Hate Your Job? You Are In A Dark Place

By Mike Mahler

"If you don't like your job, your boss, or the associates with whom you spend a third of your daily life, you're in a dark place, a pit. Sometimes the money explains the compromise, the benefits, the hours, and the convenience." - Dave Draper

Those of you that have been reading my newsletter for a while probably know where I am going this week. Thus, I will start by stating that I respect anyone that works for a living. There is pride that should be taken in working and there are so many losers that just want hand outs such as some homeless people and worse trust fund recipients. I have no respect for "vultures" that try to ride off the work of other people. That is down right pathetic. I have done many lame jobs in my life and respect anyone that is willing to pay his or her dues and work several jobs to make ends meet. I know many people that work their tails off to provide for their families and I have the utmost respect for such people. That said, I will begin my weekly rant ;-)

There is no reason why you should not be excited about working. Work should be fun, fulfilling, and enjoyable. You should look forward to working. Just recently I was talking to my friend Chris Pontius who is working on the upcoming movie "Jackass 2." Chris is very enthusiastic about the movie and wakes up every day ecstatic about going to work. When you talk to him on the phone and meet him in person, it is very clear that he loves life and loves his work. He recently told me that everyone should be excited about what they do. I agree with Chris and one of the reasons why we are friends is because we are both enthusiastic about what we do. Enthusiastic people want to be around similar people. No one wants to be around people that think that life sucks and people that complain about their lame problems all day long. Personally I do not tolerate such people and do not let them infiltrate my life.

Now you are probably thinking of course Chris loves his life. He is making a movie and has a great lifestyle. What is not to like? Well, you have to look at the price Chris paid to get to where he is. For a long time he was living in his car and barely had to coins to rub together. He had to use his dirty laundry as a blanket to keep him warm at night. Okay, I am joking about that part. Nevertheless, how long would you last living in your car? Chris persevered. He never gave up and is now enjoying the fruits of his labor and determination. He has a great wife, three dogs, and owns two houses. One in Hollywood and one in Hawaii. Not bad at all!

How many of you have made or would be willing to make sacrifices like Chris? Do not think so? Then do not whine about how others have what you want. If you are not willing to pay the price, you do not deserve the reward. Also, keep in mind that not all "celebrities" are happy people. I have met some celebrities that have plenty of money and hate what they do. They are negative about everything and are real lame people to be around. I have met some strength coaches that fall into the same category. They have the appearance of loving what they do, but behind the scenes, they hate it and have no respect for their customers. They put out crappy products to make a quick buck. This is beyond pathetic to say the least. I will quit being a coach long before I ever let it get to that point. I love working with my online clients and the people who attend my seminars. I go to bed every night feeling great about what I do and waking up excited to begin the day which starts at the early time of 11am for me! I know, I know I am an early riser. While I have not being doing this for decades, I have done it long enough that the novelty has worn off. What is left is genuine enthusiasm for my line of work.

Now you may be thinking I should be happy about what I do. However, what about jobs that are not glamorous at all. Well, the lady who cleans my apartment is very upbeat and positive. Most people would hate what she does for a living, but she takes pride in doing her job very well and has carved out a great living doing it. Hell, she even has a nicer car than I do ;-) It does not matter whether I like what you do or not, what matters is do you like it? If yes, great and if no, do something about it. My friend Dan has been trying to break into Hollywood for years. Even after years of frustration, he is still an upbeat guy and very friendly to everyone. Just recently he started getting some great gigs and is on cloud nine. However, he is still the same cool guy that he was when nothing was going on. He has always put 100% into the process and is finally reaping the rewards. If he did not love what he was doing, he would have given up a long time ago.

Where am I going? The achievement of goals is fleeting even if you do love what you do. It is the process that has to be enjoyable. You need the goal so you know where you are going and the achievement of goals is how you measure growth. However, enjoyment of the process is a critical component. If you do a job in which you make a nice paycheck but the process is miserable, you are really cheating yourself and the effects will be all too apparent with your health. There is certainly a correlation with low levels of Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and DHEA and having a job that you hate regardless of how much money you make. Now I am not saying that having a job that you love guarantees optimal anabolic hormones. However there is no doubt in my mind that it will help a great deal for a lot of people. The main reason being that your stress levels (cortisol) will be much lower. The higher the Cortisol, the lower the DHEA, T, and GH. If you hate what you do, your cortisol levels will be high.

The effect that doing jobs we hate and being in relationships that we do not want to be in should not be trivialized. The negative effects on our health are profound. Also, the behaviors that are a side effect of not enjoying your occupation are often negative as well such as eating junk food and getting overweight or abusing alcohol and drugs. Becoming a stimulus freak in the gym to make up for not getting any positive stimuli through work is another common action step that should be avoided.

I have never been happier than I am right now. I love my work, I love my girlfriend, and I am getting in great workouts every week. I get to spend most of my days working at home on the couch (like right now) and enjoy the weather with my dogs when I take breaks through out the day. I wake up when I feel like it on most days and get tons of positive feedback from people every week. I get to travel around this great country and get paid well to work with positive people at my seminars. Just this past weekend, Steve Cotter and I showed legendary bench presser Scott Mendelson some kettlebell stuff and had a chance to watch him bench press 1000lbs for reps! Then we went and hung out with Chris Pontius. The night before, comedian and host of fear factor Joe Rogan invited me and my girlfriend to his comedy act in Hollywood. We had a chance to hang out with him after the show as Joe is a big fan of kettlebells and a great guy. These fun experiences never would have been possible if I never left my lame ass job in 2002. In addition to having a blast with my line of work, I make a great income and thus have financial security and can also support organizations that are making the world a better place. I also have plenty of time to do volunteer work and enjoy giving lectures at LA high school. One of the best things about doing your own thing is the fact that I do not have to report to anyone. I am my own boss and I hold myself accountable. I say all of this to provoke thought and give you an impetus to examine your life closely and ask yourself if you like what you see.

Back in early 2002, I was making good money. However, I was doing a job that I hated and working for a guy that had the ethics of a street peddler in India (Yes I have been there). I had to set an alarm clock and drag myself out of bed every morning for work. I dreaded going to work and had no energy when I got there. I would come home wiped out every night. Not because I was working so hard, but because the job was not fulfilling at all. Having been around the world, it seems trivial to complain about having a good paying job. I realize that there are people that are starving all over the world and that I was fortunate to even have a job. Let alone a good paying one. However, that is no excuse to lead an unfulfilling life. Just because there are people that would love a job that I hate does not mean that I should do it. In fact it is more reason to create an opportunity to do what you love. Yes, there is risk involved and only you can decide it if it worth it. Many of your have families and other responsibilities. I respect that completely. However, don't you think you would be a better person to be around if you were doing a line of work that you really enjoy? Also, there is not necessarily correlation between loving what you do and not making good money. I make a lot more now than I ever did working for others. When you take into the equation the that I work 3-4 hours on most days, I make even more.

As I stated in my last newsletter, I put it all on the line to have what I have now and would gladly do it again. The person you become in the process is worth the risk. Also you only fail if you give up. One thing that is for damn sure is that life is too short to be miserable. If you have an opportunity to be happy and excited about your life, you owe it to yourself to take it. By the way, fake excitement and enthusiasm is not the same as the real thing. Either you like what you do or you do not. You should not have to think about it. Forget about watching four hours of TV every night and living vicariously through others. Live through yourself. Just remember that nothing is more expensive than regret. Nothing! Well time to walk the dogs. See you next time ;-)