I don’t want a career anymore. I’m not interested in vying for raises, bonuses, or promotions. After my layoff, I thought I would return to my former profession, but now, I’m not so sure.
It feels strange to say that. Is there something wrong with me? My mind keeps swirling with conflicting ideas. Aren’t we supposed to covet our occupations? Isn’t that why teachers ask us what we want to be when we grow up and why every introduction begins with, “What do you do?”
As a child, I wanted to become a speechwriter, English teacher, professor, and author. In my teens, I added psychiatrist and social researcher to that list too.
I daydreamed about my future partner, children, and a small house out in the country. I spent a lot of time envisioning my future career too.
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?
This September, my Facebook feed overflowed with smiling children holding back-to-school signs. The titles all looked similar; First Day of Preschool, First Day of Third Grade, and even First Day of Senior Year.
Many of the signs included the child’s name, grade, and future career. The first read I want to be a firefighter when I grow up, the next listed teacher. Others included veterinarian, you tuber, doctor, basketball player, park ranger, and ballerina.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Think about that question for a moment. How did you answer it when you were a child?
As I looked at those back-to-school boards, the question suddenly seemed small and narrow. Why do we ask kids about their future occupations?
Why don’t we ask, “What are you passionate about?” or “What do you love to do?”
What If I Don’t Want a Career?
Shouldn’t we ask open-ended questions that broaden our children’s minds? Questions like:
- What do you want to learn?
- What fills you with joy?
- Who inspires you?
- What makes you feel proud?
- Who do you want to help?
- What do you want to accomplish?
Why don’t we ask any of these questions? Instead, we emphasize a child’s future occupation. Staring at those back-to-school signs, it’s easy to see why our careers define us in adulthood.
By asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” we focus our children’s attention on making money instead of creating a life they love. Why don’t we focus on who they want to be and what they value?
I Don’t Want a Career
This should’ve been the year that my youngest went off to kindergarten. I planned to walk into the classroom, hug my son, and then drive off to my new job, but COVID-19 threw a wrench into that plan.
In January, I was actively looking for work. By March, I stopped my search. At the time, we withdrew my five-year-old from preschool and began the arduous process of virtual school for my eight-year-old.
At the beginning of the year, I intended to return to my former career as a software engineer, but as the days tick by, I find myself changing course. The more I think about it, the more I realize, I don’t want a career.
I’m 40 and I don’t want to work anymore. Could my thoughts be age related?
I Don’t Want a Career Anymore
After graduation, my career provided the external validation I craved. I needed others to tell me I was smart and capable. I defined myself by the amount of work I could complete in a day, and the number of times I could figure out a problem that no one else could solve.
The more my bosses praised me, the harder I worked. I tied my value to my job. When my salary grew, so did my confidence. I wore my work ethic like a badge of honor. I stayed later than anyone else and completed more tasks than most of my coworkers combined.
Do you know how people think it’s good to be busy? I was never idle at work. I began to correlate stress with success. A healthy work-life balance didn’t exist for me.
When I was first starting out, I needed to hustle and push. As the youngest member of the team, I had to prove my worth. The harder I worked, the more respect I received. The more business managers reached out and asked for me by name.
My persistence paid off both in salary and promotions. It also helped me work on the best projects with the best people. I rarely maintained the code I wrote, which is a software developer’s dream. As soon as I implemented features, I moved on to a new project.
I pushed myself, and I was proud of the work I produced. I still am, but things are different now, because I don’t need a career to define me.
As time passes, ideas keep swirling in my mind, and each time the conclusion seems to be the same. I don’t want a career anymore. Maybe I don’t want to work anymore at all.
I Don’t Care About My Career Anymore
Don’t get me wrong. There are benefits to having a career, significant financial benefits! If I hadn’t become a software engineer, I wouldn’t be living mortgage free or have the option to consider not working anymore. I wouldn’t be able to say, “I don’t want a career.”
I’m passionate, energetic, and ready to help the world, but that doesn’t mean I want a career path. I don’t care about my career anymore.
