To ask if you work because you want to or because you have to?

[fromthbottomofmyheart]

Is your job is just a necessary evil to fund your life, or are you truly passionate about what you do? In other words, are you grinding away just for the paycheck, or are you the type of person who wakes up every day thinking, "I can’t wait to tackle that spreadsheet!"?

Do you live to work or work to live, in other words?

It’s surely not that hard to imagine what people might do that they find meaningful!

It is though. My job is meaningful but I still would not do it. Surely you can do something meaningful without work.

I enjoy my job and i think I'd do it even if I didn't have to. It helps that I'm part time (4 days a week) so I have a day to catch up on non work stuff or meet a friend for lunch.

I don't think it's crass. For us as a family there were positives to not having commutes and spending more time together. That's just a fact. Also, very presumptuous to assume everyone had taxpayer funding. Some us worked throughout without furlough etc.

At first I worked because I had to due to being a single parent. Now I work because I still need to but I love my job, the people I work with and the comfort of being paid my salary every month.

if I won the lottery I would probably buy my daughter her dream horse, pay the mortgage off and invest more money in to my pension and share portfolio. I would work yes because you can’t take anything for granted and never know when you would need the money,

Can you volunteer? Charity shops would love you.

My recent ex walked out of his job in December. All of a sudden he was laying in and not getting up, the conversation dropped off between us to what shopping her done and what he had cooked for tea while I worked all the way through December and January. 😟

Somewhere in between tbh. I really enjoy some aspects of my job, but working full time is a grind as my workload is not really manageable and I struggle to find time and energy to look after my house and do other things. I'd love to go part time but need the money really.

When the lottery first started, we had this discussion with people I was working with.
At the time, we said - not multi millions, but "If you won £100 000" (keep in mind this would have paid off my mortgage and given me about 4 years of my salary on top).
I remember saying at the time, I'd still come to work, but I'd outsource a lot of the drudgery at home. What was always difficult about work was balancing work and home.
Same as when we did eventually pay the mortgage off. I do not enjoy cleaning, gardening, decorating, etc. I'd always choose my job over stuff like that. So we got someone to clean and someone to do our garden and someone to do the decorating / odd jobs. I was still better off financially than had I stopped working (or even dropped a day), and I enjoyed my job much more without so much to do outside of it.

I think if you are talking about Euro millions, then it is different.

Not if your work is directing opera, or writing novels!

Thank you for that. It was my comment they said was crass. As it goes, I maintain that I loved being furloughed. I did also work a second job at a funeral home the majority of the time I was furloughed, so know how shit it was for many many people. But that was a choice for me, not a requirement. Which rather gets to the essence of the OP,s post. It was a lovely and content time for me. I’d love to have the freedom to not work if I didn’t feel like it and would give up my main job in a heartbeat.

I love my job like everything it has its ups and downs and stressful moments but it took me a long time to get into so even if I won the lottery I wouldn't give it up.

I absolutely love my job but if I won the lottery I would resign next day.

I work because I have to, but I also really enjoy it. If I no longer needed to work, I'm not sure I would give it up.

I'm a MH practitioner but I currently only work 2 4 hour mornings a week. Its not for the money, it's because I am genuinely passionate about my job, want to have some independence and also feel like its good to have one foot in the door for when I eventually want to return to work properly. I don't think I'll ever go back to a full time 9-5 though

Because I have to. I'd love to have control over my life and my time rather than spend most of it working.

Both!

I love my job (primary school teacher).

But I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to 😉

Both. I need to work to fund my lifestyle, but previously I did similar work as a volunteer, and if I won the lottery I'd do the same again. I count myself very lucky because I actually do get up excited about the day ahead, which is typically interesting, satisfying and full of good people, support and lots of laughs.

I don't need to work, as husband earns enough and we share everything.
I barely worked whilst kids were little.
I wanted to go back to work and have found a lovely part time job, term time only and mostly school hours. If it didn't fit around the kids I wouldn't do it, but I'm happy that I can!

I can't really imagine a job that I could love so much that I'd do it for free. I would not work at all, if I had the choice.

I think I would actually retrain if I won the lottery. Enjoy my job for the people and social side, but the work is stressful for low pay, but I can't afford to retrain and feel stuck. I worked all through Covid though was wfh some of the time, it was still busy.

I'd be very very bored and purposeless without work. If I won the lottery I'd still work but part time (3 days ideal) but in project/s I really believed in for a peppercorn salary (I work in the non profit sector).

Sometimes I think about the rich and famous and how, after a certain point, the money side of it all must become pointless. Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elton etc have continued touring and releasing music for decades after becoming multi-multi-millionaires so there must be some other fulfilment in it. Especially Paul, I mean - he's worth £800m. At this point he might as well be paid for gigs in chocolate buttons, money has lost all meaning but he still plays 3 hours gigs. Can't get my head around it.

I love this so much. The idea that what you want to be when you grow up is "left alone" made me laugh out loud. Hope you find your country retreat in time.

Definitely because I have to! I don’t love my job and I’d go so r up in a heartbeat if o won the lottery but not if for example, DH earned enough for me not to have to work as I’d be embarrassed to say I don’t work when people ask, and it’s usually one of the first questions they ask! I have an interesting job and it’s a good talking point. I’d love to do something in fitness or working with horses instead though!

I don't need to work, but I want to. It's part time, just over minimum wage, but I really enjoy it after being a SAHM for 8 years. In hindsight, I should've gone back a lot sooner.