Many of us don’t really enjoy what we do for a living. If you are one of the lucky few who enjoy their jobs, then more power to you. But lots of us don’t - it is a means to an end, something to be endured for the sake of other aspects of our life (supporting ourselves and family, so we can afford nice things, go on holidays etc.).
This is unfortunate because we spend so much of our lives at the workplace, and most of that time is spent wishing it was over. I’m sure we are all hoping to live an abundant life, and yearning for a large part of it to be over as quickly as possible doesn’t sound like one.
Is there another way?
What is it that makes us feel like we want our work day to be over as soon as possible? It could be many things - our boss isn’t very pleasant, we are under a lot of stress, or our work is dull and boring. Perhaps these are the most common reasons that we don’t enjoy our work.
Let’s go through some of these examples, and determine if looking more deeply into the problems can deliver some liberation.
Troubles with the boss
Let’s say your boss is difficult and demanding, making your 8+ hours at work each day a trial. Imagine yourself in a difficult conversation with your boss, recalling a past conflict or troubled situation. The feelings will likely arise again, in the remembering. Ask yourself, who is suffering?
Concentrate on the feelings, perhaps it is some sort of heaviness in the pit of your stomach. If you focus on the feeling, is it good or bad in itself? Or is it just a neutral sensation?
I think you’ll find it is a neutral sensation. So, in itself, there is no problem with the feeling.
Perhaps the suffering is due to the racing, angry, anxious or panicked thoughts which occur in such a conversation. But what are thoughts? They appear, and then they leave again. They are like wisps of smoke in a stiff breeze, dispersing as soon as they arrive.
There is no need to believe what they have to say. Maybe you have thoughts like “Oh! I am so sick of this guy, he makes me so angry!”, or “not again! Maybe she is going to fire me and I’ll be destitute!”. Notice the “me” or “I” appearances in these thoughts. Can you withdraw your attention from objects and look for this “me” who is apparently having some sort of problem?
In your experience right now, can you find this “me”?
There is no such “me”. There is a field of awareness in which thoughts of “me” arise, but the awareness is always first. That is the true “I”, and it can’t be affected by anything that rises and falls in it.
The fact is, life should be a joy - all of it, even at work. Don’t let a difficult person rob you of it.
We are stressed
What is stress? It is a combination of anxious thoughts and associated feelings. What sort of thoughts manifest in stressful situations at work? Perhaps thoughts such as “I am going to be in so much trouble if I don’t complete this in time!” Or “if I don’t do a good job here, my boss will fire me! What will my family do then!?” Or “If I don’t get this done, I will let my work mates down”.
There is conceptual wisdom that can be brought to bear on these types of thoughts. First, you can only do what you can in the time available to you. Sit down outside of work at some point and determine how much time you want to allocate to your work, considering your other goals and the things you love. Perhaps consider your death bed, with loved ones surrounding you, and ask yourself how much you want to focus on work versus the other parts of life.
Once you have figured that out, then whatever happens within the time you have allocated is the best you can do.
All those thoughts that arise are irrelevant - you are literally doing all you are willing to do, so just let those thoughts come and go. They will actually distract you from the task at hand and reduce the amount of things you get done.
That’s the conceptual wisdom.
But again, let us look deeply at those thoughts. “I” am going to be in so much trouble, what about “my family”, “I” will let my friends down. Again, there is this idea of a someone who is both threatened, and is somehow in control of the situation.
In the moment, who is threatened? Can you find that someone? Or is it just thoughts and feelings that are appearing and disappearing again? Again, realise that there is no one who is threatened, there is just the play of life flickering across the screen of awareness.
Second - all these thoughts assume that there is someone who can affect the outcomes. What is the point of a thought like “I am going to be in so much trouble if I don’t complete this in time!” if there is no “you” actually there in control of life? There is no point.
Realise that all things rise and fall without a little “me” inside “your” head pulling the strings. You aren’t even in control of your next thought - it just arrives without any little controller calling the shots. So what is the point of stress? There is nothing you can do anyway, for there is no “you” who is in control!
Relax and let all things come and go.
Work is dull and boring
Some work can be quite boring - there is no denying that. Even work that others may find fascinating may be boring to you, especially if you have been doing it for a long time. So let’s consider the roots of boredom.
Boredom is really the lack of excitement or stimulation. We can generally deal with that lack for some period of time, depending on our personalities, but eventually it wears thin and feelings of boredom and associated thoughts arise. Ultimately, boredom is a resistance to what-is. It is taking a thought or a feeling seriously, and looking for ways to escape the present.
Boredom is a shame really. For the present moment is quite amazing, when you stop trying to escape it. It is always fresh and new - there is never a repeated moment in all of life. There is no little “me” in charge, so thoughts, feelings, sights, sounds, smells all arrive from who-knows-where. Every moment is a surprise.
You are the Universe unfolding, yet you find yourself bored?
As Thich Nhat Hanh has said, there is a certain magic to mindfulness, with mindfulness being the grounding of oneself in the present moment. To be mindful of what you are doing in this very moment, is to enter paradise, or the kingdom of God.
If you can sink into the present, in my experience boredom vanishes. You can encounter the joy of creation even in your apparently dull work.
Notice how your actions and thoughts emerge from nowhere, from the great Silence or womb of God - they are new creations. No matter what you are doing, you are co-creating the Universe. If you can knowingly observe this unfolding, you may rediscover the aliveness of your apparently boring work.
To enter the flow, the Tao, this is the cure for boredom - for the Tao is ever fresh and new, like a clear, bubbling, mountain stream reflecting the sky.
I hope these reflections will bring you more joy in your work and life. It is such a privilege to be alive, to be a human - it would be a shame to not enjoy every moment.
Until next time, peace be with you friends.
Although I no longer have a 9-5 job, your words can be applied to many aspects of my day to day. Thank you for another beautiful work.