There are certainly perks of working, like learning new skills and working with fun and intelligent team members.
I didn’t love my job, but I didn’t hate it either. There were parts, like problem-solving, that I enjoyed immensely. I know a lot of people are miserable at work. I wasn’t one of those people. Work never became a drudgery for me.
I haven’t worked for nearly nine years. After such a long absence, it’s tough to envision going back to work. It’s hard to think about the time commitment and the lack of vacation days.
It’s not that I never want to work again. I just don’t want a career that pits me against coworkers or forces me to work long nights in the hopes of attaining raises and year-end bonuses.
I didn’t intend to walk away from my high-paying job nine years ago. If my employer hadn’t given me the boot, I wouldn’t have had the strength and courage to quit. It’s the reason I think of my layoff as a blessing in disguise.
Lots of people earn enough and step away, but I think I would’ve kept going. I would’ve kept climbing that corporate ladder even if my job didn’t make me happy.
I Want a Job, Not a Career
Why don’t I want a career? Quite honestly, I don’t want to feel stressed. At my old job, I suffered from a combination of bad management and short deadlines.
It was stressful to meet the demands of our business team while producing clean, bug-free code. If I return to work, I don’t want to feel that same pressure.
When I mentioned this problem to a friend, she said, “I want a job where I don’t have to think. Maybe you should get a mindless job where you don’t have to think either. You don’t need to feel stressed, and you don’t need to push yourself so hard. Pick something easy that makes money.”
I considered this for a moment, but I’m not sure I want to work on mindless tasks. That might be worse for me than the stress of working on complex problems.
Plus, an easy job won’t pay well. That’s why people pursue high-paying careers in the first place. It’s nearly impossible to make money without skills or talent.
Do I want a job without a career? Am I willing to give up time for a job that doesn’t pay a lot of money? It’s a question I keep asking.
Some people don’t have the option to pursue a high-paying job, but I have the skills to attain one. Should I use those skills or ignore them?
I Don’t Want to Work in Tech Anymore
I don’t want to work in the IT field. I don’t want a corporate job either. I worked as a software engineer for twelve years, and I don’t want to return. Instead of returning to my old career or searching for a new one, I’ve considered looking for a high-paying job that doesn’t require me to climb the corporate ladder. Does such a job exist, or is it merely a pipe dream?
Over the last nine years, I’ve had time to focus on the things that matter. Can I find a job that allows me to exercise, get a solid night of sleep, and take care of myself? Can I find a job that won’t force me to deal with deadlines, commutes, or excessive workloads?
Financial success is no longer my priority. I don’t need a career to alleviate my monetary stress, fears, or anxiety. I want to make a difference in the world, and my old job didn’t do that. My software didn’t change the world, or a single life, for that matter.
I don’t want to work in tech anymore. I’m not passionate about learning new technologies, tight deadlines, or staring at a computer screen for hours on end. Should I search for a job that isn’t in tech? Should I focus on a career change?
I Don’t Want to Work Anymore But I Need the Money
I know I’m not the only one that doesn’t want a career anymore. If you stumbled upon this post, you must be feeling similarly.
COVID-19 is changing our work patterns and behaviors. It’s forcing us to question what we do for a living and whether or not we enjoy it.
My neighbor recently said, “I don’t want to work anymore. I don’t want to return to my old job when the building reopens. This year made me realize how exhausted my work makes me. Now I see it and I don’t want to feel run down like that ever again.”
“But, how can I quit my job?” He said with a sigh. “I don’t want to work anymore, but I need the money. I’d like to hand in my computer and stop being an employee, but how can I?”
My neighbor is in his mid-forties and doesn’t want to work anymore. He wants to stop working at his current job so he can pursue a less stressful side hustle.
Not wanting a career might sound strange or unusual, but many of us would jump at the opportunity if we had a chance to leave a draining profession. If you could quit your full-time job, focus on your mental health, work fewer hours, and create a better work-life balance, would you do it? How incredible would it feel to walk into work today and not return to work tomorrow?
