We all have a job
Everybody "works", whether as an employee, freelance or entrepreneur.
What for?
Mostly, to provide for our needs the best we can.
Some jobs are considered better than others. Better for status, better for fulfillment, better for freedom, better for meaning, better for the environment and so on.
Our job is a massive part of our lives, occupying most of our waking hours. On their deathbed, most people can say that they've worked more than 76,000 hours in their lives.
Our job is what makes us wake up every morning.
When we meet someone new, we ask them what their job is. We consider our job as a major part of our identity.
But at the end of the day...That's just a job.
This job is not who we are. This is not 'us'.
It's just the role we play in society's grand theater.
It's important, but it's NOT our main work.
Our most important work is a journey that goes beyond any job description or LinkedIn profile.
Our job vs our True Self
In most jobs, we wear a mask. A mask of qualifications, skills, and the ability to fit into a predefined role.
We're like actors on a stage, performing parts that were written for us, not by us.
How many of us can truly say our job resonates with the deepest parts of who we are?
In most jobs, we're there because we can do the job, not because it's our soul's calling.
Our true uniqueness – what makes us 'us' – often stays unexpressed.
We adapt, conform, and sometimes even alter aspects of our true selves to meet job expectations and company culture.
This isn't right or wrong; it's simply how the world of work operates.
But here's the thing: this constant state of adjustment, of being slightly out of sync with our true essence, it's tiring.
It's like wearing shoes that don't quite fit. You can walk, but you always feel the discomfort.
I don't want to minimize the value of our jobs. They're necessary. But they're not the full expression of our individuality.
That's why focusing only on our job can feel limiting.
Our true self – that authentic, vibrant, unfiltered version of us – often remains backstage, waiting for the moments when we step out of our job's costume.
The real work is our journey of personal growth
The real work, the one that is truly transformative for ourselves and those around us, is our self-growth.
This work is a journey towards discovering and reaching our true self, understanding what makes us unique, what drives us, and what we truly value.
It's about facing our fears, questioning our beliefs and breaking our negative patterns.
This is the process of evolution as human beings. That's what we came here for.
This work doesn't have a finish line. It's an ongoing process. And as we grow, we not only improve our own lives, but also influence those around us.
Our self-growth becomes a catalyst for broader change.
Life's a school: learn the lesson or repeat the class
"You cannot advance to a higher phase of life until you learn the lesson that the current phase is trying to teach you." - Dan Koe
Life is a school where each experience is a lesson.
If we don't learn the lesson, we repeat the same class over and over.
Look at the patterns in our lives. The same work issues, relationship struggles, health problems, or financial hurdles reappear until we understand and learn from them.
If we ignore the lessons, they come back, often harder. It's as if life is saying "You haven't got it yet."
I see many people around me repeating the same patterns over and over. I myself repeat patterns, especially in relationships. Work in progress.
Each recurring problem is a chance to learn. When we learn the lesson, we move forward.
Life's school is tough, but learning the lessons is how we grow.
No learning = no progress.
The work of lightening our backpack
A major part of the work of self-growth is to free ourselves from what holds us back.
I call this load our "backpack".
We all carry a backpack that is filled with fears, lacks, limiting beliefs, wounds and so on.
This backpack, loaded with unresolved problems, slows us down. It limits our speed of growth and how far we can go.
Give a 30 kg bag to a runner, he'll be slower and won't get very far.
We need to lighten our backpack.
Therapy can be a powerful tool and accelerator in this process. It's like having someone to help us unpack this load, item by item.
As we address and resolve these issues, we gradually lighten our load, making it easier to move forward and grow.
Reading non fiction books can help as well, but they're more indirect to help lighten our backpack.
They can help us understand things and learn lessons. But reading non fiction has to be focused and intentional. I talk about it in my article How to grow as a person.
By lightening our backpack, we open ourselves up to new possibilities, allowing for true personal development and the freedom to explore our potential.
The work of reaching our full potential and helping others
"If you want to change the world, start with yourself" - Mahatma Gandhi
In parallel to the work of freeing ourselves of what holds us back, there's the work of growing as a person to reach our full potential.
This is the work (or game) of constant learning.
We are all meant to grow. The problem: it's easy to get distracted from self-growth in our modern society.
Our attention is always pulled to the outside, never within.
99% of people try to fulfill their needs by looking outside themselves: status, material possessions, food, activities, likes, followers and so on.
The answer is never external. True growth happens inside.
"You're the only person who can give yourself what you want and you must be willing to do the work every day" - Lewis Howes
By growing as a person, we evolve, mature and improve ourselves.
That puts us in a 1000x better position to help others along the way.
In that sense, reaching our full potential is the best act of altruism.
Related article: How To Grow As A Person: 6 No-Fluff Steps To Real Change.
Final word
In the grand theater of society, we're formatted to believe that our job is a major part of who we are.
But at the end of the day it's not even 5% of us.
To live our life to the fullest, I believe that the most important work, the one what truly matters, is the work we have to do on ourselves.
This is the ultimate job, the job that produces the best fruits for ourselves and everyone around us.
I'm committed to place this work at the center of my life.
I strongly believe, from the bottom of my heart, that it's the best way to change the world for the better.
Take care,
Damien