It seems like ever since the term grind has entered our workplace vernacular there’s an inherent belief that it comes with most jobs. By the time you enter the workforce your expectations are tempered with an understanding of “the daily grind.” The understanding that work will be arduous, monotonous, mundane and/or stressful on an almost-daily basis. This forewarning is usually delivered by parents, professors and graduate friends to mitigate any shell-shock you may experience once you start your professional life in the ‘real world’. On the flip side, there’s being “on your grind.” Pop culture’s swaggier way of letting people know that you’re pursuing a particular ambition. In this context you’re relentless and undeterred by obstacles when striving for a goal. Either way, the grind is seemingly unavoidable and all you can do is manage as best you can.
I’ve spent most of my career oscillating between being either fed up with “the daily grind” or “on my grind.” Having grown tired of the back and forth, I began rethinking this paradigm. Every time we mention the “same old grind” we’re not really talking about the job per se, but all we contend with in the job. The list is never-ending: heavy workloads with tight deadlines, bad office politics, inept coworkers, mediocre bosses, inefficient processes, out-of-touch leadership, pay inequity, quiet discrimination, Petty Bettys, Shady Seans, and so on. That seemingly infinite list is why the most palpable and pervasive feeling in the workplace is weariness. Employees aren’t just physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted, they’re wearied of their wariness. That contemplation is why I decided it was time to let the grind go.
It’s one thing to put in hard work, but it’s another thing to toil (especially under the direction of someone else). And essentially, in some vein or another, that’s what many employees manage — a professional life of toil. Day after day of hard work and long hours in a dysfunctional workplace with intermittent vacation and fleeting career satisfaction. For me, that’s simply not good enough. It’s not that I need perfection, I just know something better is out there — so, I’m reaching for it. And you should too.