Well, it's Saturday night, and I'm here with a glass of Merlot in hand at 21 years old, writing about work. Is that depressing?
I've been super MIA on this blog - partly because I had lost motivation to write about anything, which is ironic, however - it happens. We're all human. We all have lives that we must attend to - and it's safe to say that after the whole school spiel that we must all go through, moving onto your career path can feel like a steep, slow and exhausting descent.
In simple terms - in the past year I have been initiated into corporate life. Yes - emails, teams messages, client calls and communications. Blah blah blah. As a creative, this is draining. I'm sure if you're here you understand what it's like. SO, let's talk about: "Enduring the Rat Race."
What the f*ck is the "Rat Race?"
Oxford Dictionary determines the definition of the rat race to be: "a way of life in which people are caught up in a fiercely competitive struggle for wealth or power." Essentially - it's the idea that we are pumped out like clockwork, on a conveyor belt within society to all believe that we can achieve wealth and freedom through working our asses off. So, in our early lives we must adhere to social rules - attend school, shut up and do what you're told, go and get a degree because you won't be able to get a good job otherwise.
Oh, you're in debt after University you say? Well so is everyone else. Can't find a job? Well, settle for that 18K salary and hope to pay that off by the time you're 50. That will also be on top of your mortgage, any other debt from your car, and also your kids tuition fees. Let's not mention the cost of living - that's a whole other tangent that we won't go down (today).
Further from that - believing that working hard will get you the results that you deserve - which is conditioned within us from all of those years in school that have taught us to work harder, not smarter. Taking on extra tasks, working late, being the yes man. "Yes, I'll do that. Yes I can be the point of contact. Yes, Yes, Yes." Basically, imagine you're a dog rolling over onto its back with your CEO scratching your belly, or patting you, instead of giving you the big bowl of food (ie money) that you deserve.
On the flip side - another term - "climbing the corporate ladder", so jumping job roles and establishing a solid place within the framework of your company. Don't get me wrong - this is not a bad thing... until your company starts taking advantage of this, and you end up being paid way less than you would have at another company for the same job role. More on that later.
In my own terms, the only way I can demonstrate to you what Rat Race means is by exploring the nature of working life.
The 9 to 5 Lifestyle
I had never really heard the term "living from pay check to pay check" until I started working in a corporate role. Growing up, as I'm sure a lot of us did, I had quite a rose tinted version of how I thought an office job would be. Maybe I watched The Devil Wears Prada too many times. It's okay - we can all be naïve.
Okay, so that 9 to 5 shit that everyone is always taking about on TikTok - is that dreary lifestyle that we all so desperately want before we get it - it's waking up, going to work whilst vaguely disassociated, taking that one hour lunch break and thinking "should I just go home? Call in sick?", watching the hours go by, and then going home when your shift ends. Feeling mentally drained, and by the time you've cooked, eaten, showered and taken your anti-depressants, then, "are you coming to bed honey?" - before you know it your head is on your pillow, and it's 7AM again and you're tightening your tie - looking in the mirror and surveying those ever-growing eye bags and thinking "is this seriously my life?"
The best way to describe it is that you're in auto-pilot, all day, everyday. Waiting for Friday to roll around.
The System
There is a problem much larger than any of us here. The system. The way things work in the world. Unfortunately, we're all set in stone to be very average people, who live very average lives. Are you depressed yet? Go and get that glass of Merlot.
What I was talking about in the beginning - the whole social rules thing - is very true. We're all pumped out and dumped into a system that wasn't created by us and therefore we did not choose to be in, but must endure. We're given a false sense of hope that if we just work hard enough within our job roles that everything in life will just fall into place. Before you know it you're waiting for that salary increase and then you realise that it's still not enough - prices rise, debts gain interest. You get the jist.
My big issue with the system and the 9 to 5 is not office culture - I think that there are multiple opportunities to develop yourself and learn through the corporate lifestyle - however there is an intense melancholy within the fact that so much of your time is taken up by your career.
Building career capital in this day and age is viewed as the purpose of existence. There is a toxicity within this - and you can lose yourself.
What is your passion?
When was the last time you pursued that thing that you were so ambitious about? Maybe it's art - when you were younger you drew every night. You had the desire to become an illustrator - but because work is so busy, you just don't have the time. And well, you need the money - you are reliant on your pay checks. Or maybe you always wanted to write a book - when was the last time you wrote a thousand words towards that?
The problem is that the 9 to 5 murders your creativity and ambition outside of your job role. It's all so mundane, and the thought of picking up that pen after spending all day telling Sandra that you will get that report over by end of day, can leave you feeling sickened at the thought of pursuing your true dreams.
And then there's the pressure. The pressure not only from your company, but maybe even that the people in your inner circle and family are all doing the same thing - living the same lives and encourage you to follow suit. Join the pack. We are expected to play a certain role within our own lives, follow the crowd, and this is essentially why the rat race is the rat race.
The Truth - (Sorry in advance)
I'm sorry if you needed to hear this and didn't want to - but working hard at your 9 to 5 is just not going to give you that satisfaction that you crave. We all think that we will suddenly source that motivation that we have been craving and that big thing will just happen without actions - unless your dream is to be a Senior Business Director at another persons company.
Some people may be sitting here, reading this and thinking "I don't mind working corporate and climbing the ladder." And fair play to you - that's okay. However, if you're creative or entrepreneurial in any sense, then here's my advice.
Work is like a small fire. You can add the fuel and make it a lot worse for yourself with false expectations, internal and external pressure - or you can watch it burn peacefully, whilst carrying on doing whatever you're doing. AKA - work - especially for a company that is not even your own - isn't everything. All of that hard work you're doing - does it compute to your salary? In reality, we're all just filling up our CEO's pockets. Oof. That hurts.
Take it from me - who is naturally an over achiever - working hard for someone else can only get you so far. So although you still need to work for money, remind yourself that you don't need to exert yourself just to get disappointed and discouraged. Let me tell you something now. If you feel pressured to follow this path but want different results, remember that you cannot take advice from people who are not living the lifestyle that you desire. Take that in for a second.
If you want to get out of the Rat Race - you must succumb to your fears. Maybe you're scared that if you let go and stop putting in so much work, that things will go to shit. That if you try and start that company, or write that book, or take those art pieces to a gallery - that you will fail.
Nothing great has happened without failure. Failure pushes us to learn, adapt - become better.
So even if it kills you and you're exhausted after you clock off - try and pursue your dreams. Don't let time tick away because I promise you - in ten years time, you'll be behind a desk, clicking your mouse, praying for the weekend. Nothing will have changed.
Change comes from within us. It's uncomfortable and cringey - but we decide our own destiny. Truly. So if you're not happy in the Rat Race - do something about it.
What are you waiting for?
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