Do you LOVE your job?

No? That’s perfectly fine.

Society can sometimes get bogged down in a mindset where we must continually strive to find the perfect job. A job that we are madly passionate about, and that if we settle for anything less, we aren’t ambitious, nor are we “living the dream”. I have no problem with people who are ambitious, and attempt to follow through with their dream career. That’s fantastic and I wish those people every ounce of luck to reach those goals.

BUT don’t bring me down in the process. I’ve had various people over the past few years question why I continue working in a job I’m not in love with. The reason this questioning gets to me is that I don’t complain about my job. I have the odd whine to a workmate about trivial things, but not to people outside of work. I don’t complain about the conditions, the pay, or the boss. But the moment I vaguely mention that I didn’t have the best day (which I usually keep to myself), the “dreamers” question why I don’t pack it in and “be my own boss”. Here’s why:

• I don’t love my job but I love that I have my job.
• I’m not particularly close to anyone I work with and I don’t see any work colleagues outside work, but I love that I have a group of people to socialise with on a daily basis.
• I don’t love that it takes me 45 minutes to drive to work, but I love a lot of the gorgeous countryside that I get to drive past along the way, and I love the extra time I get to turn my music up to 11.
• I don’t work in a progressive office with forward-thinkers, innovators or enthusiasm in general. But I love that my workplace has room for improvement and that I can make suggestions and help it move forward.  
• I’m not saving humanity, curing cancer, or doing anything groundbreaking at work. But I do contribute to my own organisation, and I work under (some) bosses who appreciate what I do.

I’ve seen people who run their own business. Reality check. Their hours are still dictated by clients, they take work home with them, and they feel stressed if they hit a lean patch. They rarely take holidays, and if they do, the business goes on holiday as well. I’m in a reasonably secure job, with decent pay and conditions. And before you picture me sitting in my own office earning a motsa, to give you some perspective, I do earn less than the Australian average. The irony is that people who tell me I’m not living the dream because I’m not working the “perfect” job are putting more emphasis on my job than what I am, suggesting it plays a bigger part of their happiness than it does for me.

I’m content with my job because the other facets of my life are fulfilled. I love that I have my job because it allows me to live how I like to live. To do all the things outside of work that I want to do. It helps me sleep comfortably. It puts food on my plate. It gives me a hot shower every night. And it gives me the Internet, allowing me to connect with all you wonderful people.

I do apologise if this sounds more like a rant than what I’d usually post, but I wrote this post for two reasons. The first was as a bit of a retort to those out there “living the dream” and judging me at the same time. Secondly, it all comes back to my aim of Living Simple. It’s about appreciating what I have and not feeling like I need to chase something better. There are aspects of my job that I really dislike, but there’s also plenty that I love. That’s not because of the job, but because of how I approach it each day and because I never take my job for granted.

There is nothing wrong with working in a job that you can’t sell to someone else as your “passion”. I do it, and I couldn’t be happier.

Are you in a job you dislike? Is there a way you can add a bit of love to your job?