It is Monday morning. The countdown timer has started. I am out of the blocks. Excitement, anxiety, fear, and indecision, are just a few words to describe my headspace. But, why do I feel this way?
Because of the dreaded “what”.
If you could work on anything, what would it be? If you are like me, you avoided answering that question for as long as possible. Did I figure it out in Middle School? No. High School? No. University? No. When? Never.
And so, here we are; Friday was my last day at work. I am fortunate enough to have made this decision myself. Not because I hated my work, was bored, unfulfilled, or anything else. I think that a single frame from Calvin & Hobbes sums it up well.
This frame reminds me of the famous saying: “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. Maybe Calvin does not appreciate how good his life is; maybe he just wants to complain about how much his parents inconvenience him. I bet if Calvin had his way, he would never go to school, eat vegetables, or read books. He would become a feral child, roaming the forests with his tiger Hobbes. But of course, his mother does know best. Calvin needs to do some things he does not like so that he won’t be left behind by his classmates. His mother knows that he will grow up and be thankful for all of the little things she made him do — even if they annoy him right now.
I think like Calvin’s mom. Metaphorically speaking, I ate life’s vegetables.
Let me ask you a question. If someone offered you your dream job, but it paid less than your current one, how much less would you be willing to accept? 25%? 50%? This might sound like an Employee Satisfaction Survey, but I was faced with this exact question about 10 years ago. At the time I was offered around 70% less to follow my dreams. Instead, I chose the money. I was lucky enough to enjoy the work and build meaningful relationships. In the end, Calvin’s mom was right — “Life could be worse”.
But, I always had a question in the back of my head. What if I had chosen the other path? Maybe, “Life could be a lot better”. After reading this comic strip countless times, I am finally taking the first step. Starting today, until my savings run out, I will try to find a life that is “a lot better”. If I fail, I can always go back to what I was doing before. At least then, I will be sure that “life could be worse”.
Thank you for reading,
Z
Thinking of Z 