Your Job is Not Supposed to Make You Happy
Maybe you should lower your expectations.
I never used to dread going to work on Monday mornings. In those days, I ran a non-profit I started with a group of friends. I looked forward to every day. I enjoyed the autonomy and loved the creative work it allowed me to do. Then it failed and we had to shut it down.
I was out of a job with a wife and a small kid to support. My opportunity came in the form of a 9–5 job which was unrelated to anything I cared about or wanted to do with my life.
That’s when I started dreading Monday mornings.
I entered a world where most people seem miserable with their life. Everyone I know at work either wants to climb the ladder, or wants out. That’s basically how we’ve trained ourselves to live, isn’t it? Upward and onward, or on to the next shiny thing.
We’re discontent, unhappy, and overall miserable at work.
It doesn’t matter how much the company you work for talks about work-life balance. It’s not important that their values include “happiness” or “purpose” or “wellbeing.” When it comes down to it, as long as you work for someone else, your responsibility is to make the company more money.
