Work— The First Thing You See with Closed Eyes is not What you Want

Our work defines us, and hence it must be meaningful.

WORK — I close my eyes and think about this word. I see my 9 to 5 job and nothing else.

And, there lies the gap.

And, there lies the opportunity.

A prompt — WORK, has helped me challenge my current beliefs and take the first steps to change them.

My current relationship with my work:

• I worship my work,
• My work derives value for me, and
• I allow the work to define me,

Or I work towards something that defines me.

Confused?

Don’t be.

My professional work journey started in 2005. I was searching for the best banking job on offer just out of a post-graduate course, and I indeed got it.

Today, I look back at these 6,000 odd days and realize one thing, that my work has helped me shape myself. What I am is because of the work, people, and the place of work.

New phase

While I enter a new phase in my life — I am redefining this perspective. I don't want my work to define me; instead, I want to define my work — I see the concept of work differently.

Work is no more just a means to earn money and learn. It now also means freedom and means to earn this freedom. And, I want to keep it that way.

At no point in my professional career have I liked people who try and take this freedom away. “Work + Freedom” is a brilliant combination to create outstanding output at work. But, on the other hand, any work that takes away the freedom pushes you away from the zone of learning to “de learning.”

Being busy, multitasking, late-night hours, corporate ego — none of these yields anything in the long term. The maximum they do is add an extra few bucks to the bank account. But, on the other hand, they take away the most beautiful thing that our work provides us — Freedom.

Covid Took Away More Than Work — It Took Away Freedom

What the world around us couldn't achieve in numerous years, Covid achieved in just a couple. Covid enforced WFH forced people to relook at their working lives.

Many people lost their work during the pandemic and are searching for a new one. But this time, not just for money but for long-term happiness. People who were lucky to keep their work intact have opened themselves to a whole new era. Big cities, high-paying jobs, migration from native places — are no longer a mandate to succeed in corporate careers.

Covid enforced lockdowns made sure that people start respecting the concept of freedom. And that’s what the WFH era is doing to the work culture.

My work is my freedom is a concept that is slowly finding places in a lot of hearts. That’s why people are opening up to change, going back to small towns, trying something new, starting on their own, and leaving the big corporate salary packages.

One big takeaway for me in the past two years of WFH was to see beyond the 9 to 5 job. Staying close to the family and finding time for myself has allowed me to redefine how I see my work and how it adds value to my life. I want to own my time and my work, rather than the other way round.

The corporate world was afraid of trying the WFH setup because of varied reasons. The belief that it will lead to productivity loss fell flat in just a few months. People are overachieving the targets; employees are happier than ever.

Yes, as the world is opening up, the cry of “come back to the office” too is growing.

But, people now have tasted the blood. We have tasted freedom. And, if going back to the physical place leads to loss of this freedom, the way we work will change too.

New definition : Work = Freedom. Work <> Money

The past few years have changed not only the world but the world view too.

Blockchain, Web 3.0, and WFH are nothing but an example of how people getting their much-needed freedom back.

People want their work back. But this time, “Freedom” connected to it.

The article Why Bitcoin Matters for Freedom, is an amazing insight into how blockchain adds freedom to the way people interact with their financials.

The tech giants have helped shape the world uniquely, but the greed to control users' freedom grew exponentially. Control over data is the only theme that seems to work on these platforms. The more data you have, the more power you have.

The new “Work order” will have freedom for the people doing the actual work and will not leave it to a few people sitting at the top of the layer. Blockchain is trying to take power from the middleman and give it to you. Cryptos are taking power from the central banks and giving it to you. Web 3.0 will help you take control over your right to express and give opinions.

A work environment free from the “hierarchical” pressure and the choice to do and be in the office whenever and wherever we want — is the freedom that the next phase of work will offer.

Conclusion

When you wake up to perform your work, please don’t count the money it produces but count the freedom it generates for you.

The next phase of work will be liberating — for you and society.

Better work <> More money. Better work = More Freedom.

Nishith is an author and creator of a unique self-development platform — “Be Better Bit-By-Bit.”

Grab your copy of his debut book — Be Better Bit-By-Bit and listen to his podcasts Be Better Bit-By-Bit and 10 Bullets — 100 Words Book Summary.