WORK-LIFE BALANCE
4 Overdue Benefits I Reaped After Escaping The Hustle Culture
No paycheck is worth sacrificing your dream for someone else who doesn’t treat you right.
My job is remote — with flexible hours — before the pandemic started. But if you’re here, you know people can be trusted to get the job done without leaving their homes.
9to5 is a preference. Unless you bleed on the battlefield, you won’t know if the war is worth it.
I quit my desk job when the salary from my remote work overtook my desk job’s paycheck.
While being persistent for nine months for the overtake to happen, now I’m more than 1.5 years into my remote position with a higher level of job satisfaction than I got at my desk job.
Your experience may be different from mine, but if you want to leave your job to pursue a path of your own, here are four benefits you’ll get in the long run.
#1. No paycheck is worth sacrificing your dream.
Working on your dream will give you eternal freedom. But when you’re working on someone else’s dream at the cost of yours, the same privilege will be fleeting.
When your bank account floods every month with dolla bills, sure, there will be a jolt of excitement.
But soon, you’ll enter burnout and long for the next month’s money-shower again. That’s the problem when money becomes our only source of happiness.
#2. The emotional bond is independent of distance.
I don’t live in my hometown during the pandemic.
That’s because the generation gap pokes its thorn whenever my thoughts conflict with my dad’s.
Although I secure my family about my decision nonstop, we’re way happier when we don’t have to enter a contest of beautiful expletives.
I can sacrifice temporary security for my dream. That’s what I did.
I live in Bengaluru, where rents are higher than my hometown, but at least no one’s gonna mindlessly question my work, especially when they don’t know squat about it.
#3. Job satisfaction vs job security.
You can’t thrive in a job if you’re not doing the work you love. That’s because if you don’t get a reason to wake up every day with a smile on your face, you’ll depend only on the weekend to satiate your party-hunger-pangs.
When you work at a job you love with the people that respect you for who you are, the tough days on the job will wade and wane because your tribe will lift you like you deserve.
Job security is a fleeting sense of certainty that’s not worth it if you’re ruining your mental health because you’re not getting any time to prioritise your well-being.
#4. If you work like a donkey, you live like a snail.
Work is a part of life, not the only anchor.
Why has “I-hate-my-job” become the norm? It happens when you receive a salary as a drug to kill your dreams.
You work your ass off all day for your bosses, and if they underappreciate your efforts, the same dissatisfaction will creep into your personal life because your tribe affects your vibe.
Work is a part of life, not the other way around.
Final words
The only feature I missed from my day job was hanging out with coworkers.
But once I realised that distance is the most challenging language of love to establish trust, I’m emotionally closer to my friends than ever.
My mental health has improved since I left my toxic office culture. If you can do your 9to5 for a month without getting the paycheck, that means you love your job.
Otherwise, you know when to find the escape because changing anyone’s mind is not worth jeopardising your mental health.
Do the networking, find new opportunities and as soon as you see a venture that syncs with your personality, make a calculated risk and take the leap of faith. If you need some motivation, you are a courageous warrior who might be living in a bubble. Get fed up of mediocrity and go follow your dreams. Bend reality by bringing the change you want to see in the world.
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Sanjeev is a writer, mentor and recovering shopaholic from India. He writes about lifelong learning, personal growth, and positive psychology. When he’s not busy with his muse, he’s sweating either in a workout or emulating outdoor games in his home because of the pandemic. He also chronicles his writing and fitness journey on Instagram. Twitter is his mini-brain.