I Don’t Want a Job I Just Want a Life
I could see the pain in my neighbor’s eyes. What if I don’t want to work anymore? What should I do? It’s a question many of us ask ourselves.
What can you do if you don’t want to work anymore? It’s not easy to quit your job or choose not to pursue a career in the first place. The first step is to decrease your expenses so you can save money. Learn to stop buying stuff you don’t need and to live simply with less. As your costs decrease, you won’t feel so dependent on a big salary.
The second step is to earn as much as you can and begin stockpiling it. Take the money that you used to spend and stick it right into your bank account. Invest the money in the stock market so it can grow and support you. Passive income provides the path to financial independence, but you’ll need to find an effective way to build wealth.
Most of us can’t quit our careers when we decide we don’t want to work anymore. We have to build our nest eggs, which may mean climbing the corporate ladder a little longer.
I know that’s not the answer you were hoping to find here, but it’s true. If you already have a successful career, you’ll need to downgrade your lifestyle significantly or hold on to your job while you save for the future. If you learn to live simply, you can quit your job much faster.
Many people don’t want to work anymore but need the money. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of your job is to decrease the amount of money you require.
I Don’t Want to Work Anymore What Should I Do?
What if I don’t want a career? What should I do? Will I find a new occupation, a job that doesn’t force me down the career track, or an alternate way to earn money?
I am grateful for my twelve year run as a software engineer, but I’m not sure what should come next. My core values no longer align with a job in the technology sector of corporate America. Long term I would like to find a job I enjoy or pursue creative endeavors that make money. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Thank you for sharing your personal journey. I too am a female in a lucrative IT role and have grown to dread my workday. Stress and burnout has me wiped out at the end of the day and always “working for the weekend.” My husband and I have a two year plan to retire early and spend a full year traveling. I’m incredibly nervous about stepping away from a significant salary and senior role, but I also don’t want to look back and have regrets on the chances we never took.
Our financial advisor indicated the biggest reason people choose not to quit their jobs is the high cost of health insurance. Can you share how you approached healthcare while living financially independent?
I’m sorry you are feeling burned out, but it’s good that you have a two year plan to escape your career. Do you want to quit forever or just for a year? We haven’t faced the insurance issue because my husband has remained a W2 employee. He enjoys working and mentoring new developers and doesn’t want to quit even though we’ve reached FI. He’s finding new ways to craft his job into enjoyable work and doesn’t feel burned out by it yet.
I wish I wanted a career. I work as a legal assistant, which I guess some people do consider a career, but I am just so bored and feel like all of the time I spend at work is time wasted that is taking me away from my son and my husband and my life. I don’t care about my work but don’t make enough money to save enough where quitting would be an option (I tend to get frustrated reading FIRE advice because so much of what other people apparently do to save for early retirement is the same stuff I do just to live within my means). So since I have to work if feel like it would be so much easier if I wanted to be there. But I don’t. And I keep trying to figure out something else to do but coming up empty.
Honestly, if I was in your position of not wanting a career and also having the option not to work I just wouldn’t. I’d abandon my thoroughly mediocre career in a second if I could. I am probably projecting quite a bit, but life is short. If you have the ability to not waste yours on a career you don’t want then enjoy your situation and enjoy your life!
Thank you for your comment. FIRE advice is difficult, because to reach FIRE quickly you need a high income. You can cut back on other expenses, but there is no doubt that making more money will get you there faster. I’m curious have you searched for other jobs or do you think you just wouldn’t find one that was more interesting than your current one? It sounds like your heart is pulling you to become a stay at home parent, but your finances aren’t helping you reach that goal. Have you ever performed a cost benefit analysis to see how much you pay for day care, commuting, etc, to see how much you truly earn from your current job?
