At 40 years old, I must admit that I am no longer filled with the same sacred fire at work as when I was a young 23-year-old graduate. Another 10 or 15 years in the arena, and I can easily imagine that there will be nothing left of this little fire but a few embers.
My observation is bitter: I have almost never met people over 55 who are happy at work (Jérôme, who has spent a few more years than me on his hamster wheel, will perhaps add that he has in fact never even met happy workers...)
To each his own nature. For my part, I am an independent, freedom-loving, introverted and solitary person. I am inhabited by dreams such as:
...Choose my life, leave all options open, don't let money guide my choices.
...Working by choice rather than obligation, and on my own terms.
...Living where I really want to and not because of my job.
... No more boss, endless meetings, absurd objectives and colleagues who pull me in the legs.
...Not being constantly stressed, working overtime and never having enough free time.
... Not spending my free time resting, but being able to take full advantage of it for my leisure activities. No longer dwelling on work worries in the evening or at night.
Should the weekend really only be about recharging your batteries before facing another Monday?
And when the holidays finally come... we get sick! We were hoping to enjoy all this free time, when in reality, letting off steam and unwinding makes us sick. All the fatigue comes out at once and our bodies give up. The only advantage is for the employer: After the holidays, we are in great shape again to start work again!
I dream of enjoying life, nature and sunlight more during the most beautiful hours of the day. I find it especially depressing in winter to go to work and leave the office when it is dark, thus spending the few bright hours of the day locked between four walls.
In our society, devoting one's life to work, working overtime or taking on more responsibilities are generally admired. While achieving financial independence well before retirement age in order to fully enjoy life is denigrated by many. It would not be a noble goal, but rather an act of laziness, a lack of ambition.
But how is spending most of your time at work and giving all of your energy to an employer who exploits you so admirable?
I hate this mentality of "never enough" and "always more". Bigger salary, bigger house, bigger car. In my opinion, having gadgets does not make you happier. They are only distractions that cloud your mind and make you miss the point.
Of course, being retired early also has its negative aspects: Disconnection from others. Less social contact. During the day, most people your age are not available, since they are working (how tasteless!).
Being a (very) young retiree requires you to be organized, disciplined, plan your day, set goals, so as not to find yourself going around in circles and wandering without goals.
Happiness is in the details. The little pleasures in life are what make life more beautiful. But they require time to be lived and appreciated fully.
Walking your dog, drinking coffee on a restaurant terrace or travelling by train are not enjoyed in the same way depending on whether you can take your time or whether you have to do things as quickly as possible when you have some free time.
I have dreams. I have dividends.
Happiness is in freedom. Freedom is in dividends.
Discover more from dividendes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Français 
English 
Italiano 
Deutsch 
Español 
Português
But that's a really great text that you're giving us there, dear brother. A nice gift to put under the tree 🙂
Again, I 100% agree with you.
I wonder, have you ever taken the personality test: https://www.dividendes.ch/les-16-types-psychologiques-mbti/
I'm willing to bet you're an INTJ, or even an INTP or INFJ.
I wouldn't say that there are no happy workers at all. Some personality traits are precisely very suitable for the world of work. There are those like ENTJs who draw their energy from it, notably by sucking it from others. And there are those like ISTJs who like to do small routine jobs and have a well-established framework. But even for the latter it is becoming increasingly difficult because the world of work is becoming more and more chaotic, demanding, changing and neurotic. So there are more and more ISTJs (who are nevertheless the personality profile most inclined to be "simple employees") turning away from the world of work and seeking financial independence. I find that this profile is really symptomatic of what is happening at the moment in the world of work (see my post https://www.dividendes.ch/istj-lexecutant/ sub-chapter “Financial independence”).
In short, the world of work was created by certain people, with certain character traits, to exploit other people, with other character traits. It worked well as long as the balance was respected and everyone got what they wanted. The problem is that currently there are more and more people who are exploited like rats, but who are anything but rats. These brilliant people no longer want other tyrants to suck their vital energy. So they seek their independence.
Thanks again for this very nice post.
Thanks Jerome! In fact this text was even 2x longer at the base and I thought of publishing it in 2 or 3 parts. Finally I cut it with a cutter until that's all there was left.
I took the personality test a few months ago and I actually came out as… ISTJ, which is a pretty good description for me overall. I am one of those quiet workers who can do a lot of work in the shadows and I give a lot of myself. I am very organized, serious, reliable and respectful of the rules.
On the other hand, I am not comfortable in groups and I seek calm and solitude. I do not always correctly interpret the behavior and emotions of others. Crowds drain my energy. And I am very independent-minded, I like to do things my way rather than how I am told to do them.
Basically, I quite like my job (it's my "doer" side) but the more time passes, the more I start to get tired of feeling like I'm being exploited. I also hate these social codes and this impression that you always have to play a role at work rather than having the freedom to be yourself.
I really want to get out of this rat race before I get burned. I honestly don't think I'll be able to give as much as I do now until I'm 65.
Oh well. That's exactly what I was saying... Another ISTJ turning away from the world of work... And what an ISTJ! The balance is breaking. When society has 'broken' all its 'executors' because it denigrates them and does not respect them, it will have a big problem.
There can't only be loudmouths in a company. You need a bit of them, yes, to sell and incidentally to lead. For this last point, however, we can also do it more subtly. Without logorrhea...
Unfortunately, in our consumerist society, we value words more than actions. Those who do a monstrous job are not recognized because they do not have time to show up at sessions or hand out business cards. Yet without them, everything stops.
I have the INTJ profile, one letter away from yours. It's that of the 'scientist', but in truth my work rather confines me to the role of the lab rat that I am supposed to examine. In fact I am also an executor. And like you, I no longer want my work to be put at the service of others. I'm tired of being exploited...
I read the profile of the "scientist" and several points made me think of your texts, in particular the need for autonomy and the visionary spirit. And just like the "executor", you also seem to prefer calm and solitude to large groups.
On the other hand, in terms of possible careers, I can more easily imagine you as a rentier than a military leader! 🙂
I had a good laugh with this sentence:
"Under stress, INTJs may become obsessed with mindless repetitive sensory activities, such as drinking too much."
So Jerome, do you have a problem with alcohol? 😉
I certainly don't spit in the glass!