Working nine to five — What a way to make a living.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A policeman

An actor

A lawyer

A teacher

A doctor

From a young age i remember being asked what i wanted to be when i was older. In all honesty, people still ask me now. I’ve always spouted out a range of different jobs some in education and others in the creative field and for me i’m still on my way to one of these jobs.

These jobs are careers that consume most of your life focus and are opposite to the general, what some people seem to term as a ‘normal’ 9–5 job. No child ever really says i want to work in an office all day or work in a shop, and as you get older those jobs seem even less desirable. Even less appealing. Why is this? Why do we look down on certain jobs? And look up towards others?

Today more than ever the idea of starting your own business, being an entrepreneur or working on side hustles is more prevalent than ever with social media at the forefront of driving these amazing opportunities. And although they are great and a massive success, is this what defines a person as successful? There is this constant stress of feeling like you need to do more in life and that you need to have a bigger impact or purpose and this leads to a lot of anxiety for people and most of the time is what makes people feel unhappy in their job.

Question yourself: Do you dislike your job or do you dislike the feeling of not doing enough and feeling as though you should be doing more?

In Ryan’s post earlier this week, he spoke about the fear of feeling behind. The notion of what an ideal job or successful job looks like is forever changing so that fear around a big aspect of all our lives is endlessly exhausting.

So a question often thought about is, is doing a 9–5 job failing?

I’ve had a couple of retail and customer service jobs throughout my time at university and i always had in my mind ‘this is temporary’, ‘this is not my future’ but what would be the problem if it was? Deep down i know there is nothing wrong with doing those jobs, they get you the money you need, the time off you deserve and allow you to provide for yourself and family if need be.

I think there has always been this aura of failure around those kinds of jobs and i’m as guilty as the next person because whenever i looked at the people in those jobs long term, i’d always think why are they still here? Don’t they want to do something with their life? But they are doing something with their life. Only because they are deciding to put clothes out, talk to customers or sit in an office replying to emails doesn’t mean they are not happy. Doesn’t mean they aren’t making a positive impact on someone. This links to the idea of your job not being your whole life.

I would have it set in my head that your job is the biggest creator of your happiness but there is so many other things that add to the happiness you feel.

The idea of doing something you love is vital but it doesn’t always have to be this big childhood dream that seems unreachable. If you aren’t happy and want more then thats fine. Go for it! Do what makes you happy. But on the other hand, if you enjoy doing the 9–5 then do it! There is no failure around that. It’s a job and at the end of the day, many people change jobs at least once in their lives.

So what can i take from this?

Don’t let the invisible pressures of society force you into leaving 9–5 jobs if you’re happy.

Don’t define yourself by the job you do. You are more than what you do for half of your day.

Other peoples opinions on the job you choose to do, says more about them than it says about you.

If you don’t get joy or satisfaction from your job then change it. Some people will love 9–5 jobs. That’s what works for them. And others will strive for more flexibility. Find what works for you and do it.

Tip: Success is what you define it to be.

Make sure you remember: There is no manual to follow in life. No set direction or path to follow. No schedule or timetable to compete with. Wherever you are right now is exactly where you need to be. So be proud of where you are and be proud of how far you’ve come. You’re doing amazing.

With love,

Laura x