Person who found their calling after being laid off emphasizes the need to take time for yourself

What is life if one does not celebrate living? Working a 9 to 5 job or putting up with crazy hours tends to take us away from the most important thing in life: living. We are often unable to do the things we love and before one knows it, years have passed by. Even though we are reminded to do the things we are passionate about and focus on life itself, we ignore the advice given to our bustling schedules. However, whatever is to come to us will come, one way or another. Reddit user u/mmm-pistol-whip shared how it took them getting laid off from their job to realize their true calling and do what they really love. 

The individual began by saying, "I've worked labor jobs forever. Over 60-hour weeks for pretty much my whole life. I didn't get paid well, I didn't have money to do things I wanted, no benefits, no time off, the work. It was a grind, to say the least." They then mentioned that they were let go during the COVID-19 pandemic, after which they found another 40-hour-per-week job. Highlighting the benefits of this new job, the employee said, "It was incredible. I was sleeping so much better, my stress was non-existent, just doing my job and going home. I was working the first shift, so I was ending my day at 2-3 p.m. and had a whole day ahead of me." That's when their life began to take an adventurous turn.

"I never had time for a hobby, so I was looking for one and got a 3D printer," the employee said. Life then took a pleasant turn for the individual and they began living it. They exclaimed, "Well, something just clicked when I started printing and it just made sense to me. I left that job and pursued the 3D printing industry, working in tech." This adventure was challenging. "It was hard to get my foot in the door not having a degree, let alone an engineering degree, but what a difference my life has been!" the employee said. Their post reflected how free and content they felt after chasing their passion. It drove them to live a better life and cherish their new-found hobby.

"It's f**king wild to me that I was working so hard for so little for so many years and it wasn't until I got a moment to step back and take a breath that I found my industry and profession simply by having enough time for a hobby; something I've never had!" exclaimed the employee. Further in the post, they stressed the unjust and inhumane working conditions in the competitive world. "I didn't realize how badly I was exploited until I got away from it. It was so hard to get away when you work so much. I was one of those people that would brag about, 'Well, I work 14 hours a day, so that makes me tough!' type sh*t. The people need to unionize and fast. People are being worked to death," they concluded their post.

Just because you are working, it does not mean you should not be able to live life. The Reddit user was under the same misconception until they found a new job that made them believe otherwise. u/CaptainDoughnutman said, "During the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people got to step back and 'get away from it' and realized the same thing. That's why all those exploitative jobs are unfulfilled and short staffed." u/darinthe1st said, "When I look back on the low pay back-breaking work I did, I wonder what I was thinking. That's not a life, it's just surviving."