The Surprising Way to Find Freedom (Hint: It’s Not Quitting Your Job)

FutureSkill #5

Alina Okun, Jan van Eyck Inspired, Midjourney (2024)

Contrary to the popular belief that everyone should leave their jobs to start a business, not everyone should. Many people are better off working for a company. Running a business is extremely difficult, and most people would hate it.

In fact, large organizations play a crucial role in creating the products and services we rely on every day. I’ve had the opportunity to tour many big companies, such as Novartis in Switzerland, LinkedIn in New York, Zappos in Las Vegas, and Mercedes in Germany. What these companies do wouldn’t be possible with just a few people. Most of the things we buy and use today are produced by organizations with thousands of employees.

While working in a corporate job may seem limiting at first, these environments offer numerous opportunities for personal growth and skill development that can be just as rewarding as running your own business.

The Corporate Paradox

However, corporate jobs also come with challenges that can sometimes make you feel like you are losing your creativity and individuality.

The set hours, rules, and expectations can turn us into workers who just follow the routine. It's easy to feel like you're just going through the motions. When someone asks, "How are you?" many people answer with "Just existing."

But life is meant to be lived. Jack Raines puts it well:

The point of life is to live, and living isn’t a spectator sport. Living means taking risks, pursuing your interests, embarrassing yourself, attempting difficult things, setting ambitious goals, trying, failing, and trying again. Living means pushing your mind and body to their limits, just to see what you’re capable of. Living means fighting back against the inertial forces that draw all of us toward the apathetic life.

The Power of Changing Your Mindset

Feeling like you’re "just existing" is common, but it doesn't have to be that way. The real challenge is to change how we see corporate work. Instead of viewing it as a barrier to personal growth, we can see it as a platform for development. It's about recognizing opportunities for learning, advancement, and self-discovery within your current role, rather than assuming these can only be found elsewhere.

The first step towards a more fulfilling career starts with a simple yet powerful question: “What do I really want?”

As Oprah Winfrey pointed out in a conversation with Trevor Noah, "People get to where they want to go because they know where they want to go. Most people don't know where they want to go."

My Personal Journey

Credit: IG @ dailyphilosopher

My life truly began at 40. That’s when I finally gave myself permission to discover who I really was and find a path that was right for me. Before that, I spent years feeling utterly unhappy and deeply miserable in my career. I wasn’t living; I was barely existing, mostly just surviving.

During those years, I constantly questioned myself: "Did I make a mistake in college by choosing the major that led me down this career path?" I was stuck in a cycle of self-doubt and dissatisfaction.

But Naval Ravikant wisely said, "The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life." At 40, I finally started to understand what that meant for me.

Discovering Yourself at Work

You don’t need to quit your job to start discovering who you are. You can start right where you are, even if you work in a big company.

Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, explores this idea in his book, "The Startup of You." The book suggests treating your career like a startup by applying entrepreneurial principles to adapt, grow, and capitalize on opportunities. It encourages you to think creatively and strategically about your career path, even within a corporate setting.

Here are a few steps you can take to begin your journey of self-discovery:

1. Use Your Job as a Learning Tool: Pay attention to the tasks that make you feel energized and those that leave you drained. This can help you understand your passions and strengths.

2. Reflect on Your Experiences: Take some time each day to write about what happened. Think about the challenges you faced, the progress you made, and how these experiences affected you.

3. Try New Things: Volunteer for projects that are outside your comfort zone. How you handle these new challenges can reveal a lot about your interests and abilities.

4. Build Strong Relationships: Your colleagues can offer valuable perspectives and guidance. Have meaningful conversations with them and learn from their experiences.

5. Use Technology to Help: Take advantage of AI-powered tools designed for self-discovery. These tools can provide questions and ideas to help you think more deeply about your goals and aspirations.

Your Next Step

Take a moment right now to ask yourself, "What do I really want?" Don't overthink it. Just write down whatever comes to mind.

Reflect on your career and consider whether it aligns with your true desires. You might find opportunities within your current job that you hadn't noticed before, or you might realize it's time for a change. 

Remember, it’s not about escaping the corporate world but finding your place within it. Embrace the journey of self-discovery within corporate walls and let it guide your next steps toward living, not just existing.