Perceived Stupidity

Stupidity is waking up every morning to get ready for a job that you can’t stand. I’ve been doing the same job for the last fourteen years and there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t hated it. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch. Some days aren’t so bad. But they are few and far between.

The truth is, I’m scared. I’ve been doing what I do for so long that doing anything else would bring with it a severe pay cut. I’ve tried to force myself to love my job, to enjoy doing what I do, but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t convince myself.

It’s been brought to my attention by my supervisors and higher ups that I don’t act like I want to be here. The truth is, I don’t, but I can’t tell them that. So I’ve gotten good at convincing them when the subject comes up that I really do love my job. The truth is, I love the security that the job gives me. In these hard economic times, it’s very hard to quit something secure and try something else, especially when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have.

It makes it doubly hard when you have a family to think about. I don’t need to be worried if I’m going to be able to afford food for my seven month old. Or diapers, or wipes, or clothing or anything else. I just don’t need the hassle of wondering.

Add to that the fact that I only have to work at this job for six more years and I can retire and have a check for life. I’ll be thirty-nine years old when that happens. It seems so close, yet so far away. I’ve already done fourteen years, is six more really that bad if I’ve put up with it for this long?

Stupidity has many layers and can be seen from many viewpoints. Sometimes, something that seems stupid, when done long enough, tends to change direction. Several years ago, it was stupid for me to continue working in a job that made me miserable. However, since so much time has passed, and I’m so much closer to retirement, it has now become stupid for me to quit.

Are you in a job you hate? Are you being stupid about staying in it? Only you can answer that.

It’s all a matter of perspective. Don’t listen to what anybody else says. Well, listen, but don’t feel you have to feel the same way they do. Including me. Weigh the options. This is a choice you have to make.

For me, I’ll be doing this job for six more years. Call me stupid.