Why I'm More Than My 9 to 5

Hello, my name is Steph. 

I am a cook

a runner

a CrossFitter

a blogger

amateur food photographer

a dog mom

a house-keeper

a reader

occasional gardener

and a proud Hufflepuff.  

I work a normal 9-5 job that keeps a roof over our heads and food on the table. 

Am I happy? Yeah I am. Because I've found that success in life doesn't just come from your career. 

I am a believer that millennial kids have it harder these days than when our parents were our age. We are encouraged to go study at University, which is always great life experience. Especially for book nerds like me who weren't ready for the learning part of life to end. 

But after uni?

I think we all question whether we picked the right subjects. Especially when job hunting is an anxiety-filled black hole of scary stuff. And the number one requirement? Experience. How are we gonna get the job when no one hires fresh out of uni kids? Ah dilemmas. 

So when you're faced with the gut-wrenching question of "what did you do with your degree" and your stomach gets a knot while you scramble for an impressive answer. You have to remind yourself that you are more than a job. Adults don't always get it, but that's only because they probably haven't faced what we do today. 

I'll admit that I do become ashamed of my own failures career-wise. But then I open blogger, or Instagram, and I'm reminded of the possibilities I still have. 

Which brings me to a favorite topic of mine: Social Media. 

And I'm not talking in the bad influence, but in how creative and artistic it has made a good part of our generation, and those behind us, become. Just this morning I was scrolling tags on Instagram and admiring how much work goes into getting that perfect table spread for a restaurant flat-lay. Or that orange color-scheme that fits every picture uploaded, with different locations, poses, outfits, weather conditions etc. You can't tell me being Instagram famous isn't a job. 

That beautiful feed is art, man.   

I just love that people are creating beautiful images out of everyday delights. I know it's a highlight reel, but I find it so inspiring and a break from the mundane. My job isn't exciting, but the days I get to spend creating seem so much more precious because of it. It's always time well spent if you ask me. 

I think if you truly want to see a person's character, just look at how they spend their time off work. 

Do they go hiking, visit family, take the dog for a walk, scrapbook, volunteer, go clubbing, go to the gym, or just simply do nothing for the sake of it? That's where you'll see someones passion in life, not in the job they had to settle for because life isn't always golden. But we'll get there.

Some of us have learnt to dance in the rain while we wait for the storm to pass. 

Do you ever feel like this with your job?
Steph x.