Making a living, or living!

Working 9 to 5, what a way to make living, 

Barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving. 

 They just use your mind, and you never get the credit, 

It's enough to drive you Crazy... if you let it. 

 9 to 5, Yeah, they got you were they want you. 

There's a better life; And you think about it, don't you? 

Dolly Parton's lyrics hit me as I started my drive to work one Monday morning. It's uncanny how the radio can tune in to your innermost thoughts and spew out the perfect song sometimes! 

I know we all live in an era when everyone’s favorite pastime is to crib about that dreaded corporate job and long for the day one can "start something on my own." The premise being, that if you're putting in so much effort and drudgery, might as well reap your own rewards – fully. It's a sound enough logic, and I'm not intending to get into the start-up-no-start-up debate here. Whether as part of your own venture, or as a cog in the corporate wheel, you are equally likely to feel frustrated. Frustrated with your colleagues, with your clients, with your vendors, or even just frustrated with the cab driver whose slow driving is making you late for a meeting. 

But this is something deeper - that longing for the “better life” that Ms. Parton was crooning about. An existential dilemma that keeps re-surfacing for me every few months. It actually reminded me of an episode of Friends where Chandler just makes an off-the-cuff remark – “Well, everyone hates their jobs. Who doesn’t?!” And the rest of the gang instantly denies it. They all genuinely love what they do. This conversation eventually leads to Chandler quitting his high paying “data processing” job and taking up an unpaid internship in an advertising firm. Not that a sitcom is the best place for getting your career advice, but there’s certainly some wisdom in there. 

To be honest, I’ve tried the stay-at-home-nothingness, I’ve tried the small break-to-purse-my-passion, I’ve even briefly tried the stay-at-home-mommy. So I know it isn’t easy to just get up and change your career path and/or life. Sometimes we’ve got to take a leap of faith and just start an adventure. Sometimes it is a more planned and phased out decision. One just needs to keep their minds open to new and interesting challenges, and take them up. Who knows which one can turn into that dream job for you – the one that is actually better; the one that turns the frustrated “what a way to make a living” into the excited “Whattey way to make a living!!”