Do you hate your job?

Don't raise your hand if you hate your job ... please!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much negativity is spread by everyone who regularly complains about how much they hate their jobs to anyone who will listen. And I've started to think that maybe it's because I just don't understand that concept (which could be caused by my fortunate upbringing by parents who believed you should do what fulfills you and had parents who also believed this ... plus my continued exposure to a lot of people who espoused these same "dream hard" values throughout my life). Why do people stay in jobs that become a source of daily pain and frustration? Why do they believe that whenever they are not as work is the only time they can really be themselves and find peace and contentment? You can call me lucky, but I don't see finding yourself in a job you love as having anything to do with luck. And doing what you love is not an anomaly. It has to do with strength ... and believing in the truth:  We have choices.

Sometimes we don't like our choices. God knows, I've been in plenty of situations where every choice was terrible, but there were still options. None of us are ever truly out of control in our own lives. We sometimes just don't believe in our own strength to go the way that might seem to be impossible now, but typically has life-changing payoffs.

When did we become so afraid of risk? And when did we start to think it was the norm that we should be miserable, hate our lives ... and tell everyone on the planet about it, spreading that toxicity everywhere we go? You'd think that in a world that continues to open up so widely for all of us, we'd have more hope, joy ... and less fear. I know there are atrocities in the world. I know there are annoying people (and trust me, I love to tell stories about the many dark comedies of their errors and have fallen victim to them as much as anyone else has). And I know sometimes you have to bide your time at a job that is less than ideal while you work towards dreamier circumstances. But when did we become endlessly-complaining victims of our own circumstances?

I made the difficult choice a long time ago to do what I love. And a lot of the time it's been a back-breaking challenge that has left some significant emotional carnage. But when I stop to think about settling for less than what I was born to do, I know that I will always ultimately refuse.

I stopped entertaining humorless and victimized complaints from people who will not change their circumstances. If you're unhappy, you can always do something about it. If you're in a job you hate, at least have the decency to spend some time figuring out what really fuels you ... then go towards that light with everything you have. And if you're unwilling to make a choice to better your situation, shut up and take it like a man or woman, and please also take responsibility for the fact that ultimately, it is always you who drives your own bus. It's pretty simple.

I'm an extreme realist, so do not let any of this be misinterpreted as blowhard sunshine. I'm just urging everyone to stop the negative dialogue and rediscover some spark. It's not helping anyone if you have no reason for being here.