@One Frugal Girl, Hi again! I ran across this blog post once again after googling some variation of “I just don’t care about my career” and until now I’d forgotten that I’d even written this comment. However since I’m here I many as well respond…
So to answer your questions, yes I have been and am currently searching for other jobs. I’m hoping that can find one that is more interesting, although I’m not optimistic about that so I’m focusing on better paid. It’s going not great, a lot of applications followed by few responses and several recruiters telling my my resume and experience are outstanding followed by me not getting hired. I’m only seeking remote work since I kind of hate going in to an office, and I know that is a factor but still, not great.
I’m fortunate that I have free childcare in the form of my mom plus a very affordable preschool that I’d want my kiddo at even if I didn’t work, and a commute of only 6 blocks so neither of those are major costs for us. (Again, I’m very lucky in that regard, I know for a lot of people the situation is much different.)
However I do make the slight majority of the money for our family (it’s maybe 55/45) and we definitely can’t get by on one paycheck. My husband doesn’t like his job/career either, so even if one of us got to quit there would be a question of which one gets to. But we really need both paychecks so that’s a non issue.
All in all, I guess I’m pretty much where is was in December of 2020: same boring job/career I don’t like or care about, but stuck with the need to work because money. You are absolutely right that would like to be a stay at home parent but I don’t see how that’s a possibility. And nothing I’m doing to try to improve things seems to work. And all the so called career help out there seems to be geared towards high powered, high achieving types with no one interested in helping bored office drones such as myself. Oh well, see you again in another year or so with another update on how stuck I feel.
I’m in the same boat. Although I’m younger than you. Only a few years as a software engineer in the corporate world.
I’m thinking to make the transition from tech to real estate. I’ll probably start as an agent. See where things go from there. I think in real estate, possibilities are endless. You also get to work as hard as you want, or as little as you want. There’s flexibility.
That’s interesting. I considered going into real estate at some point and even looked into the credentials I would need to get certified, but ultimately decided I don’t have a big enough network or know enough people to sell homes 😉 Successful real estate professionals all seem to know a lot of people and have a large network of friends.
This is the most unrealistic post I’ve ever read. Who really *wants* to work? No one. But we have to because we don’t have paid-off houses from the high-paying jobs we stayed at a few years and husband’s income to support us.
I don’t know anyone who actually wants to toll away their life working, but… people need money. While I don’t think careers are everything- only a way to gain financially and do some useful tasks- asking kids what they want to learn isn’t necessarily going to help. Kids might want to learn art, but… how many starving artists that work at a restaurant to make ends meet are there? A viable career that has a work-life balance plus a decent income is what we should encourage of our kids. Unless we’re all billionaires who can afford to give our kids money so they never have to work their whole lives…
What Google search brought you here? What did you expect to find in a post titled “I Don’t Want a Career Anymore?”
I feel like you wrote about my feelings – even the work I do involves programming. I see impact of my coding job ( i am in clinical research programming), but as you said, crazy deadlines and managing programmers( who may not have the high work ethics) and being responsible for any issue come up; have last few months almost unbearable. I have been in the fields for 12 years now and can get a job easily, but I have been thinking for past couple years that I cannot handle the stress. As you said, my job pays well and is sort of flexible – I have been working remotely for years, so my friends do not understand why I complain about it. I just don’t want the stress – I can feel my whole body getting tensed as soon as I see those urgent emails /meetings. As an immigrant, I thought I was successful when I was not only making good money, but proved myself to move up. However, as I am approaching 50, I think this career may reduce my life by years. I am preparing my mind to take pay cut and find work that does not require too much thinking. I had been hoping that my company would let me go, but that will not happen with me – as much as I hate work, I cannot do sloppy work. One of the other issue to take a break from work is health insurance. I feel like I am forced to work because of expensive health insurance. I don’t know what exactly I will do, but this year once i finish up my projects, i will take break for sure. I have started trading(not day trade) – but I started learning about it in 2019 and did bit more in 2020. That will be a side hustle for sure. I don’t think I can make even half of what I made with job though. But i think i am appreciating small income now.
