The Meaning of Work Lies Beyond Work Itself

The meaning of going to work actually lies outside of work. There's a saying that goes, "Earn a living during the 8-hour workday, and pursue development after the 8 hours." This is from the perspective of making money, but from another angle, it's not entirely true.

It should be "Earn a living during the 8-hour workday, and enjoy life after the 8 hours." Maybe this is the direction that most people hope for, pursue, and need.

I can't help but ask myself, society, and the whole world a question: Isn't an 8-hour job enough to sustain our survival and life?

I look at my pay stub, the cold numbers in my bank account, and then at the people around me, my online friends, and the overwhelming ads.

I nod and shake my head at the same time. I nod because if it's just to meet the basic needs of survival, it's okay. I believe most people can do it. I shake my head because most of us won't be satisfied with just that.

So, more and more people are finding a side business for themselves after work, whether it's taking on a part-time job, starting a side hustle, or becoming a self-media influencer.

Then, what's the meaning of our work, side hustles, and making money? Or rather, what are their purposes and functions?

It could be to satisfy bigger desires, gain freedom, find a sense of security for ourselves, take control of our lives, support our families, or have more ambitious goals.

Everyone has different reasons. So, what's yours?

I believe most people's reason is that they need more money.

This has led to the current situation: A person usually spends about 8 to 10 hours, or even 12 hours, working each day, and works about 5 or 6 days a week. The average time they can squeeze out for leisure and entertainment each day might be less than 3 hours.

This is also why more and more people like to stay up late. It's not that they really like staying up late itself. It's just that they feel they don't have enough time and that they haven't done anything for themselves during the day, so they use the night time to make up for it.

If you want to solve the problem of staying up late, you can either set aside a specific time for yourself and schedule it earlier; or you can actively shorten this time frame, but only if you can accept it.

There's a joke online that says a person decides to go to bed early, get up early, live a self - disciplined life, read books, study, and quit all irregular and unhealthy habits and eating habits. After a month, they get depressed.

Although the view in this joke may not be correct, it shows one thing: Being happy is quite important. When you overly suppress your own needs for those things and make yourself feel bad, problems are likely to occur.

From my personal observation, those who are really good at making money are either true workaholics with no other hobbies. Working, making money, and building their careers are their hobbies; or they are really good at having fun and know how to enjoy themselves.

For example, I didn't play or rest much for a while, and my mental state was really bad. I felt really depressed.

I'm not the type of workaholic or career - driven person. I need other entertainment activities and a rich life to satisfy myself. Later, I adjusted and set aside some time for myself, and my state gradually improved.

There are some things we can't change, so we can only accept and adapt to them. No matter how much you complain or accuse, it won't help.

To better adapt, we need to give ourselves more room for mistakes and more "lubricants". Things like life and entertainment are these "lubricants". They can increase your flexibility and prevent you from being overly tense. This is the way of balance between yin and yang.

What is life? It includes two aspects: happiness and relationships.

Happiness means you'll be happy when you do certain things. Relationships refer to the emotional satisfaction you can get from your various social activities and interpersonal relationships.

If you don't have them, go and find them. If you do, cherish them.

Xiaolu Daily Reading & Writing 2025.03.09【day552】