Work Your Money, Not Your Life

Chapter 2Everything You've Been Taught About Jobs Is Wrong

“More is better.”

“Everyone has a calling.”

“It's called work for a reason.”

Do these sayings sound familiar? They're just a few of the countless messages we're bombarded with on a daily basis about what constitutes a “good” job and life. But with so many of us dreading the arrival of Monday mornings, maybe the lessons we've been taught have been wrong all along.

You might know what it's like to work in a “good” job, only to feel miserable doing it. Thinking something like, “This is it?” can put us into a vicious cycle of continuing to aspire for more – a higher salary, a more prestigious job title, a bigger house, and a nicer car – at the expense of our other needs, which then may make us even more dissatisfied. I know because I did this for years.

My story isn't unique. I spent much of my 20s chasing after the job myths that I'd been fed instead of what I truly valued. If I happened to achieve any of the traditional career milestones, like getting a good bonus, a nice pay raise, or a promotion, it would put a smile on my face for a couple of weeks and I'd indulge in a blow-out dinner or a few fancy ties. But pretty soon, life would normalize again – which meant I was back to grinding out my job and worrying about my next performance review instead of addressing some more important questions, like why the heck I was working so hard in the first place.

The problem stemmed from the fact that I had subscribed to many ...