I headed out for a run this morning and started feeling the discomfort of my lungs and legs trying to wake up.
I was tempted to grumble to myself and then I remembered... I chose this.
I'm running because I want to run.
No one forced me to go for a run.
No one pushed me out the door.
I willed myself out there, or habit kicked in, or whatever.
As I let that thought sink in, I started enjoying the run more and more with every step.
I chose to be out there, improving my physical and mental condition and enjoying God's creation.
If I didn't want to be out there, I didn't have to be... and that made all the difference.
I ❤️ autonomy.
It's powerful... and I sometimes forget how much of it I have!
I finished my run, ran up the stairs to our front porch, and took a seat.
As the sound of The Arcadian Wild played in my air pods, my thoughts turned to my job.
I thought about the challenges and frustrations.
I thought about the mission and the work.
I thought about the people.
And I reminded myself - I am there because I want to be.
One of the great things about having no debt is that your specific job becomes much more of a choice than an obligation.
Of course, most of us aren't independently wealthy (myself included), so we do need to generate an income.
But we sometimes confuse that with being stuck in our current situation.
We're not.
Our skills and experience are in high demand.
And people are starting to figure this out.
According to this report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 4 million people quit their jobs in the US in January this year and another 3.5 million quit in February.
People are looking for more out of their work and realizing that life is too short to spend the bulk of it chained to the wrong job.
If you're in engineering or some other highly specialized field, you probably get recruiters reaching out to you daily with opportunities - companies looking to hire you.
If you're not, most of those millions of people who moved into new positions left a backfill open that you could fill!
Not everyone is wired the same way so a job that is a poor fit for one person might be another individual's dream job.
The chains we think are so tightly wrapped around us are often only in our minds.
The reality is, we have a choice.
We can choose to do work that matters.
We can choose to ensure we are learning, growing, and creating in our work.
We can make sure our work helps us to value our family and friends.
What's important to you?
Are you chaining yourself to a job or career that keeps you from engaging in your work in a meaningful way?
Or are you at work because you want to be?
It's not always easy.
It can take lots of time, effort, and energy to get to the point where you can move into a role that fits you well and aligns with your goals.
But you're not stuck.
I'm not stuck.
By and large, we're free!
And that is a beautiful thing.
