want to believe, is that our perfect job would be something related to what we most enjoy and love, and that we could do it forever and be happy. But you're so right! If it becomes what you do for living, eventually you'll lose the fun to do it. Because responsabilities, pressure and life as it is will push over and over and, in the end, you'll find yourself working to profit from it.
So... Is it best to just find any job, wether you're happy with it or not, and just try to do what you enjoy aside from it?
Not an easy decision to make.
Sorry, I might have been digressing. But thanks for sharing your thoughts! I think I'll be thinking of this a lot now.