Why I’m Not Here for the 9-to-5 Job Shaming: Rant

Did you just read another blog post bashing the “9-to-5, Monday through Friday” job?

Let’s start with this notion that working a 9-to-5 job can’t possibly lead to wealth, happiness, and success

Ummm… Can someone please call Andrew Hallam and let him know that he can’t possibly be happy or wealthy because he became a millionaire while working for “the man” as a teacher.

I mean come on! He was a teacher! That’s as 9-to-5 as 9-to-5 gets! He can’t be happy, successful, or rich, can he?

Everything we consume now tells us we have to be entrepreneurial and ditch the 9-to-5 cage and venture out on our own. Honestly, there were some people who were legitimately happy working for someone else, saving, investing, and taking trips once or twice a year.

Now, we’re out here shaming them, telling them they should want more out of life.

We’re telling them they should go start a business of their own and “make their own hours” and be free to travel as much as they want.

Smh.

That’s the biggest fucking scam I’ve ever heard/witnessed- excuse my language. I’m getting upset because these people are actually succeeding at convincing so many people to ditch their jobs prematurely and enter into a world that’s not for everyone.

Obviously, there are people out there who are made for this entrepreneurial life. They can’t even stomach the thought of working for someone else, BUT if they’re being completely honest, they would tell you that this is not for everyone and contrary to popular belief you’ll be working a helluva lot more than 8 hours a day, especially in the beginning.

If you think that every morning when you wake up you are wasting your time and energy going to a job to work for someone else and that you can’t possibly amass wealth or be happy as a result, you have been hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Why not change your mindset around your job? Think of it as a place where you can develop skills, grow your network, and most importantly pay your damn bills.

There are a number of us who hate the people we work with, but not the job itself. Instead of changing companies or departments, we have been convinced that the ONLY solution is entrepreneurship.

Huh!?

If you work for a company whose vision you can believe in, whose people you can trust, and who pays you well for your role, why on Earth would you think that ditching that job would somehow lead to happiness, wealth, and success?

Help me understand, please.

To the geniuses telling EVERYONE that EVERYONE should quit their jobs and start their own businesses:

Who will take your order at Chick fil a? Who will check you in at your bougee ass hotels? Who will tend to your needs in your first-class cabin on your flight to Dubai? Who will tend to your needs when you arrive at the hospital or if, God forbid, your house burns down? Who’s going to come to your rescue when you’re being robbed? Who will teach your spoiled ass kids?

Oh, I’m sorry, did you not mean those people? They all work some type of 8 to 12-hour shift under some person or organization, and you’ve built your business telling them they’re doing life wrong because they work for someone else.

There are some people out there who would kill to work for someone else because that would mean they could feed their families.

Wanting more for your life and striving to be the best version of yourself as well as building wealth does not always mean “ditching your 9-to-5”, folks. Those who try to make you believe that, want you to buy their course or training or book. They have no clue about happiness and wealth building.

On the other hand, IF you find it soul-crushing to work for any organization IF you have a strong desire to start a business that could have a major impact on the people it serves IF you have a burning desire to be completely in control of how you live your life day to day, then, by all means, go do your thang, boss!

If you feel ready, go for it, boo. But don’t for one second believe the fallacy that you will work less than 8 hours a day, that you will automatically find happiness, that you will instantly thrive financially, or that you won’t hit major bumps in the road.

Understand that while you can make money on your own, save that money, and invest that money to build wealth, there are millions of others out there saving their money, investing their money, building wealth, spending quality time with their families, AND making an impact while being employed by someone else.

Conversely, you have those who have ditched their 9-to-5s, have no money, a lot of debt, no time to spend with their family, and only the illusion of control over their life.

Don’t get it twisted, that outcome can plague CEOs and employees alike.

Now, I will say this:

You do need multiple streams of income. In the world we live in today, you cannot rely on government programs or tax season to sustain yourself. You need to have a stream of income that does not require physical movement on your end. You need to put money to work for you in some capacity. It doesn’t need to be real estate, but it can be. It doesn’t need to be stocks, but it can be.

Feel free to think outside the box on that one, but the point is, you do not necessarily NEED to “ditch your 9-to-5” to establish security, happiness, and wealth for yourself. That’s just a bold-faced lie.

So…with all that said, how does one remain happy in a 9-to-5 job, even while using it as a stepping stone to something else?

 

Well, do these 10 things: