The modernisation of business practices leads to new ways of thinking. Even before the pandemic, we were already heading towards a world where managers and employees expect to enjoy their lives more. They also realised that it would not happen if they simply worked less and spent more time with their families and friends. They know deep down that they have to like their jobs. They should not consider the days they spend at work as energy lost or compulsory tasks they have to complete for the sake of their livelihoods. In general, they should enjoy working for shorter or longer periods, even if not all the time.
“The world of the lucky ones”
We have heard it all too often: “find something you love to do, and you will never work a day in your life”. People think that those who enjoy their jobs are lucky. Some people simply smile and nod, others are happy about the compliment, while other people are smouldering inside because they believe that it has nothing to do with luck. Life deals the cards; however, one rarely receives only bad cards. At least, it is not a widespread phenomenon in Western societies. If there are discussions about it, we really cannot blame everything on a hostile life. What do we need to like our jobs? We should be the ones who choose what we want to do. We could say that a great majority of the employees are out of the game at this point because who can afford the luxury of dealing with something we like? A lot of people. Just to avoid misunderstandings. It is another issue whether we have the chance and mainly the courage to do what it takes to make us happy. Why would we choose another direction? Why would we choose another profession? There are several reasons. The most common might be money. Many people believe, and certain societies suggest it too, that money makes us happy, and more money brings us more happiness. As a result, we leave the happiest path early, in several cases obviously because of parental pressure. Because we were told at home to forget about chasing our dreams and find an appropriate profession for ourselves. But what does an appropriate profession mean? Is it one with which I can earn enough money? What will that money be enough for? For a life our parents imagined? What if our whole life is on the wrong track? We often get lost in the “perfect choice” trap, and as middle-aged people, we are living a life that would be good for just about anybody, but we are not happy. Why is it so? Because we let ourselves be influenced. Because we followed the “herd” and “good advice”. In this way, we simply averted having to take responsibility for making real decisions regarding ourselves and our own lives. As a result, we are really “unlucky” because we were not the ones making the decisions that led to suffering. However, we will not be able to change our lives until we believe that it all depends on the luck factor. Those people who are happy and chose a profession they like – even if that does not necessarily pay very well – were not simply lucky. They took responsibility for their decisions. They ignored external intervention and good advice, and they took control of their lives.
The year of the restart
It is obvious in every field that we are living in an era of great renewal. People have seriously begun to think about what is important for them and what is not. According to mental experts and market analysts, 2021 will be the year of great changes and decisions. Several businesspeople and employees plan to deliver great changes, in many cases, even leaving behind principles that have been dominant for decades. We will see a real rebirth, if all of these things are true, and we suppose that people will indeed take control of their lives. Nevertheless, we should not be surprised if it will not be so. We should not be surprised if the winds of change do not blow as strongly once the number of vaccinated people increases. Just because there is a historic chance for a complete restart, a time for rethinking our private lives and careers, it does not necessarily mean that it will happen. As we know, some people will take responsibility, while others will not. How does the proportion between the two sides change? We do not know for sure. There is only one thing we know: in five years, there will still be “lucky” and “unlucky” people in any period. The only thing that changes is that people belonging to the latter category will use COVID-19 as an excuse.