Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Adult quitting

When kids quit, they just stomp their feet and leave the game. The quitting is physical and mental at the same time. When we're adults, we can no longer quit physically because we either need the job or we can't afford to sour the relationship. So adults quit mentally. They would just stay in droning mode and do what is just needed in order not to quit physically, but their mind had already been switched off. They would do what is needed just to get the job (barely) done, but don't expect too much out of it.



I wonder how many people had adult-quitted at least some aspects of their lives? Perhaps most likely it's their jobs that they had quitted mentally. It's not necessarily a bad thing actually. When you can't find a job that fulfills you but you still needed to pay the bills that comes at the end of the month, you just have to suck it up and play adult quitting, until the next better thing sails along. Actually, I kind of think that the next better thing won't sail along...you sort of have to sail towards them incrementally. But that's another story altogether.



But adult quitting harms you spiritually. It is like a leech that sucks your energy, making you harder and harder to wake up in the morning just to do the job that you hate to do. You get less and less motivated and eventually this sort of quitting can affect other aspects of your life too. It's ultimately an energy sucking vampire. May I never be in such a situation in my life.

14 comments :

PanzerGrenadier said...

Hi LP

It's actually quite common. There were surveys done in the past and they found significant numbers of employees in SG are not engaged in their jobs.

I was guilty of that too in jobs that were very dead-end and fairly demeaning as well when the immediate boss did not treat you with respect or listen to your views. I don't so much blame the environment but myself for allowing myself to be stuck there.

It was fortunate that those experiences led me to my current role which is more fulfilling and rewarding.

Be well and prosper.

patrick lim said...

i guess many of us will have to bear with what u term as 'adult quitting' until we find our passion in life which is what we love doing rather than doing something we have to do.

i thought 'nirvana' was the day when i went into retirement some 14 years ago and not have to put up with 'adult quitting' anymore. but after the relatively short span of 3 months, i grew really tired of not doing anything constructive with my life and catering to my selfish indulgences and pampering myself.

this was until i found my calling and passion as a financial advisor with promiseland independent, loving every moment of it and waking up every morning (by the grace of God) with a sense of mission and purpose in helping my fellow singaporeans.

and the rest, like they say, is history.

God Bless.

Singapore Man of Leisure said...

LP,

Reminds me of Dead Man Walking...

Travel light!

Createwealth8888 said...

Why adult-quit? Alternatively, find your passion in the stock market and it is unstoppable.

We can do it anytime and anywhere including inside the toilet with mobile devices. LOL

OT83 said...

I am currently adult quitting in my job!

You are so right!

Anonymous said...

This article reminds me of the army days.

Where a lot of young man choose to quit mentally as there are no other choice of alternative.

Musicwhiz said...

It's pretty common to witness this kind of mentality. Sometimes it is through no fault of the person.

I know a case where a scholar is bonded to a Govt organization and he told me he drags his feet to work and is completely apathetic because he feels everything he does is a complete waste of time. The internal reports are all useless and his boss is also incompetent. Yet, he is bonded so he has to stay X number of years. His only consolation is he can say what he wants and not get booted out!

Others I know of join the grind because they have mouths to feed, parents to support, children to nurture, mortgages to pay and luxuries to sustain. All these cost money.

Which is why I still advocate everyone to go for more passive income in your golden years. This ensures you don't fall prey to the "quitting" mentality because at least you have a choice of whether to work, or not.

Regards,
Musicwhiz

la papillion said...

Hi PG,

Yea, I heard from friends that it's very common. In fact, I dare say more than 50% of pple are not engaged in their work at all. Glad you found a way out!

Hi Patrick lim,

Wow...you really can't stop and retire can't you? ;) Thanks for sharing your story with me, it's really heart warming to learn of someone who did followed his passion and never had to work a single day ever again!

Hi SMOL,

Haha, you mean we should carry baggage? :)

la papillion said...

Hi bro8888,

When you are working in a place and you have to find your passion somewhere else, you are already adult quitting your job, isn't it? But that aside, if there's no way but to do the undesirable job that you have to do, that's the way to overcome it - find something else that you like to do after work/during work.

Hi OT,

Oh, you are doing so? tsk tsk tsk :)

Hi anonymous,

Indeed...during army, if you're not the officer or specs, you can afford to be 'brain-dead' and go through the whole motion without ever getting involved. I guess that's the disadvantage of having citizen soldiers who are forced into doing soldiering as opposed to mercenaries or volunteers. The motivation factor just isn't there in most of us.

la papillion said...

Hi mw,

I agree. In adult life, sometimes we find ourselves getting trapped in a shit hole that someone threw us in or one that we dug in ourselves. Govt jobs are full of such people, I find. Working with them is very very painful for me, because I find that they really take their own time and have no urgency or initiatives at all. It's an exercise in frustrative futility (ha, I invented it!).

So, I agree with you that having a passive income stream is a 'way' out of it. Gives you the option to throw in the towel and lead a life that you want that is no longer constrained by circumstances.

Singapore Man of Leisure said...

LP,

I like your response! You Zen more powderful than me!

I still need luggage for spare underwear. I dare not go "commando" yet ;)

You... LOL!

Createwealth8888 said...

If you are working like a COW (Carry On Working) with lousy pay then it is pitiful; but if you are working as a PIG (Pay Is Good) and just sailing along each day and still get paid. Why throw in the towel even you have enough passive income unless you have good plans to spend or socialize your time else where?

Your work life should be two half: 1st half you work really hard for money and the 2nd half, you let your money works harder for you so that you will have enough wealth and passive income to enable you to sail along with the wind in whatever you do.

However, there will be some people no matters how like to race like HORSE and don't like to slow down.

Next time, you are served by a PIG you will understand why.

Anonymous said...

Don't tell me giving tuition is your passion .....

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