Most people today think of their job as an unpleasant chore that they have to endure. And this is just how the world is. We don’t have a choice. We need to buy food, clothes, pay our bills etc. Hence, we need a salary. We need to find a job that pays well and stick to it, no matter what.

Very rarely, we stop to consider the reasons we’ve chosen a certain career path.

Does this job aligned with my beliefs and values?

Does it bring me fulfilment?

Does it challenge and excites me? 

Unfortunately, even if we do ask ourselves these questions at some point, I doubt our answers would be any positive. 

I worked as a Software Engineer for more than 12 years, thinking that the prestige of the role and the money it brings me are enough to make me happy. I was proud to tell strangers that I’m an engineer whenever anybody asked me. And more often than not, their response was one of admiration and approval – Wow! You are smart! Well done!  

But was I really? I felt anxious and stressed most of the time at  work. Suffered from low self esteem and never felt I was good enough. Didn’t even have the motivation to get any better. I was living day after day, pay check to pay check. And was never even remotely satisfied.

At the same time, I observed my colleagues. And it didn’t look as if they were feeling any differently.

I could clearly sense the feeling of desperation that everyone was emitting on Monday mornings. As the days of the week passed, a growing sense of drag and dullness began to settle in, making each day feel heavier and more monotonous than the previous one. Until finally, Friday came. Suddenly, everyone felt happier and more energised. “Happy Friday!” they’d say as they greeted one another.

I could not but wonder. Why Happy Friday? What about the rest of the days of the week? This is not right! Why only live for Fridays? Why can’t we make it so we feel exited every single day of the week? 

It took me years to realise that it doesn’t have to be that way. I don’t need to settle for dullness and mediocrity. This is not the only job in this entire world. And I’m not even good at it!

How about you?

Let’s see if you’re part of the “Happy Friday” club, shall we?

1. You dread the start of the work week.

Imagine this, It’s Sunday, and you’re enjoying a delicious barbecue with your family. You have invited guests over and everyone is having fun.

The sun is shining high in the clear sky, light breeze playfully breaks up the heat, birds are chirping happily, and if you watch closely, you can see a squirrel lurking in the corner, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch a peanut from the unattended side table.

 Everything seems  perfect.

Well, almost everything.

You see, behind your big smile and calm demeanour, deep down where no one else can see,  something really unpleasant emerges. As the day progresses, a strong feeling of restlessness sweeps all over you. And no amount of jokes and delicious  food can make it go away. Tomorrow is Monday, and you’ve got work! From that moment on, you can no longer enjoy the party. All of your thoughts and attention are fully absorbed in the dread of the upcoming day.

2. You often experience boredom and lack of interest at work.

Have you ever caught yourself dozing off in front of a towering stack of papers your manager asked you to sort and enter into the company’s system?

Or perhaps you sat in an important meeting, and halfway through, you realised that you hadn’t heard a word of what had been said because you were too busy planning your next vacation in your head?

3. Stress and anxiety are your every day companions at work.

Do you often stress over your tasks and responsibilities? Do you lack confidence in your skills and often feel like an imposter. Do you feel disengaged and struggle to complete your assignments well and on time?

4. You don’t feel inspired and motivated to work on improving your skills.

Many companies today provide free training to their employees. Otherwise expensive courses are made available to you at office, books on topics related to your field of expertise  are scattered around  desks and shelves. Not only that, but your employer has allocated time for you to study and work on upgrading your competencies.

But despite all that, you end up spending 1 hour and 45 minutes of the 2 hours allocated for studying procrastinating. In the last 15 minutes, you read a single paragraph from a book several times, struggling to focus enough to understand it.

5. You frequently call in sick.

Have you ever taken a sick leave just because you didn’t feel like going to work?

Or worse yet, have you ever felt unwell simply because you had to go to work?

I used to dread the stand-up meeting every morning at work. I always felt that I hadn’t accomplished enough the day before and consequently stressed over explaining the reasons for that In front of everyone.

Eventually, I started experiencing excruciating stomach aches, right before stand-ups, on a regular basis. I saw multiple doctors, had a gastroscopy done and a variety of scans. The tests came all clear. Doctors could not explain the pain.

Ultimately, I realised that it was anxiety pain. My  body was screaming at me, asking me to stop. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen. I just couldn’t gather enough courage to hand in my resignation once and for all. Instead I saw a therapist to help me manage my anxiety. And continued on the same path for years after.

Can you imagine? Would anyone in their right mind, after accidentally stepping on a nail, bandage the wound to try to stop the bleeding but then continue walking while ignoring the pain?

The sad fact is that today this is considered absolutely normal. You are not supposed yo like your job or enjoy it. Just the opposite, it’s expected that you will struggle. But you will do it anyway. Because you see, you need to pay your bills, and you need a salary for that.

No, you don’t need to stay at a job you hate, and you certainly don’t have to be afraid to leave. The world is full of opportunities. The moment you embrace what you love and pursue it as your work, something magical happens — your life becomes exciting again, and true happiness follows.

And what about the money? You’ll discover that as long as you’re doing what you love, money starts to flow in naturally, with far less effort.