Totally agree this work-life distinction is a weird one and we should just focus on life, accepting that work, however occasionally mundane, is a part of that!
This resonated with me. Especially the part about wanting to spend more time meditating, in nature, writing… I can’t fit enough meditation into my day right now!
The way out is in, as Thich Naht Hanh said. It’s just so much more difficult than running towards, and outwards.
I really wanted to ‘make a difference’ and spent years in the UN system, NGOs and diplomacy, so a slightly different trajectory. I ended up quitting (and still have no idea what I’m doing).
But I’m fairly convinced that the invention of the career is a recent and sometimes pernicious trap. And also the way society talks about work-life balance is the wrong way to approach this - we still need to be fully taking part in our lives when working. And as you say, embrace the mundanity of some of the less glorious tasks that just need to get done.
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.
Thanks for your writing - look forward to reading more.
"You just need to find meaning in the greater mission of what you’re working towards, not the individual tasks themselves."
Solid line. It seems behind the desire for a fulfilling job is a deeper desire for a clear and meaningful mission, that can contextualize and curate tasks into a greater vision. Perhaps it is that education focused on teaching task completion and we are left to discover and define our missions.
Very enjoyable read. I also love crypto. But I don’t work in crypto. My current job is much closer to the banking role you had, perpetually grinding.
Thanks for writing this though. I think it will help me reframe my thinking and prevent myself from becoming distracted from the tasks that ultimately need doing for me to craft the life I want to live in the future.
Look forward to examining more of life through your lens, you are a great wordsmith!
An interesting story for sure. I struggled with the same issues around work as I was experiencing an awakening/Self Realization Process that lasted 25 years and continues to this day. I am an engineering professional in the Life Sciences industry. After 20 years of loving my career, I began to lose interest as my priorities shifted. This coincided with the agonizing phases of the awakening process when the ego is stripped of all its conditioning, programming, and delusions. I settled on "work will never change...work is work regardless of what I am doing". I then put my Self and my well being #1 and never looked back. As I was reading this article some thoughts and questions came to mind. Like, didn't you struggle knowing that crypto mining is incredibly destructive to the environment and to our now unraveling climate? The amount of emissions and carbon footprint required of crypto is difficult to rationalize in our times. Also, the perpetual growth economy is an ego driven delusion that played a large part in destroying our once stable climate. I agree, humans have had unprecedented opportunities to earn money and I certainly did my best to earn my share. So no judgement...just musings and observations. Peace.
Thanks for sharing! Prioritizing Self and well-being is a great antidote to the existential crisis of what am I meant to be doing because it leads you to - well, live a good life.
On the environment, I have very strong thoughts on this... these concerns are widely overblown and every mainstream article I've read is willfully misleading. Most blockchains nowadays are PoS which have negligible carbon footprints. Bitcoin is the only one that consumes a lot of energy but over half of that is from renewable sources and actually can contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions caused by gas flaring.
You know a thing or two about bitcoin but it seems you could definitely gain some awareness about abrupt climate change, which is now unraveling exponentially. The peer reviewed scientific literature does not lie or distort the truth. Every jot and tittle in these papers is scrutinized and edited many times to ensure scientific integrity and accuracy. It all points to the same conclusion; homo sapiens is in profound trouble and will be fortunate to make it much past 2030. I am a lifelong scientist and engineer and have studied the data for more than 20 years. Most scientists I know who also know the truth are not sleeping very well these days. A tech driven perpetual growth economy is an egoic delusion. People cling to this delusion because their egos are under-girded by unconscious fear and shame. Money gives people a false sense of self and false sense of security. Money won't save anyone from the catastrophes that are coming and that are in fact already here. Truth is, the Earth can sustain 2-3 billion people and currently has 8 billion. Civilization itself is a heat engine. The main stream media is just now starting to report with some accuracy concerning the climate crises. However, the media has been overly conservative in their reporting and so has the IPCC. The COP28 report hit the nail on the head when it reported "Code Red for Humanity". These are disturbing truths and most people are simply not inwardly strong enough to face such grim facts. So they let their egos deceive them and they resort to denial and other defense mechanisms. This keeps primal repression at bay.
"Once I absolved myself of the unrealistic expectations around the nature of work, I was free to see them as opportunities to accomplish the necessary tasks in front of me in order to reach my ultimate goals. And that I could do with a smile on my face."
As someone who's their own boss, and runs a company under the "Work reinvented" tagline, this resonated deeply. We _should_ look for jobs that are aligned, where we do meaningful, skilful work, with people we enjoy. But it's not going to be every day all day. It's not going to be all tasks, all people, all projects. And letting go of that expectation is freeing and oddly fulfilling :)
Hey Jack, answering your WoP email call and you are right that it did vibe hehe ... I very much enjoyed reading this piece... look forward to seeing more!
Love that enlightenment quote :)
Totally agree this work-life distinction is a weird one and we should just focus on life, accepting that work, however occasionally mundane, is a part of that!
This resonated with me. Especially the part about wanting to spend more time meditating, in nature, writing… I can’t fit enough meditation into my day right now!
The way out is in, as Thich Naht Hanh said. It’s just so much more difficult than running towards, and outwards.
I really wanted to ‘make a difference’ and spent years in the UN system, NGOs and diplomacy, so a slightly different trajectory. I ended up quitting (and still have no idea what I’m doing).
