Why We Need To Stop Believing The 9-to-5 Myth

We’re all trained from a young age to accept and embrace the typical 9-to-5 career.

We’re encouraged to work for companies who don’t appreciate or encourage our talents and passions — who simply utilize us until it’s time for retirement.

We’re told this is what we’re supposed to do — that this is the only way to lead a financially secure life, one that will give us a house in the suburbs and a white picket fence. It’s drilled into our heads from the moment we arrive at school to the day we put on those caps and gowns. Listen, our teachers say. Obey. Conform. Then graduate so you can do the same thing as a cog in some large corporation. This is the only way.

Of course, that’s total fiction. It’s a myth. But most of us, because of our conditioning, believe it.

The problem with the myth is, the life that results is inherently unfulfilling.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Only 15% of the world’s one billion full-time workers are engaged at work,according to Gallup. At the same time, 65% of Americans save next to nothing each paycheck, according to a survey from Bankrate.com.

Think about that. Most people on this planet don’t like what they do, and aren’t getting ahead doing it.

But that’s not the only side effect of the myth. It also turns those who do have an entrepreneurial spirit, or who look at things in a different way, into outcasts.

It certainly did for me.

My entire childhood, I felt like there was something wrong with me. I performed poorly on standardized tests. I acted out against the rigidity of a system designed to turn me into an obedient little worker. And for a long time, I felt terribly about it.

I felt like I was broken, destined to become some kind of horrible failure.

But then I grew up, and I realized what many millennials and members of Gen Z recognized early on: the myth is bullshit.

Young people today are demanding more than a safe, boring life which does little more than cover the bills. They want work that brings them fulfillment. They’re demanding it.

And in the process, they’re dispelling the myth which the rest of us for so long have blindly accepted as fact.

It’s inspiring.

And the rest of us would be wise to follow their lead. To stand up and recognize that we shouldn’t accept someone else’s narrow-minded conception of success or talent. That we shouldn’t live our lives in service of someone else’s dream. That what matters is self-education, self-awareness — selfempowerment.

We should take control.

After all, what good is paying the bills if you’re fundamentally unfulfilled?

Aristotle believed the most noble aim of a human life is happiness, or “eudaimonia,” which translates to living well.

I agree. And I’ve identified that in my own life, to be happy means to pursue my goals and my passions on my terms. The thought of living even one more day as a drone beholden to something I don’t believe in makes me sick.

I know I’m not alone.

But instead of continuing on, we should ask ourselves what we might say when we’re 90 years old, reflecting on our life. Do you think you, while you’re staring up into the chipped plaster of your hospital room, will say that you were happy playing it safe? Do you think you’ll be glad you hated every day? Or do you imagine you’d rather have went for it on your own terms?

I know my answer.

Dispelling the 9-to-5 myth isn’t easy.

Look, I understand that what I’m advocating for here can be terrifying.

People have an innate fear of failure. They don’t want to stray from the tried and true because they’re afraid of what might happen if they don’t succeed.

But at the end of the day, if you desire genuine happiness and fulfillment — the sort Aristotle advocated for, the kind that still eludes most people on this planet — that fear is something you’ll need to face. If you need inspiration, look at the young people. Look at the entrepreneurs who embraced what set them apart and turned it into what made them unique. Look at the people who created their own careers, who took control.

That’s what I did. And I’m so much happier for it.

You can do it, too.