The working world needs heroes, not martyrs.

The working world needs heroes, not martyrs

Those who have found a job are happy. Those who want to keep it adapt. Adaptability seems to be a characteristic of our culture. People are made to fit in from childhood. Most of us do not even develop our identity. When asked to describe themselves, they talk about external characteristics like height and eye color, mention their origin, state their marital status, or describe their professional position. None of this touches their inner self. What about personality? Assembly-line education and its consequences Industrialized production apparently leads to industrialized education. Everyone is taught the same, deviations are prohibited, and in the end, a conformist and obedient workforce is obtained. This works wonderfully because children are instilled with a lack of self-confidence from an early age. They do not define themselves by their personality and uniqueness but by the roles they play for their parents and educators. They unlearn to listen to themselves and as adults, they mainly feel strong because they have "made it": they can afford something! Adaptability has paid off. However, a double price is immediately apparent. On an individual level, the price is the loss of one's own vitality. However, the inner emptiness is not consciously perceived but filled with consumption. This is fatal. Because years of commitments to a bank tie individuals to the system. Modern slavery operates through debts. On a societal level, education for conformity directly leads to dysfunction. Not only does every company have to accept a loss of entrepreneurial thinking and action because slave workers are not creative entrepreneurs. Moreover, society as a whole suffers from excessive adaptability. Denying oneself and giving up one's vitality to meet expectations is unhappy. Many studies on job satisfaction, such as the annual Gallup Engagement Study, unequivocally testify to the magnitude of this unhappiness. The increasing number of burnout patients also speaks volumes. Do we really want to continue like this?

The big lie

The societal myth of happiness is based on possession. We learn that we must have certain things to be happy. This includes owning a home, of course, a great car, a current smartphone, and all the other things, down to the right detergent. Advertising tirelessly reminds us of what we should acquire. Yet, we can observe every day how unsustainable all of this is. Those who base their happiness on consumption do not find fulfillment, but inevitably become addicted. Because no consumer good in the world can nourish the soul. Consumption is a substitute for satisfaction. One needs more and more of it but never feels satisfied. Instead, debts increase, solidifying the bond to the system. A vicious cycle. The end of slavery This vicious cycle creates martyrdom. There is much complaining in the working world, and subjectively, it seems to the affected individuals that they are at the mercy of the conditions. But that is not the case, and there is a way out: we could decide to work with a different goal: inner vitality instead of consumption. Those who work in this way do not adapt thoughtlessly. They have a mission, want to make a contribution, find meaning in their actions, and can deeply enjoy their work. This requires courage because, on the one hand, one must listen to oneself, engage with oneself. On the other hand, it is necessary to engage outwardly, sometimes negotiate firmly, sometimes be disobedient, make oneself unpopular. Only then will one be internally free and find fulfillment. This is not an easy path. The first step is to be honest with oneself and to ask oneself throughout the day: "Why am I doing what I am doing right now, anyway?" If the answer is, "Because I have to, because I was told to, because that is expected," this response indicates pressure to conform, and it is time for a little heroism. For more information about the working world and Marion Lemper-Pychlau, visit here: http://www.trainers-excellence.de/redner/marion-lemper-pychlau.html