Platitude I Hate Most: “You Gotta Put in Your Time”
Platitudes are the worst. They are what hold many people back that look for help solving pressing problems in their lives.
The one platitude that stands above many others, in my mind, is “you gotta put in your time.”
The context being, if you work hard and be patient working for someone else, then you will obtain that which you desire.
What do most of us desire?
A larger paycheck? More creative freedom at our jobs? A leadership position? Less time working in general? I know I want all those things.
But what if you hate what you do?
Putting in your time only serves to give others a false sense of hope where there is none.
Story Time
A buddy of mine works for a large media company (just started). He has a YouTube channel that makes a little bit more money than his day job. He wants to quit the job because of a lack of creative freedom. He thought working there meant utilizing there tools to further the companies pursuits while giving him the knowledge to grow his own.
Instead, he does menial work on content he couldn’t care less about.
Most people were giving him the advice to stick it out and “put in your time.” That he MAY land a position there with more creative freedom.
The work was so soul draining, he didn’t think he could stick it out so he’s quitting by the end of the month to focus on his own work, and I don’t blame him.
If you want to put in your time, then put it in something that gives you more power, creative freedom and the ability to grow yourself.
Even if you don’t have a decent paying YouTube channel, minimize your life, take a lower paying job and downsize everything so that you can work part time while doing what you enjoy on the side.
You have the power to do it.
Most of us choose to suffer more with where we are because we’re afraid of the unknown. When it gets to the point that anything is better than what you’re currently doing, then you’ll become unstoppable at going after what you want.
You deserve to work on something you’ll enjoy.
It’s almost as if you feel like you don’t deserve to work on something you would enjoy. Like there’s some sort of rite of passage you must take to get to that point of liking your work.
No.
You can enjoy your work today. Keep looking if you haven’t already found it. Sometimes it’s a long, drawn out process and for others it’s not. What you enjoy is certainly out there. You just can’t stop looking.
So remember, put in your time in something you will enjoy. You have the power and you deserve it. One life. Go get it.
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that are no smarter than you. — Steve Jobs