Thanks for the article. It was a relief to see that someone felt the same way I did as nooone around me gets it. I understand my problem is first world problem, but I know that stress due to job is going to a lot more damage to my mental and physical well-being. Hope you find something that is good for you.
Hi Api,
Thank you for your comment. Work was also burning me out. Honestly, I didn’t realize how much until after I left the workplace. As someone with chronic health conditions sitting at a desk all day was destroying my health. So I understand exactly where you are coming from.
Have you planned for your job change? If so, do you have money saved up from your current job? Sometimes it’s easier to leap after you’ve stowed away a nice cash cushion. Have you considered drastically cutting costs and saving the excess before leaving? Just for a little while so you can save up more money before you go. I’m asking because I saved up a lot before leaving my career.
Health insurance sucks. My husband chose to continue working, so his job covers our insurance. I wish we didn’t have to work at soul-sucking jobs to get quality care.
I’m glad you found this post helpful. I wish you all the best!
@Api,
I’m in the same boat as you. I’m burned out. I love programming/science/technology, but not the way evil managers are working us to premature death.
I’m so glad to read all of your comments. There’s a lot of us who feel the same way. I’m in my 50s and fortunate that I could afford to quit my high stress c-suite job. Most orgs and management are so toxic I can’t envision myself ever going back to full-time.
Is it just me or does everyone seems miserable and obsessed with self-promotion on LinkedIN and this-or-that women’s club? Maybe it’s just a sign of the times. The happiest people I meet tend to be helpers and would do what they’re doing for free. I tell my kids that not everyone needs be a leader, a Tedx speaker, influencer, etc.
People expect me to hop into another big job or start my own thing (again) but I’m pretty happy volunteering and exploring right now. Am vacillating whether to get my PhD (been wanting to do this since my 30s but everyone with a PhD tells me don’t do it !), study something in a new direction (which will take me forever) or just find a fun contract/pt gig.
Api: I also just discovered day trading via Gamestop and have learned a TON. It has confirmed all the reasons why I left the horrible finance industry.
I love that you are exploring your options and considering studying for your PhD. I agree with your take on the go-go-go mentality that drives us all towards self-promotion. I rode that train for a decade and I was happy to step off for a bit.
Thank you for writing this post as it is something I relate to, too much these days. I haven’t worked so many years like the other people here have. I am just 25 year old who has 2 year experience. Being a civil engineer and not getting a job in the industry because of safety reasons led to work in a BPO. The work pressure was too high and the salary was equally low. Due to high work pressure and long working hours led me to Spondylitis. I am unemployed since November 1, 2020. I am reconsidering my options to work in the same typical field as I no longer want to go through the same stress and pain. I want to work somewhere the work is fulfilling and the stress is also not much.
As most people suggest me to consider designing, I am really not interested in it. While I wanted to work in execution department, I was not recruited since no company wanted to shoulder the responsibility of safety of a woman.
I am in a dilemma as to which job to consider since I wouldn’t like to return to my previous job routine.
I’m sorry to read about your situation. Switching careers or looking for a less career driven job in the early years is particularly tough. Many young twenty year olds are expected to work a lot of hours before working their way up. Can you look for a position where you work from home and could move around more often in the daytime. More stretching, yoga, movement, etc. that might help you? At work we are expected to sit at our desks, but at home you can easily move more often or modify your work space to suit your needs. Would that help? What do you enjoy doing? Could you seek online training that could guide you into a direction you love?
The work from home situation in the pandemic led to my back issues. Actually I was a top performer in my previous company and they expected too much from me. I have this bad habit of doing everything to perfection which becomes quite stressful later on. I am trying my best to make myself understand that I too can make mistakes. This part saddens me the most. But I love to sing and dance. But I never got a chance to pursue it. I hope somewhere I’d be able to find Balance in what I do along with the things that make me happy.
As a recovering perfectionist I understand your point of view more than you could know. I think a lot of us have stood in your shoes trying to find the balance in life. I do wish you the best of luck! Sometimes just contemplating our choices helps us find a new path. I hope you find a way to sing and dance, because it’s clear your heart yearns for that.
