Recently, I have been thinking about how to use our unique personalities efficiently. Today, I will talk about the necessity of a steady job.
The exhaustion of keeping a steady job and doing the same thing
Sometimes, we want a more comfortable life. Many things exhaust us, such as disgusting work, long working hours, stressful human relationships, or a lack of freedom.
One of the most stressful things for us is keeping a steady job. Perhaps many people think having it is necessary for a stable life. That is common sense.
However, our unique personalities—empathy and creativity—often prevent us from doing so.
The combination of high empathy and creativity causes extreme tension in our social lives. Empathy forces us to consider the emotions of all the people around us. Creativity compels us to think of many possibilities and their solutions. That makes us overthink, worry too much, and exhaust us. That is the mental logic behind why we don’t like socializing.
How to free ourselves from a stressful, stable job
A steady, regular job might be one of our hardest things to do.
We cannot do the same thing over and over again. We like anticipating future risks and changing our styles. We want to maximize our talents. In other words, we don’t want to end our lives doing only what anyone can do.
That personality often makes us struggle to keep one steady job. If we force ourselves to keep doing it, that sometimes causes mental or physical illness. It doesn’t pay off, no matter how hard we try.
I know people whose health has been fatally harmed by it. Suicide and addiction can also occur.
I have such a personality, too. I cannot do the same work over three years. I wanted to live freely. I was sure that social restraint would shorten my lifespan. That was why I became independent soon after I got a regular job. That was two years after I graduated from university.
Steady jobs often prevent us from living comfortable lives.
Today, I will explain why empathic and creative people don’t need a steady job. This logic might allow us to live our lives more comfortably.
The four types of personalities
To explain that, I will introduce the four types of personalities that I often use. It is shown in the following image:
We classify our personalities by two axes: empathy and creativity.
An explanation of each personality
Each personality has the following characteristics:
- Extroverts need the most stable jobs due to their lack of ability to stabilize their lives. They can neither prepare for the future nor be creative. Depending on a steady job provides them with stability in their lives. They are the majority.
- Traditional empaths prefer having stable jobs for their future. Although they can prepare for the future, they cannot adapt to social changes themselves. Their sociality allows them to bear social stress. They prefer belonging to a large organization.
- Innovative empaths have the least need for stable jobs due to their ability to stabilize their lives. They can prepare for the future and be creative at any time. Reducing their regular jobs gives them the opportunity for independence and happiness. They are the minority.
- Innovators prefer freedom to stable jobs. Their lack of empathy allows them to bear social stress. They often become leaders of small teams so that they can do things their way.
Assume we are innovative empaths in this article. Let’s see why we don’t need stable jobs below.
Why we don’t need stable jobs
Perhaps innovative empaths have the least need for stable jobs, in my opinion.
The reason is simple. A stable life is a goal, and a stable job is the means. Not the other way around.
Employees get monthly salaries because they cannot manage money if they get them annually. In other words, those who can manage their money can receive gains for a longer period.
That tells us why we don’t need stable jobs. We can manage our resources well, even in the super-long term. Our personalities help us stabilize our lives. Empathy allows us to worry about the future and prepare for it. Creativity gives us flexible, situational solutions.
A life that doesn’t require so many social resources
In addition, if we head toward independence, we don’t need so many social resources, such as money, status, social positions, honors, fame, or human networks. That eliminates the need for a stable job.
On the other hand, other personalities, especially extroverts and traditional empaths, require stable jobs. Those stable jobs give them social resources and stability, as long as their organizations are stable. Although innovators want freedom, they can focus on one thing to compete with others. That becomes their regular job.
Perhaps those personality tendencies created the common sense that having stable jobs is good.
Our ideal working style
If we are innovative empaths, we will be happy when we can use our talents. The following elements would need to be met:
- Anticipating future changes or possibilities
- Responding creatively to future anticipation
- Considering more benefits and less harm in the long term
- Making people happy emotionally without disturbing others
Those factors will make us happy. We have to create a lifestyle with them.
Ways to acquire social resources
We could have several ways to acquire social resources based on our personalities, as follows:
- We put ourselves in an ever-changing environment and create value in the long term. A super-long-term investment is an example.
- We create products for the social minority based on our occasional interests and sell them automatically in the long term. Niche and specialized products are examples.
- We contribute to many societies with our creativity in the short term and do that in various industries. Short-term creative advisors would be an example.
- (In a stable period) We can live secluded in the countryside quietly and frugally while feeling a peaceful world.
Doing things based on our will and changing our lifestyles would be the keys.
An example of traveling while helping others
It is like traveling while helping others in each place.
Try imagining that we are traveling all over the world. We arrived at a new town or village. In this place, we notice that certain factors bother some people emotionally. We think of long-term solutions based on our logical sense.
We solve problems while considering others’ emotions or long-term lives. We make various people happy.
Perhaps that is an ideal work style. We can put ourselves in changing environments and keep showing our individuality.
A personality for a turbulent era
Perhaps we will frequently have those opportunities during a turbulent era. Innovative empaths become active in that era.
On the other hand, we tend not to be able to contribute during a stable period.
It means that we can live quietly and frugally in the countryside. We don’t have to push ourselves to contribute to society during a stable era.
Perhaps we need to be aware that trying to keep a stable job for the long term exhausts us. Thinking creatively over the long term will provide a substitute for regular jobs.
Conclusion
That is why empathic and creative people don’t need a steady job.
A stable life is a goal, and a stable job is the means. We already can substitute for stable jobs.
This logic might allow us to live our lives more comfortably.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
