"Do I Have to Like My Job?"

I receive this question often, but it felt particularly loaded when I recently received it from a man in Germany. He reached out via a DM on Instagram. There was a bit more context involved, but in short, he wanted to know the following: "Do I Have to Like My Job?"

I regularly reference a staggering statistic on this blog and the podcast. 70% of Americans dislike or hate their jobs. I hoped these last few years would help shift these numbers, but new data indicates it's more of the same. According to Gallup's latest numbers, 69% of Americans dislike or hate their jobs. In Europe, where this man resides, it's much, much worse. According to Gallup's recent study, 87% of Europeans dislike or hate their jobs. That's nearly 9 out of 10 adults across the entire continent. Holy crap!!! That's a staggeringly sad statistic.

My message to this man is two-fold. First, you're not alone. Most people in my country and his country don't like their jobs. What he's experiencing is quite normal, unfortunately. It doesn't make him evil, or stupid, or a failure. For as much as I can tell, he's quite successful and has a good life.

No, we don't have to like our jobs. We can live a quality life without liking our jobs. Tens of millions of Americans and Germans alike do it every day. It's indeed possible to dislike or hate our job but still have a meaningful life. Our jobs don't define us, and there's more to life than work.

However, and this is a big however. You deserve better than a job you dislike or hate. I think you deserve better than to wake up in the morning and dread what you're about to do. If you spend more than half your waking hours doing something you tolerate or hate, I'm sorry. If you can't wait until Fridays, then get depressed about Mondays, I'm so sorry! If you spend decades racing as fast as you can to reach the finish line and retire so you can "finally enjoy life," I'm sorry.

No, we don't have to like our jobs. Hundreds of millions of people don't like their jobs. It's the normal way to live life. There's nothing inherently wrong with it. On the other hand, I think this man deserves better, I think you deserve better, and I think I deserve better. We have but one life to live. As such, I think we deserve to wake up each day knowing we're about to do something that matters. If we're going to spend half our waking hours away from our family, we deserve to do something that fills our bucket and matters to us.

This is my wish for this man, and it's my wish for you. Whatever you're doing today, I hope it matters to you. You deserve that.

Just Use Meth Responsibly

Heroin is absolutely terrible! It’s addictive and quickly leads to negative consequences in all areas of our life. It impacts our health, marriage, work, and overall well-being. It’s responsible for many bad choices, ruined marriages, and broken families. Using it seems fine for a while, sometimes even fun, but then an unexpected moment happens where it quickly becomes a nightmare. Our life can go from relatively normal to absolute devastation in a matter of months. Its destructive qualities are profound.

None of this would be a problem if you would just use it responsibly, dummy! Yeah, I know it’s killing millions of people and marriages, but that’s not my responsibility. People just need to use it the right way. They get what they deserve if they decide to abuse it. Yeah, there are risks in using it, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Everyone uses it, so of course I’m going to use it. It’s normal. We just need to do a better job teaching people how to use it properly. Just don’t be stupid with it! You’re an idiot if you don’t use it.

That sounds absolutely absurd, doesn’t it? Now, replace “meth” with “credit cards” and re-read the two paragraphs above. It still sounds absurd to me. We need to end the madness. Will you help me end the madness? Together, we can help shift this insane culture for the next generation.