Yes it does. Thank you for your wishes . Recently I have found a job. It hasn’t started yet. But hope it will give me new experiences in work-life as well as personal life.
I don’t even feel like typing out my whole story because I’m tired of re-living it. I graduated almost 2 years ago with a degree in computer science. I never really pictured myself working at a 9-5 job. As much as I like security, I just didn’t think it was for me. When everyone around me started applying for jobs, I felt extremely intimidated. People who weren’t as smart as me ended up getting great jobs because they cheated on tests and talked themselves up during interviews. My so-called “one of the top 5 colleges in the country” did absolutely nothing about it. I wasn’t ready to do cheat or do interviews. I felt like I wasn’t smart enough for a job, even though I had a good GPA. I was also dealing with the possibility this means I’m giving up, surrendering and being like everyone else, going to the movies, paying bills then dying. So I guess I did unknowingly self-sabotage, although there are other external factors.
What I really want is to be a singer. Deep down I’ve always known that that’s what I want. But where I’m from it’s almost impossible. And I’m constantly plagued by feelings of “not-enoughness”. I prefer a secure and mellow life. I don’t drink or do drugs. I don’t think I have the right personality for it, even though it’s all I want to do. The only reason I even chose computer science in college was because that was my best subject in school. Then I had a bad college experience that lead me to realizing that I don’t like the tech life, even though I was good at most of it. After graduation, I needed a break. (I ended up not attending the graduation.)
Then the pandemic started. And I’ve been stuck at home ever since. I was depressed for nearly 6 months, dealing with questions from relatives and acquaintances. It was all very triggering. When I got some time for myself, I decided to do a few non-technical online courses. I started working out, practicing gratitude and mediating. This period really helped me grow spiritually (something I’ve always wanted to do) and learn things I would’ve never had the chance to learn otherwise.
But my singing dream still seems very far away. I almost feel like I don’t have the right to dream. I started posting YouTube covers, even though I feel really self conscious and awkward doing it. I don’t have equipment. I barely get views, but I’m really trying. I’m trying to get over my fears.
I know lack of confidence (well, fear) is my biggest issue, but I feel so overwhelmed. I find it hard to believe in myself. I just want to give up. The world is passing me by and I’m getting older. I expected more from me. I know it’s my fault that I can’t compromise. Sometimes I feel like I wasn’t meant to have a career, but I fear I’m only saying that because I’m scared to try anything. I know I’m smart. I know I’m capable of doing a good job, no matter what that job is. If it isn’t music, I just want to do something that I makes me feel contented. Or a safe space where I can grow.
This turned into a huge essay oops.
I had 10+ years career in tech. I was at director level and making a great salary but I was done with corporate life. I couldn’t motivate myself sitting in full day meetings and talking bullshit everyday anymore. I quit and started my own ecommerce business 1.5 years ago. It has been a great success so far. I make 7 figure revenues although profits are slim. I have the full flexibility of working anytime from anywhere I want. In fact I’m working from Mexico for the past two months. It all sounds great, isn’t it? No it’s not. Believe it or not I feel worse than before. I work a lot more and I have a lot more stress as everyday something goes wrong with the business and I am the only one who can solve it. I just want to quit and don’t want to do anything business related anymore. Just wanted to share my experience as lots of people think having your own job will solve your work related problems. Be careful, it may just make it worse.
Oh John, I love everything about this comment. My husband and I owned a company for years and it was so much more difficult than working at our 9-to-5 jobs. You are absolutely right! I think the grass is often greener on the other side, but owning your own company can be incredibly stressful. My husband went back to a 9-to-5 job and it has been much better for his stress level and peace of mind. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. A lot of people dream of going off on their owns, but the reality turns out very different than they imagined.
