We spend a lot of our lives working. For many people, work takes up roughly 13 – 15% of an entire lifetime when you average it across all hours of an average life lived. Assuming a person lives to 80 years, and that they work about 40 hours per week for roughly 45 years, that accumulates to about 13.4%. However, when sleep is removed from the equation and we focus solely on the average hours we are awake in an average lifespan, it pushes it closer to 35%. Commutes, checking emails after hours, and mental preoccupation with work can push the percentage even higher. Work certainly takes up a significant portion of our lives.
However, I have sat in the company of many people who are unhappy at work, have lost interest in it, or openly admitted that they felt that they were in the wrong job from their first day.
We should be very careful about our career choices. While employed, we should remain open-minded and regularly assess our level of commitment and satisfaction. Regular formal reviews about our level of satisfaction and commitment would be a great idea. There will be times when we should also consider changing our approach to work or even the job altogether.
Sometimes these conversations unsettle people but usually this is no harm. It could be the first step to plotting change that is necessary – change that will potentially leave them happier and healthier. These conversations may even result in them actually recommitting to their job for the longterm and that will help put them more at ease.
If work takes up such a large portion of our lives we should avoid drifting aimlessly through our working years. Our jobs pay our bills and because bills need to be paid sometimes people let the years drift by because they see work as just one of these things we just have to do. It is not that they necessarily feel trapped (sometimes they do) but more a feeling at a subconscious level that they have no choices. We always have choices. Seeking expert advice is always a good idea and you might discover that you have more options that you thought!
Don’t miss my final shows!
Tickets are selling fast for my show ‘Wake Up! You’re Here!
Tickets for the Iontas Theatre, Castleblayney on September 5th at 8pm are on sale here (€25 plus booking fees)
Tickets for the Hawk’s Well, Sligo on September 10th 8pm on sale here (€25 plus booking fees)
