With one exception, I have absolutely loved every job I’ve held and every business I have owned.
That exception was in 1972, making a weekly TV magazine every Saturday. At the time, I was working 6 days a week and on my day off I would work 12 hours or more cutting, assembling, stapling, bundling, and palletizing a well know weekly.
I hated that job, but I needed the money. After a few weeks of this, I decided it would be better to eat less food and sleep in my car to cut down on expenses, than continue with this hellish Saturday existence. Thus ended my career in the publishing business. And from that day forward I decided I would never work at something that wasn’t fun.
THE END OF A JOURNEY
Last Friday after 17 years and 7 months, I quit the best job I ever had. It was not as much fun as it had once been.
Fun means you look forward to getting up each morning and going to work. Anticipation of challenges and accomplishments – knowing that what you do makes a difference for those you work for, those you work with, and of course the customers. Not many people ever get to this plateau of success.
Those who regularly read my blog have probably noticed the number of posts decreased significantly over the past 6 months or so. Along with that my backpacking and camping time took a dive. Work started to get in the way of living.
My job wasn’t unbearable, it was okay – most people would probably be thrilled if their job was okay the way mine was. I have never understood why folks continue to work at jobs that are unbearable or they hate; and my job hadn’t gotten to that point. It just wasn’t as much fun as it had been the prior seventeen years. I was fine with that and had planned to continue working happily for another year until my 66th birthday, when I would retire.
PRODUCTIVE ACHIEVEMENT
Working is a wonderful thing, and if you don’t understand that fact, you might not grasp our purpose on this spinning globe. You see, we need to be productive. It is in our DNA. Not that many centuries ago, one had to be productive or die from starvation. That is nature and as a species, we thankfully went forth upon the earth and produced. Whether hunters, gathers, farmers, or traders we marched forward and prospered. Today we have too many social welfare safety nets for those who don’t want to work or are not willing to gain the education or skills to hold a meaningful job. Herein lies most of society’s problems – people who are not productive achievers. Look at any social ill and you find those so-called victims of society are actually victims of their own shortcomings. They don’t understand that productive achievement is man’s greatest endeavor.
CHANGE
I wasn’t looking for a change. Of course, that is a how good things often happen. I once heard a saying, “There is no heavier burden than a great opportunity.” So a great opportunity came my way – and I am moving on to the next chapter of my life. Once more I will have ample outdoor time and perhaps time to share them here.
I will miss the folks on my team – everyone was great to work with.