But I’m fairly convinced that the invention of the career is a recent and sometimes pernicious trap. And also the way society talks about work-life balance is the wrong way to approach this - we still need to be fully taking part in our lives when working. And as you say, embrace the mundanity of some of the less glorious tasks that just need to get done.
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.
Thanks for your writing - look forward to reading more.
"You just need to find meaning in the greater mission of what you’re working towards, not the individual tasks themselves."
Solid line. It seems behind the desire for a fulfilling job is a deeper desire for a clear and meaningful mission, that can contextualize and curate tasks into a greater vision. Perhaps it is that education focused on teaching task completion and we are left to discover and define our missions.
Props for shooting your shot. It worked.
Exactly, makes me think of Nietzche's "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how"
Glad you made it here from a cold email!
This was such an interesting reflection to read!
Thanks!! I'll have to write a follow-up to the career trajectory and thoughts on work post-sabbatical next year 👀
Yessss I think it’ll be really interesting
Love this post man!
There's so much truth in it, and I like that you explained it honestly.
I quit my crypto job last year to take a sabbatical and now working for myself.
I feel like there's no utopia job out there that will somehow answer our problems.
There's just a job. But we can choose which suits our lifestyle and align with our values.
I thought I'd be happy after working for myself, but it also has its flaws, which I'm willing to endure as long as they suit the life I desire.
So, managing expectations is essential to truly living reality despite its monotony and menial tasks.
It's important to be honest with ourselves about what we actually want. And embrace the fact that there's no happily ever after story.
Very enjoyable read. I also love crypto. But I don’t work in crypto. My current job is much closer to the banking role you had, perpetually grinding.
Thanks for writing this though. I think it will help me reframe my thinking and prevent myself from becoming distracted from the tasks that ultimately need doing for me to craft the life I want to live in the future.
Look forward to examining more of life through your lens, you are a great wordsmith!
Glad you liked it and thanks for the kind words!
An interesting story for sure. I struggled with the same issues around work as I was experiencing an awakening/Self Realization Process that lasted 25 years and continues to this day. I am an engineering professional in the Life Sciences industry. After 20 years of loving my career, I began to lose interest as my priorities shifted. This coincided with the agonizing phases of the awakening process when the ego is stripped of all its conditioning, programming, and delusions. I settled on "work will never change...work is work regardless of what I am doing". I then put my Self and my well being #1 and never looked back. As I was reading this article some thoughts and questions came to mind. Like, didn't you struggle knowing that crypto mining is incredibly destructive to the environment and to our now unraveling climate? The amount of emissions and carbon footprint required of crypto is difficult to rationalize in our times. Also, the perpetual growth economy is an ego driven delusion that played a large part in destroying our once stable climate. I agree, humans have had unprecedented opportunities to earn money and I certainly did my best to earn my share. So no judgement...just musings and observations. Peace.
Thanks for sharing! Prioritizing Self and well-being is a great antidote to the existential crisis of what am I meant to be doing because it leads you to - well, live a good life.
On the environment, I have very strong thoughts on this... these concerns are widely overblown and every mainstream article I've read is willfully misleading. Most blockchains nowadays are PoS which have negligible carbon footprints. Bitcoin is the only one that consumes a lot of energy but over half of that is from renewable sources and actually can contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions caused by gas flaring.
You know a thing or two about bitcoin but it seems you could definitely gain some awareness about abrupt climate change, which is now unraveling exponentially. The peer reviewed scientific literature does not lie or distort the truth. Every jot and tittle in these papers is scrutinized and edited many times to ensure scientific integrity and accuracy. It all points to the same conclusion; homo sapiens is in profound trouble and will be fortunate to make it much past 2030. I am a lifelong scientist and engineer and have studied the data for more than 20 years. Most scientists I know who also know the truth are not sleeping very well these days. A tech driven perpetual growth economy is an egoic delusion. People cling to this delusion because their egos are under-girded by unconscious fear and shame. Money gives people a false sense of self and false sense of security. Money won't save anyone from the catastrophes that are coming and that are in fact already here. Truth is, the Earth can sustain 2-3 billion people and currently has 8 billion. Civilization itself is a heat engine. The main stream media is just now starting to report with some accuracy concerning the climate crises. However, the media has been overly conservative in their reporting and so has the IPCC. The COP28 report hit the nail on the head when it reported "Code Red for Humanity". These are disturbing truths and most people are simply not inwardly strong enough to face such grim facts. So they let their egos deceive them and they resort to denial and other defense mechanisms. This keeps primal repression at bay.
Excellent read, Jack!
"Once I absolved myself of the unrealistic expectations around the nature of work, I was free to see them as opportunities to accomplish the necessary tasks in front of me in order to reach my ultimate goals. And that I could do with a smile on my face."
As someone who's their own boss, and runs a company under the "Work reinvented" tagline, this resonated deeply. We _should_ look for jobs that are aligned, where we do meaningful, skilful work, with people we enjoy. But it's not going to be every day all day. It's not going to be all tasks, all people, all projects. And letting go of that expectation is freeing and oddly fulfilling :)
Nailed it! It's the simultaneous do what you can do find that aligned work while recognizing there will inevitably be things you don't want to do
This is gold, thank you!
...epic longread man and congrats on flipping your script...
Thank you sir!! Feels great getting it out there
Hey Jack, answering your WoP email call and you are right that it did vibe hehe ... I very much enjoyed reading this piece... look forward to seeing more!
Glad you liked it! Looks like there's a lot of overlap in vibes so I'll be checking out more of your work as well :)