I’m Not a Workaholic, I Just Love My Job
How I found a job that makes me want to get out of bed every morning and where it’s gotten me today
Over a year ago, if you had told me I would find my passion in a startup — I would have laughed in your face. My relentless, perfectionist, over-achieving, and ambitious self couldn’t have imagined in her wildest of dreams that she would end up working in a startup and that too — find her passion through it. It would have sounded absolutely absurd to my 2018 self.
More than just absurd, I might have even gone to the extent of getting pissed at you for saying such a thing.
Nonetheless, as my 2019 self sits here and types this, she giggles to herself knowing fully well where she is now and what it took to get here.
In 2018 (for the most part of it, at least) I was working a job I just couldn’t find any love for. I had great people around me, a good office to work in, but the work itself just did not give me any happiness. I constantly found myself reading articles and pieces about how your work isn’t always supposed to be your ‘passion’ or ‘something you love.’ Yet it gnawed at me, “Why couldn’t I do something that at least made me want to get out of bed in the morning, even if it weren’t my favorite thing to do?”
One night, teary-eyed after my last crying session over how worthless my existence seemed, I found a job posting on LinkedIn that struck me. It read “Learnability Designer” — that title passed over my head quicker than most elements of my last job did but I kept on reading.
It seemed interesting until I stumbled upon one line which had me sold the minute I read it. “If you can create interesting sessions out of books, this is the role for you.”
One line which had me sold the minute I read it. “If you can create interesting sessions out of books, this is the role for you.”
As a voracious reader who would have done anything to be able to read for a living (yes I considered a career in publishing prior to this with my editorial experience but that’s for another day).
This hit me and I clicked the apply button — which positively turned out to be the best decision I ever made.
There was that day, a sad and generally unstimulated Arushi sat in front of her laptop desperately hoping for a sign at 2:30 am. Then there’s present-day Arushi where sometimes she stays up till owlish hours working on one of her many current projects because that’s what they mean to her.
Though other aspects of my life also have fallen into place to quite a large extent, my work life seems to be the cherry on top.
Think about it, as an adult between your 20s-40s you spent most of your time either in-office or outside but working a decent 40–50 hours a week — if that isn’t something that motivates you or makes you want to get out of bed every morning then it’s bound to affect your (mental and physical) health at some point.
For me, finding Ingenious Faces and working here the past year has provided me with the most enriching and learnable experience I could have had. I have been on my feet, I have fallen, I have made mistakes, and I have gotten right back up to where I belong.
It’s not to say that just because I love what I do I don’t get tired of it or I don’t need breaks. I do. The difference is, I take a healthy amount of breaks and I do so without it hampering my productivity or making me long for more breaks when I get back to work. I’ve finally struck a balance but it’s not a work-life balance.
It’s a work-love balance.
I have found love and passion in what I do professionally but it hasn’t consumed me whole. It’s made me self-aware and I am still very much in touch with my hobbies outside of work.
What I do in my current role isn’t fancy or even something only I can do. It’s just something I like doing and something that drives me.
I let go of a plan I had for myself and took a chance with a job posting on LinkedIn. It’s brought me to a place of joy today and I find love in what I do. More importantly, I’ve realized that’s what matters at the end of the day anyway.
You don’t have to work like a machine or only prioritize your career and your job over every other aspect of your life to love what you do. You can love your job without it being a burden and you can love your job without it taking over your life.
I don’t count the number of hours I work in a week, day, or month. I just know what I’m doing is giving me satisfaction above all. I’m not a workaholic, I just love what I do.
I live by a five worded quote now and it’s changed my perspective on just about everything.
