I am sitting here writing on a Tuesday morning, doing what I should have done yesterday. But Mondays, am I right?!
Well, Mondays are typically the worst! Tuesdays aren't much better, Wednesdays are hump day, so that's okay. Thursday’s...that's Friday Eve, and Fridays...well Fridays need no explanation.
This is a pretty typical outlook on a week for most folks who work a M-F. I am just as guilty as most everyone else when it comes to this, but as of late, I have been trying to have a different outlook on life... work life especially.
I have talked quite a bit on routines and working around a full time job and all, but lets focus on that full time job. A year or so ago, I was finding myself wishing the week away in daydreams of the weekend. I was not enjoying 9a-5p at all. I was getting pretty miserable. I was even having a hard time making time to do leather work that I enjoy so much. Who's fault is it when there is no one else to blame?
This little phase went on for a good while, when someone pointed me towards one of my TV hero's stand up sets. Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec.... Well Nick Offerman in the real world. He performed in 'American Ham'*** , wildly outrageous set I might add. While there were many points that I did not find a lot of humor in, he did cover one subject that really hit home.
His set is basically a comical rules to life, according to him. I forget the title of the step, but he goes into the old "find a job that you love and you'll never work a day in you life" matra. When he discusses the guys/gals that you always hear saying, "Man, its almost the weekend, I $%#&@* hate this job, cant wait for the weekend." Well, that's when he said it, something I have to remind myself nearly every day... When you are doing this, you are essentially wishing 5/7ths of your life away. Dang! That is a lot.
When I heard a numerical value put to it, it made things very real. So, I invite you to sit down and really think on this for a minute... 5/7ths.... meaning you're only enjoying 2/7ths of your life? That is just crazy.
I know it seems silly to take such advise from a comic stand up that may have been meant for a laugh, but it is very real.
So how do I put this to practice? Did I quit my job and travel the world for enlightenment and inner peace? HECK NO! We got bills man! What I have done is try to take a look at my daily from a different mindset. I try to find the best in the situation. I try not to dwell on the petty things. I have to remind myself.... a lot, not to sweat the little things. Does this mean I no longer care about the weekends? Of course not, I love the weekends, but now, I am also enjoying the other 5 days as well.
While it is very hard to find complete bliss in our jobs daily, and everyone's situation is different, we must all go about this differently. If you are in a situation to change careers for the better, and by better I mean quality of life not money, do it.
My point is this. Not everyone can walk away from their current job to chase a dream. Life is real, and it comes at you fast. In a two-3 year span my wife and I both started new jobs, got married, and had a child. It happen real fast y'all and the last two years with our son and Lost Penguin taking off has gone even faster. Make sure you're making the best of every day, not just snippets and weekends.
5/7ths, five sevenths....... think it over.
This has been another sit down, Real Talk with Jesse.
*** Note, if you plan to watch American Ham, it is very NSFW, and very crude, both in language and subject matter. The views and opinions expressed are not those of myself or anyone associated with LP>
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