Rules Of Work

One thing I have always felt fortunate to have is the experience of having friends who are much older than me. Working individuals who have experienced full-fledged working life.

As I have yet to work, I often wonder how would it be like.  The feeling of having to be on time to work, of having to work a certain number of hours, of having to consistently listen to someone else telling you what to do. They often talk about having this negative connotation when it comes to work, especially when they tell me to enjoy my college life and tell me that college life would often be a bliss if compared to the working world.

Of Being Miserable And Fearful

I often wonder why people often have such negative connotation when if comes to working. I always look at those working group and they look so miserable. They talk in such a way as if they have no choice but to stay in their field of work.

They seem to sound like they are being confined or stuck in a prison jail. I realise that these individuals who work often have this incredible ability to complain about their companies and their superiors, but don’t really solve any of their problems. They just love to whine and complain, but not do anything to improve the situation.

Somehow or another, I just feel that this is often a self-created jail created by themselves. We live in a free society. We could make the choices we want in life, to live the life we deserve and the life we want, not conform to want we do not want. It took me sometime to realise, but the huge change came after a life changing event I had a few years back. It taught me that life is precious and I could no longer be one of “them”.

My Choice

I choose not to be miserable in my life. I choose not to be in something that I do not feel happy at. I choose to not live my life based on fear. Based on pleasing other people to gain acceptance. I choose to live my life on my own terms.

It then began to dawn on me that there are certain things than I would want in my future career. I began searching for answers of the kind of career which I want.

Amazingly, I started stumbling upon different ideas upon it. I managed to learn about the speech Steve Jobs gave in Stanford University and I really liked the way he talked about “finding what you love.”  (View here)

My Rules Of Work

I began to write down a list of a dream career I wanted. The lifestyle of that career and how I would like it to be. Things that I really want to be part of in my career.

• Time Flexibility

This is undoubtedly the key thing which is important to me. I want a career which I have flexible timing. A career which I could work as and when I like. I want work which require me to discipline myself, so that whenever I decide to work, it is because I really do want to work. Not because I have to clock in the time.

I need the time flexibility because I do not want to be at the mercy of a moron, (oops sorry, I mean boss ). I do not want to allow others dictate my time. Besides, I love to read as well, so having a flexible time allows me to read more. It’ll be better though if my reading is required in my career.

I also require more time to spend with those people who are close to me. Recent event in the past has made me realise that many things are unpredictable. I do not want to be working in a job that does not allow me the flexibility to be at my family’s side when they need me the most. i.e if and when my parents are sick.

I also love exercising. I love running, swimming, playing badminton and futsal. I need the flexibility to allow me to maintain my fitness and my health. These pursuits are what keep me alive.

• Passion

I would work in something I’m passionate at. Something that wakes me up with that drive and zest in the morning. Not something that makes me whiny and complainy early in the morning.

I look at many people who are working in such jobs and I just do not understand how could they put up with this. Probably I just have a low resistance level for such a thing. I just can’t stand that I have a crap life, while they would rather just accept things.

• Personal Growth

I would also require a career which allows me to grow as a person. I know for a fact that in any career you pursue whatsoever, you have that ability to learn. But, what I want is to be able to grow at a much rapid pace. I want to make full use of my youth to go learn things. Things that would help me in my later life. Things that could be of benefit to others in the future.

Something I could be fulfilled doing next time. I want skills which allows me to improve areas of my life. I want a life full of joy, optimism, contribution and to able to express fully what I am.

• Not Paycheck-To-Paycheck

I need a career which rewards me for the proper work to be done. I do not want to wait till the end of the month just to get my pay.

I need it to be something of value. I need to able to see money coming in, not because of being a better “slave”, but because of the value I provide to others. The money that I get is a scoreboard on the value which I provide for others, not because I’m better at pleasing a moron (oops, sorry again, i mean boss ).

• Diversity In Terms Of Social Group

It is in the past year or so that I realise that there are actually many very interesting social groups around me. In the past, I used to just hang out with the same group of people who just share the same thoughts. By mixing around with different people are realise of the power of perspective. The power of having a different mindset.

I want a career for which I can meet different individuals or require me to meet different individuals. I want to gain different perspective from them. I realise how much it could help me grow as a person just learning and listening from the perspective of others.

• Contribution & Meaning

The turn of recent events which I have experienced make me realise of the things which are really important to individuals. I look at the obituary in the newspapers and realise what’s important to individuals. I have not seen an obituary which states that the man died leaving properties, cars and money in the bank. Mostly what is remembered is the impact they have made. The contributions they have made, the people they have loved, the people they have touched.

I also realise on how fragile the human life is. Is hard to comprehend at times as to why human beings would even consider living a life or working in a job that they do not want. I’m more interested in making an impact into the human hearts than ever. I look at other individuals and realise that many are waking up in the morning just to go to work to pay for their mortgages or their car loan. Wouldn’t it be right for me to say that basically they are living for their houses or cars ?

I need meaning in my work. It also dawn upon me that many people are slowly substituting money for meaning. They need to know that what they are doing are actually something which they could find some meaning, instead of just working for money to pay off their debts. Debts that we didnt even know why they went into at the first place.

Final Notes

I would like to point out that many individuals would find it hard to understand what I have said or might even think that I’m crazy to even want a career of such. You might even be defensive about your working life because of the certain things that I said might have impacted you in a certain way.

But remember, there is an incredible power in social conditioning.Mostly our thoughts are shaped by social conditioning. We have been conditioned in such a way to believe that we are born with responsibilities, things that we have to do as we age and certain other stuffs. I understand that. Just try to stay open to ideas and opinions as it comes by.

As Steve Jobs once said:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. “

I wish you in the depth of my heart that you will be able to live the life you want and the career that allows you to be fulfilled.

Thank you for reading. Best of luck.