I have been meditating on this post for a long time, but I finally feel ready to post it. I have been a part of the simple living community for six years now. I haven't always been at peace with my work life like I am today, but I am now and I want to share that with this community in hopes it can help other people learn to find peace in their careers.
In the time I have been a member of this community I have seen many posts related to getting out of the rat race as well as simple hobbies. For me, I was never put off by working in an office job, but I did feel some of the pressures that come with that life to "keep up with the joneses". But as I progressed through my 20's I became less materialistic and I have also become less concerned with what others think about me.
Earlier this year, before the pandemic, two big changes in my life came to fruition. One, my wife and I paid off all of our debt (student loans, we never really had consumer debt) and I started a traditional career/office job in my field. (I was working in the field full time already, but in a less structured environment than I am now.)
And man, I just have to say, work hits different when you don't need the money. Of course, I still need an income to buy food, pay bills, etc but the amount it costs me to live is much lower now that I have A. Reduced my consumption of extraneous goods and B. paid everything off. I do still have rent, which is a big expense, but it is not a stress anymore.
Now, I look forward going to work not because of the money I earn but because of the work I do. Don't get me wrong, there are days the work SUCKS. Yesterday was a bad day where I spent the entire work day fixing the mistakes of other people in my office and I ended the day with a headache. But at the end of the day I log off and spend time with my wife and get to spend the rest of my time doing other things I enjoy. Just having the freedom to have the option of walking away from my job if it got bad enough takes the stress and the worry around work off.
I want to say this post is not meant to brag. Reddit is anonymous. I don't know any of you, and you don't know me. This is meant to motivate and encourage those who also want to balance simple living with a traditional job/career. Also, I want to recognize how incredibly privileged I am to have the opportunities that lead to me being able to pay off my debt and be in the position I am. It has taken a lot of work also of course.
Now, my work is something I do because I want to, not because I have to (although, to be clear, if I wasn't working this particular job, I would still have to work somewhere). The work I do is challenging and engaging in the best possible ways. My coworkers are good people, even if we don't always agree professionally.
Anyway, I just want people to know you can live a simple life while working a 9-5 office job so long as you find ways to cut out the other non-essentials in life.
Of course, if you want to work a non-office job as part of your simple living plan I recognize, respect, and encourage you as well.
Submitted November 10, 2020 at 06:16PM by Father_Idol https://ift.tt/35fXdvx
