The situation
Homework. The stuff that’s supposed to enhance young students’ understanding of the material more often than not enhances their procrastination skills instead.
The main reason is that procrastination is actually the avoidance of pain and homework is the cause. The drudge sensation that accompanies us throughout the process of completing an exercise after exercise is many times energy depleting and soul grinding.
The grind
In my (very) short job experience I noticed that the new employees are energetic people that want to experience and make their work with effort. While the more experienced ones drag themselves from a task to a task like zombies, waiting for their shift to over, living for their paycheck, anticipating the weekend only to forget about their misery.
How (I think) it can be
I believe that there is a way to avoid this rat race in which everyone is the victim. Why does adult life needs to be a journey in which you become more and more tired of life until you die?
There are people who enjoy the work they do and even after 25 years they have the high of starting out, that exciting drive to jump into the water and see the ocean is even more intensified over the years. Now how do I get me one of these?
The bigger the worse
“you can’t be yourself in a swarm”
~Sir Ken Robinson~
Big organizations are comfortable, they offer stability and well structured systems that are engraved in the company’s DNA. But the longer and bigger the company means there is less room for personal growth and innovation in that company. It wants the individual to become accustomed to its culture rather than let the worker to spill his own character to the workplace. In other words it wants you to become the zombie. Zombies integrate well in the company.
if you are in a big organization ask yourself this questions right now:
- How many times in my career I felt that I am Myself?
- Am I missing the thing I was searching for in the first place?
- Does my day to day life feels diluted?
If the answers shook you a little bit then congratulations, you are on your way to become a zombie!
To reverse/prevent the process search for those places that reward individuality, where you can grow both as a person and as a worker in the way you want to grow, where your presence is celebrated not tolerated. A place in which you are more than a replaceable cog. But sometimes it’s not enough.
Pull vs Push
Even if you work in an environment where you are good at and you feel progress along the way there is still a big chance that you are drained after few months, and the reason is that you are pushing yourself to the activity instead of letting the activity pull you towards It.
The main difference between the two:
- push — the more energy I invest in the activity, the less energy I have. Imagine the feeling after doing homework for six hours or cramming for an exam. The push drains you.
- pull — the more energy I invest in the activity, the more energy I have.
It’s like drinking a cup of coffee or watching good movie and then searching the internet for all the hidden meanings inside.
The pull gets you going.
Go make yourself a baby
A good method for finding the things that pull you is creating. It can be: a blog, a dance,song,startup,mechanical instrument a movement and the list goes on.
If you make something from an idea to a reality you enjoy the investment, you truly want for it to succeed therefore constantly searching for ways to improve the things you have started.
By making a baby and growing it you grow yourself. you reach goals you could never achieve before because of the energies got along the way and didn’t even imagine how far you’ll get.
Summing it all up
Adult life often feels like homework. it sucks out your energies and dilutes you until you became a robot. By being yourself and finding the activities that pull you your life could become from a great cool down to an energy bomb. You can achieve that by creating and nurturing an idea or a project.
I hope the post gave you value if so do let me know
cheers!
~Dov Tuch~
