Lesson 10 of 32
Sometimes Your Work Will Suck
The goal isn't work with no downsides, but one where the downsides are a worthwhile price for the upsides.
The Lesson
All work, even "dream jobs," have parts you will dislike. The idea that finding the perfect role is the “holy grail” leads to endless searching and perpetual dissatisfaction. All work will have tedious tasks, difficult people, or draining activities. The solution isn't to find work without these things, but to find work where the mission matters enough to make the struggles worthwhile.
Your focus should shift from seeking perfection to finding alignment. The real question isn't if your work has downsides, but if these specific downsides are an acceptable trade-off for the rewards that matter most to you. Satisfaction comes from making a conscious choice about which problems you're willing to put up with.
The Question
What downsides of your work are you calling "character building" when they might just be the normal price of a paycheck - versus which ones are you tolerating by telling yourself they're "normal" when they're actually just bad management you've learned to accept?
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