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Life is too short to do things that make you miserable. It makes much more sense to do what makes you feel engaged and truly brings pleasure to your life.
A while ago I started working as a plant manager in a startup factory. The job had many responsibilities and prestige. The earnings had a lot of potential and there was a lot of chance to advance my career. Also, the company had an amazing product that they saw a lot of potential for.
Something that is very important to me is creating an impact in my work. After seeing the operation I knew immediately that my presence could be felt from day one. So it was. My first day I met all the members of my team and learned various processes. I was able to present ideas to exponentially reduce cost and provide learning opportunities.
The team responded well to me. I even started taking steps to report to a knowledgeable employee in production supervision. However, there was only one problem: the hours.
My working hours would be from 5am to 5pm. I knew from the interviews that the job would eventually require many hours of work and that part of my job was to stabilize the operation so that those extra hours were not necessary. However, I was never told that I was expected to work 12 hours most days and occasionally up to 13 and 14 hours.
I expressed my concerns at the end of the day and informed them that I wanted to terminate the contract. The company’s response was that we work together to reach an agreement and that it would only take a final decision until the end of the week. I told the company that it seemed fair to me and that I was open to finding a solution.
After my second day, it was clear to me that I needed to leave. This was after working over 12 hours. I was miserable, spending the whole day on my feet dealing with downtime from more machines than I could count. I don’t want to sound rude or ungrateful for turning down a high-paying job, but it just wasn’t what I needed. I have worked many days in my life and I know there will be many more in my future.
The problem is that I wasn’t completely honest with myself about what I wanted. At this point in my career, I want to work on something that makes me feel alive, something that is more challenging for me. For a long time I did a similar job, which was familiar to me and for which I was good. That was the real reason I took the job. As I mentioned earlier, I really liked the product and believed that it could revolutionize the industry. I was basically just looking for money and following an ambition.
When choosing an opportunity and accepting a job, it’s important to make sure it aligns with what you want in life.
Something important to me is having time to read and write. Working for so long I would have very few hours for my self-learning, to create art and to reflect. Having time to incorporate these elements into my life is crucial to my success.
Knowing yourself and understanding your values can take a long time. But using those beliefs as your primary decision-making guide can help you avoid a lot of pain and heartbreak.
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