May The Grass Be Greener On The Other Side ~ joan's permanent diaries

Someone asked me what my favorite movie is and the first that came to my mind is 'Pursuit of Happyness'. I still remember I was so touched when I watched it last time and felt SO RELIEVED when he was hired as if I am the one who's penniless and trying to survive.

If you haven't watch it yet I strongly suggest you go see one.

One day in our team's staff meeting, my boss showed us a youTube 'Joe vs the Volcano'.

At the beginning of the show, it was Tom Hanks dragging his feet to work and then it was all dark blue stormy and everything.

The message to us was that we should not be like that. Going to work should not be like that. Every Monday you can see people writing in their facebook 'Monday Blues' 'Shit why does the weekend pass so fast' 'Can i not go to work'. Isn't is so common. That's like Joe in the movie.

I'm exactly like Joe. I lost my motivation I lost my dedication I lost the spirit. When I first joined I really liked my job. I worked hard I worked till 4am in the office, go back showered, and be right back in the office at 7am. I loved working at that time loved everything I'm doing. Doesn't sound like me eh? If you know me now, I'm just that lazy bum who just go to work because I need to be at work and when the clock strikes 5 in the evening I just shut down my laptop and never on it back when I get home. Most days are spent lazing around. Most weekend are spent on the bed watching movie.

I felt so useless so unproductive.

I didn't know the root cause though. Do I not like the environment anymore? Do I not like my job? Do I not like my colleagues? Do I not like my manager? What's the reason behind the sudden slacking?

Whenever we see people quitting and doing good in other companies or other industries or their own business, we just sigh and complained amongst ourselves and how we wish we're them and how sucks it is here now. But after much sighing and jealousy, we get back to our own work. Of course, maybe, we only see the good side of those people. Maybe that's not the whole scenario. Maybe they didn't earn as much as they said they did. But still, isn't the grass always greener on the other side?

So I quit.

I quit for several reasons.

Maybe you will say that the grass is not always greener on the other side, but I'd love to go to the other side and check it out myself. If it's not what I thought it is, it's still an experience and even if I end up falling, I'm sure there's always something to learn. One day, after much falling and tripping, I'm pretty sure I can find my place somewhere.

7 comments:

Xweing says:

June 2, 2010 at 12:03 AM

All the best to you, girl!!!

Yeah, I know that feeling... congratulations for taking the first step to venture out... into the unknown.

May be scared and unsure of the future at first... but keep your chin up and get going... and you'll do just fine. ;-)

Anonymous says:

June 2, 2010 at 7:38 AM

I really admire your courage. I just don't have the guts to do likewise...

Your act of following your belief, is a reward in and of itself. Good job!

I envy you... ;)

P.S. I am a friend of your friends.

Joely2k says:

June 2, 2010 at 12:19 PM

Hi Joan,

Those superman-days are only for employees during the starting of their career, it will last 2-4 years. After that, it will subside 
When you start to realize, this is very common, especially if you compare back the pay you get during fresh, and they pay you get now.
We won’t actually see a big gap, so as more experiences we gain, we do things faster/quicker, so the productivity is same or little better compare to early times.
I believe all this motivations, is rooted to money and environment itself 

I wish you the best for your future endeavor, please do keep in touch…

June 2, 2010 at 3:27 PM

read your post.

There is not much basis of reality in comparison. Conventionally speaking we say he/she is higher/lower, greater/lesser, richer/poorer, smart/stupid. These are all beliefs or lies that the society want you to believe. We were educated about the use of these labellings started when we were still school kids that now we started cursing ourselves on our own games that we played to ourselves unconsciously.

How can a man ever become something which is imagined? You can perceived you are the richest at one moment, later becoming poor, later again becoming rich. It is only superficial isn't it? You can only be yourself.

Almost everyone search for something real in their life, meaningful, something which is of permanent nature. But before we can arrive at something which is real, we must question our underlying assumptions, our definition of reality, are they facts or fictionalized?

Until then we cannot stop thinking the grass is greener on the other side.

josze says:

June 4, 2010 at 11:16 AM

XiaoWei: YA! u should know how i felt ler so sad to leave all my friends but starting a whole new chapter in a whole new place!

Anon: I had wanted to do it earlier but the only thing stopping me are my really good friends here =( but I guess one cannot always stay with friends but have to think of my own future :) I hope you follow my footstep one day too! It'll do you some good I believe..

Joel: You're right. It's true that people are most energized and most motivated at the starting of the career, and then it will drop to the most bottom of the graph and it will go back up after 3-4 years and then go stable. My problem is it already hit rock bottom and has been going up. but i didn't want to spend my life only knowing 1 company only knowing 1 job only knowing 1 culture. that's not enough for me. plus the currency is too addictive joel :) call me when you're in sg and IF you are looking for a job in sg :)

Anon: Fact or fiction, you will never know unless you jump on it and try it out. Until then, one will only stay there wondering if it's fact or fiction. If I didn't venture out and check out the grass, I am nothing but a coward. A coward who is too comfortable living in my cosy own little nest to go out. Even if it was all a mistake, if there's a day I realize what I'm having now is the best, then at least when I return to it, I KNOW, for SURE, that it is the best. I won't sit and wonder everyday if it is.