Why I Will Never Again Live The ‘9 To 5’ Life

The rat race is a race most people are participating in.

It’s otherwise known as the standard day and age ‘9-5’. This means people clock in at 9 am, clock out at 5 pm, every day. It seems nowadays people are gravitating towards self employment. I see the 9-5 scheme as inhumane. It doesn’t matter if you have a low wage or high wage, 9-5 jobs seem to run similarly everywhere. You get a certain amount of sick days, and vacation days.

I remember when I was working retail and I would have to stand on my feet all day. By the time I came home, my lower back would be sore, and my feet would be throbbing in pain. I remember I couldn’t walk straight for two whole days. I seriously needed a chiropractor appointment as soon as possible. I would constantly get headaches, and the stress would be overwhelming. I was overworked and underpaid. I had asked my boss if I could take a day off because I was feeling all torn apart, to which she replied, “You don’t get sick days during your probation period.”

Excuse me? I don’t care if it’s probation period or not. You don’t get to tell my body when it gets sick or not. The ironic part is, they were the cause of my sickness. As we all know, stress creates disease. Since when does another human being have the power to tell another human being to stop their bodies natural reaction? Our bodies know when something is wrong, and will send a signal to us otherwise known as symptoms. I never fully understood why as an employee, I suddenly had to give up the rights to nurture my body. I left her office in pain, and feeling defeated. I went back to my cashier space and stared sadly. I felt like I was in a cell. My body was being being forced into oppression.

Another horrible fact about most 9-5’s is vacation time. Out of 365 days a year, I am only allowed 14 days to enjoy this life I was given. If you do the math, I am only allowed to enjoy 4% of the entire year. The rest of our 4% is to be given to our employers. We spend our live dedicating almost all of it to pleasing others. It makes your life feel like an endlessly repetitive cycle.

Wake up, go to work, come home, repeat.

As an employee, you are giving all your energy to help run other people’s dreams. So, an employer gets to tell you when your body gets sick, and when you’re allowed to enjoy your life. On top of all this, most employers don’t pay anywhere near what you’re worth. I refuse to do tricks for peanuts like a circus monkey. This is why I refuse to settle into the 9-5 nightmare. I am striving for self-employment. Passive income is my top goal. I understand self-employment isn’t for everybody, and some people would rather work for a company. For those who don’t want the 9-5, you aren’t crazy for not giving in. The 9-5 is the modern day slavery. I on the other hand, crave freedom.

Thank you, but no thank you 9-5.