The Work Paradox

The Work Paradox

Western culture is built around work. One third of your entire life is spent working. With work consuming so much of your time, what are you thinking about when you’re not working? You’re most likely here because you deal with the same struggles as me. If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking about work even when you’re not working. 

The way I put it is we work so hard so we don’t have to work, but when we aren’t working we think about working because work is the only way we won’t have to work anymore.

It’s a mouthful, but this is what I call the Work Paradox. It is the use of time thinking about work even when you aren’t working because you know that work will bring you freedom. But what is freedom? If freedom from having a job we have to show up to is our definition, then yes, eventually work should get you to that point. But what if freedom is something else? What if freedom is an escape from any stressor? That is what I have slowly begun to believe freedom is.

For some, this is work. Work is the only stressor in life therefore the elimination of it creates a hypothetical freedom. What needs to be realized though is that when one stressor is eliminated others need to arise to replace them. They need to? Let me explain.

In order for you to feel what it is like to be “off work” you need to have work. If you never worked, you would never know what the feeling of being off work is like because you would always be off work. Therefore, you would be consumed by other stressors naturally because you need to have bad to feel good. If there was no bad, “good” would simply be the status quo. It would no longer feel good.

That debunks part of the Work Paradox. The work never really ends, it just changes. So what more can be said about the Work Paradox? Well, we still need to solve the feeling of anxiety when not working. Let’s dive in.

First off, you need to realize at some point the work will end. It will be at death. Isn’t that depressing. I don’t think so. You must know that eternal work is required to continue living. Everything that takes effort is considered work, therefore work will never end until you no longer exist.

So is it a job that we don’t want to have anymore? It may be. The thing that always comes to my mind is “if I work really hard when I have time “off”, I won’t have to work for as long as most. This is potentially true. Yes, if you hustle hard enough you will most likely be able to get to a point where you can retire early. That brings on a whole new question: 

Does work create purpose?

Before answering yes or no right away, let’s break some things down. When you are working toward anything, this could be a book you’re writing, a fitness goal you’re chasing, a non-profit you’re working for, or an actual job, you feel a reason to wake up each day. So let’s say that your job is your only reason to wake up, then we can argue that work gives you purpose. 

The next question is if work was eliminated, would you have another purpose? Some may already have something. Some may find something if it comes down to it. Others might not have any purpose. Without purpose, there is no reason to do anything. With no reason to live, there is no will to live. So what is life?

You need to realize if currently when you are not working you are thinking of a way to not work anymore, you have lost your purpose outside work. What you often find in the most successful people is that they find purpose in their work and continue to work until they get to a point where they don’t have to work anymore. But the craziest part is, they continue to work because it gives them purpose.

I have found myself working so hard to not work anymore but when I really think about what I want to do when I’m done working I can’t even think. I think the idea is more appealing than the actual happening. What I really want is time freedom so I can do what I really want to do. But in reality, if I had complete freedom, I would need to find another thing to work on in order to find purpose. So the work wouldn’t really end, it would just change.

Work doesn’t end, it just changes.

Therefore, the Work Paradox isn’t actually a paradox after all, it is simply an illusion. What you don’t have always looks better than what you have until you have it. As soon as you are no longer working, you will want to work again. 

In order to no longer feel this way, you must first find purpose in your life outside of work. You must find something you are passionate about. If this is your work, continue to chase it. You see this commonly in entrepreneurs. All of their time is consumed doing their job because it is what they are passionate about. That is why they started it. They don’t need something outside of work to fulfill themselves.

For me, I write because it is what I am passionate about. It is not my day job, but it gives me purpose. It takes my mind off of the fact that I am not where I want to be yet. It makes me more in tune with where I am and allows me to enjoy the point I am at in life. It is work. 

Depression is common in those who do nothing outside of work. Their life is just a monotonous, mundane cycle that never seems to change. They feel stuck on the eternal hamster wheel and they think about a day where they won’t have to work anymore even when they are not working.

This is hopelessness.

To hope for something that we already are experiencing is insanity. It is terrifying. It is an illusion. An oasis. Something we continue to chase but it isn’t there and it will never be there.

It is up to you to find the purpose in yourself. 

Creating Purpose

When it comes to purpose, you have to be in charge. Nobody else can give you purpose. Others may make it easier for you to find purpose, but it all comes down to your individual perception of everything. 

To find your purpose you need to focus on 2 questions:

What makes you happy?

What are you good at?

There may be more to purpose, but by simply recognizing the things that make you happy and the things you are good at, you are able to pinpoint something to do. That thing may not be perfect right away, but in time it will develop and become your purpose. 

I find purpose in numerous things. When it comes to things that make me happy, I really like to care for those around me. Because of that, I make sure to entertain guests and cook for them. This gives me purpose.

When it comes to what I am good at, I am a naturally good leader, hype man, and philosopher. With this I intentionally work to increase people’s confidence, give them hope, and help them figure out solutions to their problems. I don’t have an answer for everything, but I can typically help someone find it for themselves.

When I add those two things together, it creates my main purpose in life at this moment: Writing.

That is exactly why I am writing this book. I like to help others with things I have struggled with. I am a fairly good communicator and have the ability to relate to people and help them find ways to solve their problems. I can do that through this book. I have a purpose in writing it.

With that, we have solved the Work Paradox and created a clear path to finding purpose.