Quitting The Day Job

Become Zen

The workplace has become an increasingly frustrating place.

The pressures of outside life, paying for gas or food or education, have come into the workplace.  Layoffs by the 10s of thousands are now common place.

The satisfaction of doing a job well has been replaced by disillusionment at seeing greed and ineptitude rewarded.

Is there anything that you can do?  In my opinion, yes - Become Zen.

I used to think that my hard work, my problem solving skills, my willingness to go the extra mile, would be noticed and rewarded.  After several years of watching others literally take credit for my ideas and work, I came to the realization that it never would be.  After watching others of less talent and ability be promoted or praised for their work, I became positive of this.

But a co-worker once gave me a piece of advice that I have adopted as my own personal work philosophy:  Don’t try to make sense of anything.  Actually I have adapted it to: Control only your own universe.

What does that mean?  It means almost everything around you in your work environment is out of your control.  Everything.  From project deadlines, to co-workers, from priority assignments to design and execution.  What can you control?  Well, basically only your own small world.   And that includes how you approach your work life.

How does any of this apply to quitting the day job?  Simple.  Become zen and let the conflicts and idiocy wash over you.  Do not try to change and influence anything.  Just accept it.  This is just your day job.  Just the place that pays your bills.  You might have to sit at a desk and slave away, but your mind, your thoughts, or time are your own.

Don’t become emotional.  I have made the huge mistake in my career of getting upset and voicing my opinion on plans and procedures.  I’ve made the mistake of being vocal about what would and won’t work, only to see the vast majority of my ideas, suggestions, critics completely and utterly ignored.

But now, in my day job, I do not become emotional, I accept that I do not control anything about my work environment.  I cannot control or influence managerial thought.  I can only control my thoughts and reactions.

In a meeting the other day we discussed emotional “types” and after filling out a questionnaire, I was in a sparsely populated group of “outsiders”.  The facilitator then tried to make the point that we should move from where we were to be “closer” to the others.  He could not possibly have understood that I have taken and worked at separating myself from the herd.  That I wanted to be further removed.

Only by becoming removed from others will I truly fit in.  Because then, I will not be a critic or even a problem solver.  I will just “be”.  Until I quit the day job, just “be”-ing is what I want to be.

You should strive for zen in your day job.  Concentrate your energies elsewhere, where they will be recognized and rewarded.