Work Is Toxic

Introduction

Before I go any further, for the last ten years I have worked in a very supportive work environment and almost every day I enjoy switching on my computer and actually doing stuff and delivering things that solve problems and work.

The music is "Musclebound" by Spandau Ballet

Work till you're musclebound, all night long
Work till you're musclebound, all night long
Gotta work till you're musclebound, all night long
Gotta work till you're musclebound, all night long

Spandau Ballet

The idea for this came from a chapter in this book

Why Work Can Be Toxic And How To Deal With It

Working hard is a concept pushed by all levels of society as though work is the only thing that matters. Working hard is fine if you are the one who is driving the situation, or you are working WITH rather than FOR your employer.

I see many "capitalists" who say they can't run a business and afford to pay minimum wage. To that I say you can't run a business then.

Nick Hanauer, a sensiblye rich person, wants everyone to have a disposable income, and a disposable income requires a more than decent wage. His half-joking argument is that if people spend more, he will make more, but to spend they have to have money.

He was part of a group forcing a $15 minimum wage in Seattle. Business owners said it would bankrupt them. What happened is that people started eating more, getting takeaways and buying things. Businesses had to take on more staff to cope, and the economy grew.

You cannot be happy if you have to work more than one job to pay the rent and clothe and feed your family.

In 2014 I left my last job under a dark cloud, but one of the first things I gained was three hours of travelling time a day that I didn't have to do. Three hours a day is fifteen hours a week, is sixty hours a month. That was like an extra holiday each month.

The job I am in now, I have had for twelve years and I really enjoy it. Yesterday I had an idea for a system, presented it, saw it pulled apart, semi-panicked, and this morning after a sleep solved the issues ready for a final presentation next week.

I actually enjoy my work, and the people I work with. They looked after me for the months I had off with Liver Cancer.

But if you find a job you enjoy, then it's not really a job.

Although my work has generally been desk based, to me it has alway been about thinking. I spent three months pricing records and CDs in a Oxfam shop for my fiend Katie, and though I enjoyed it, I could not do retail for life.

I never spend more that fifteen minutes at my screen, and always go for a drink or a walk or to feed the cats. Then I come back refreshed to tackle any outstanding problems, and if there is nothing I look for some way of improving my lot.

I always look for ways of getting the results needed with the least effort (although sometimes that means getting someone else to do it).

Conclusion

Stress is not good so take a walk, listen to music, read a book and try to relax yourself.

In my work like I ahve scome across some bullies, they didn't end up well, but more than that I have come across some amazing people who have become friends.

Maybe I am just lucky, I am not perfect, but my life is very good.

Today I wasmowing the lawn ,ended up getting tangled in the mower wire, tripped and nearly hit my head on a low brick wall. I ended up with a bruised elbow and a reminder how fragile and preciaus life is, and we should treasure every moment we have on this plane.

Thank you so much for reading.

I hope I didn't bore you