In May 2017 I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand with my girlfriend for a month. I have to say, that this past May was one of the best months of my life. Everyday I woke up with a beautiful 21 year old girl in my bed, had warm weather, enjoyed delicious meals, worked on my schedule, and had the opportunity to explore a peaceful mountain city. That was a nice month.
At the same time, I can also remember how different my life used to be. When I was 14 years old I worked as a soccer referee. When I was 17, I worked at Dairy Queen. Finally, when I was 18, I worked on the famous Apple Holler farm as an entertainer, SEO consultant, and video editor.
As you mature and grow your skills, you’ll inevitably have more interesting career opportunities. There is one thing I miss about working my old job at Dairy Queen, however. When I worked at Dairy Queen I had motivation to hustle so that I could eventually find a more desirable position. While working at Dairy Queen, the depressive 9-5 (or 4-11 rather) monotony motivated me to avoid complacency and develop my skills.
That’s the good thing about working a 9-5 job that you hate. When you need to do something you hate to earn a living, there’s a lot of motivation for you to tap into. “I’m going to learn how to program 2 hours everyday after work so that I can get the F out of this job.”
Ideally, you’d have intrinsic motivation from within. For most people this isn’t the case though — especially young people. Most need external motivation to hustle. Fortunately, a shitty 9-5 can give you that motivation. Living in Chiang Mai where the weather is nice, women are beautiful, and cost of living is low probably wouldn’t.
For that reason, I always recommend you make a habit of hustling while at the job you hate. Doing so will serve you well in escaping your 9-5 and getting to paradise. It will also ensure you have the discipline to sustain yourself and become increasingly prosperous once you’re here.