AK, First, let me begin this comment by saying that most of us don’t have life figured out. I’m in my 40s and I still haven’t figured it out. I can also tell you that I suffered from a lack of confidence in my younger years. I didn’t struggle at work or in school, but in real life situations I also didn’t think highly enough of myself. Now I look back and realize how amazing I really was and that my mindset was holding me back. I would encourage you to find people who can lift you up and find online courses, meet-ups, books, etc. that can give you the boost you need. I don’t know you, but based on this comment and your rigor for computer science, (an extremely difficult major), I bet you are amazing! It’s great that you are already pursuing meditation and other techniques to help you cope.
Secondly, passion and work are not always the same. You can pursue singing while working a standard job for a bit. Get some financial cushioning and see if you enjoy it more as time goes on. I didn’t love my job, but there were many things about software development that I really liked. Try to pick and choose the good parts and work towards crafting a job that includes more of the stuff you love. Then pursue singing in your spare time. Sing, make videos, put your stuff out there and let the world see it! Don’t be afraid to shine in multiple ways. You can shine at work and shine while singing! You may get naturally pulled into one direction or another as time goes on.
I’ve been writing in this blog for years. I never made it my career, but it remained my passion. Actually, I used my writing whenever I want to take a break from work. It’s something I look forward to doing and something I dream about.
Don’t give up on your dreams! See the good in what you do and believe in yourself!
Appreciate your article, it’s exactly what I’m feeling.
Thank you for your comment.
@John,
It surprises me a bit that directors feel like this as well. Thank you for sharing. I know director’s schedules are full all day every day with meetings. I would not like that at all. Recently, they have started pushing me into those managerial roles, but, I’ve declined a couple of times. For me, it is better to remain doing actual software work.
I’ve also thought about the own business thing, but, I too realized it would be much much more work and stress.
Love this post. Thank you for sharing. It’s good to read your your experience of being FI and still dealing with the question of work. I know so many can relate (from our souls) to what you are sharing. Even if not at FI, this is often a goal. The question of work just doesn’t ‘go away’, so interesting; maybe this will fade later in life.
As a person of faith in Christ, I’m reminded that the challenge that comes with work was initially part of a curse from God as a result of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of eden. I’m also reminded that King Solomon had much to say about work and the ‘futility’ of it, but also said that there’s nothing better than to be happy in our work.
Faith is my life-lens, so this is where my mind goes…
The practicality of being tired of work that you share is so real. The wrestle is real. For me, I’m in a place of trying to be goal-oriented (have real goals that will give a sense of accomplishment) and making time to rest (really rest) every week.
Also, trying to give myself grace that the goals/work of today may look very different in the future.
Again, thank you for your post.
Thank you for your comment. I love your quote, “Also, trying to give myself grace that the goals/work of today may look very different in the future.” I think we all need to remind ourselves of that fact. Life is an ever-evolving journey and our goals constantly shift beneath our feet. Thank you for the reminder.
Me too! So nice to see there are more people like me. It doesn’t solve my anxiety but it sure helps to know I’m not alone. After 20 years in what I felt was a high pressure position learning and keeping up with constant changes I was laid off. My confidence is nill. I break into a cold sweat just thinking about getting back into an office. Over and over again I’m told (by previous co-workers) to get over it and that I can do the job no problem. I know I can do it I JUST DON’T WANT TO. No mortgage and no kids. Why do I feel all this pressure? Society says I should be rich and travel. Me and my spouse don’t enjoy travel ( I know! Can you believe it). We both just want enough to maintain and perhaps rent a cottage once a year. I’ve considered a lesser job but with covid they aren’t there. Volunteering is non-existent right now. Sigh, I am ‘looking’ for a job and hoping life allows me to find what I’m looking for. Hang in there everyone. Thank you to onefrugalgirl for starting this post/support group!
I’m glad you enjoyed this post. As you can see there are lots of other people that feel the same way that you do. My husband and I don’t enjoy traveling. I suppose we are boring by other people’s standards, but we just want to be content and comfortable. I plan to continue my search for the “next thing” when my kids go back to school in the fall. I wrote this post quite awhile ago and I still have no idea what that “next thing” might be. I wish you the best of luck!
Thanks, and good luck to you too!