Losing the shackles

I’ve been working since I left school at 17. I was never bad in school, but I wasn’t great either. I just couldn’t get behind the idea of being forced to study things I didn’t care about, all to end up in a job I wasn’t even sure I wanted.

I’m a firm believer in education, but I also believe the system is designed more to create workers than entrepreneurs. And don’t get me wrong—society needs both. We wouldn’t be where we are without nurses, doctors, teachers, or police officers. I just think most people want more than a lifetime of working 9 to 5.

How did we end up spending more time with our coworkers than with the people we love? The balance is completely off. I can’t accept the idea that someone else gets to decide when I can take a holiday or spend time with my family. At the end of the day, we all come into the world the same way and leave the same way.

One of my favourite quotes from my mum is:
“We all wipe the sh*te off our own a*se.”
It’s funny, but it’s also powerful. It reminds me that no one’s above anyone else—and that includes the people we’re told to answer to.

Work is important. I’m not trying to downplay that. We need money to live—to feed our families, keep a roof over our heads, and enjoy life’s good bits. If you’ve found a job that you enjoy and it gives you the lifestyle you want, I’m genuinely jealous. Stick with it. Love every minute.

But be honest with yourself and ask:
“Am I happy?”

More often than not, the answer is no. And that’s not by accident.

We work to earn money so we can buy a nice car, house, clothes, and holidays. Then we have to keep working to pay for all those things. And when the excitement wears off, we go out and buy a newer car, a bigger house, fancier clothes—just to feel something again. The cost goes up, so we stay stuck in the same job. And around it goes.

It’s a cycle. A trap.

We need to stop and check our ego. Ask ourselves: is this what success really looks like?

Last week, I got a warning for showing up one minute late- after dropping my partner off at her new job, on her first day. One minute. If that’s the kind of environment we’re expected to thrive in, then count me out.

And the truth is, I don’t even believe in the industry I’m in. I’m being told to sell as many cars as possible every month—making roads busier and the planet warmer. That doesn’t sit right with me.

I want to spend my time doing something that makes life better—for myself and for others.

And I don’t have all the answers yet. I’m still figuring out what that “something” is. Sometimes the right path is obvious. Other times, you have to look a bit harder. But I believe it’s out there.

What I do know is that it’s important to bring the things we actually enjoy into the work we do. For me, my likes are pretty simple—coffee, food, hitting the gym, and football, like most guys.

How I turn that into a business? No idea yet. But I’ll figure it out.

So if you’re reading this and you’ve ever felt that same itch- like something’s not sitting right- then maybe you’re in the same boat as me.

We don’t need to have it all figured out today. But we can start looking.