What should you do if you don’t like your job and don’t feel fulfilled? Quit or stay?
Work should be interesting, bring pleasure and joy, be harmonious; you want your boss to be great, colleagues you like, an office that’s comfortable or the possibility to work remotely. There are tons of additional factors.
But what difference does it make in the end, what exactly this job is? Imagine that your only task when taking a job is to earn money. Sounds strange, right? Because most people say: “I work to earn.” However, when you start surveying thousands of people, you find out that almost everyone adds a bunch of extra conditions and requests, without focusing on the main task.
Why did I even decide to bring this up? It all started with a conversation with someone close to me. For several years now, in conversations, I’ve been repeating the same thought to him: “Focus on the fact that your job is only for earning money.” But every time it triggers strong emotions and inner disagreement in him. He just can’t stay in this simple point, because in his perception a whole list of additional factors pop up that feel emotionally important: for example, what the communication format with the boss or subordinates will be like, what attitude clients have toward the company’s product. Some start reflecting on the organization’s mission, its goals, its values and other details, moving further and further away from the main task.
What’s the problem? When I say “focus on earning money”, it doesn’t mean you can do just anything, as long as you get paid. It’s about something else — about what is primary for you — and that’s what allows you to:
- maximize efficiency: get the maximum result out of the time, resources, and effort you invest, completing tasks with financial outcome in mind;
- maintain focus: not get distracted by old psychological traumas (personal, family, spiritual, karmic), so you don’t dwell on them and disappear into them constantly.
In most cases — whether you’re a marketer, sales manager, marketing director, or even a CEO — it’s incredibly important to concentrate on one fundamental mindset: your main task is to make money. As soon as a person adds extra conditions to the goal of “making money,” like “and it should be fun,” “and my mood should always be good,” or “and I should love my work so much I don’t need a vacation,” — they fall into a trap. This “interestingness” of work becomes a filter through which all decisions are made. In situations where you should act rationally and focus on financial results, a person automatically, and often subconsciously, starts checking: “Do I like this or not? Is this right or wrong for my emotional state?”
You’re not focusing on the simple and obvious from the start. The boss comes and gives you a task. The first thoughts that should click automatically are: “If I do this project, will it increase my income? Will it help me make more money? Will it strengthen my position and eventually lead to higher income?”
This filter cuts away the unnecessary. In practice, instead of a direct answer, you start thinking:
— “Do I agree with my boss?”
— “Do I like the task itself?”
— “Why did he even come up with this?”
Instead of just doing the project and closing it, you get lost in thoughts of “interesting–not interesting,” “like–don’t like.” It actually matters a lot. A person begins to engage in so-called “self-development,” often quite questionable. It’s not development for results, but rather work for their ego. They concentrate only on their personality, not on the fundamental purpose they came to the company for — to earn money. That’s one side of it. On the other — if a person can easily get through their psycho-physical, emotional, family, or even karmic barriers, they open up a totally different stance — the ability to truly help the company.
When I reason like this, many people at first feel this decision is extremely selfish. I’ve even advised some to start working only 4 hours a day. They were shocked: “What do you mean 4 hours? Our workday is 8!” And I explained: “Start working as little as possible, but as focused as possible, to check if you can still make money.” The point is that if you’re a sane person living in genuine, authentic life and values — when you don’t want to cheat your boss, colleagues, yourself, or the world — if you live in line with the laws of the universe, want to benefit others, and treat people humanely, then by removing internal personal problems and focusing only on one motive — making money, you start seeing tasks differently. You clearly understand whether the tasks you’re doing help the company, whether they are needed by others, or if they’re just a waste of resources. You don’t get dragged into unnecessary arguments and conflicts, which already arise too often.
I have tons of different projects and tasks, I’m involved in many businesses and interact with all sorts of people. No matter the situation, however difficult, I always first go back to the main goal I set for myself beforehand. It could be a goal to make money right here and now, to sell the company after some time, or something else, but I always keep it in focus. And in hiring, if a person is fundamentally and clearly focused on the goal of making money, they start looking at their job more broadly: how exactly in this company they can actually make money, how they can achieve real results.
And to be honest, a person with manipulative intentions, who wants to earn and is willing to deceive others, will be at an advantage, simply because focus on one goal removes many reasons for conflict. When you have a single point of orientation, not forty different ones working subconsciously, behavior strategy becomes easy and consistent. You’re not distracted by automatic body reactions, emotional swings, mood changes, or chaotic thoughts — all of this stops throwing you off course if your focus stays on making money. And in most cases, earnings are directly tied to the real result you deliver.
There are jobs where you really do have to follow a set mechanism — like in companies where just being present in the office is valued, and that alone brings you pay. But if you’re someone who wants to truly develop and scale — not just grow by 5, 10, or 15 percent, but multiply yourself many times over, as a person, professional, spiritual being, entrepreneur, parent, partner, or friend, being part of many businesses, in various professions or one — then the approach has to be different.
💡 When you concentrate on one clear, precise goal and make all decisions based on it, try living like this for at least a week. If you manage a month applying this principle in absolutely every situation, you’ll see powerful results. And if at some point you realize that to earn money you just need to show up at the office, you’ll clearly recognize that fact, without needing to hide or deceive anyone. You’ll act honestly and consciously, understanding that this is the path that works for your goal right now.
At that point comes true clarity: how to talk to your boss in terms of motivation or bonuses, whether it’s worth standing your ground or if it doesn’t matter.
Over the years I’ve seen many people endlessly argue, fight, defend their position, and then accept another job offer, leave quickly, and never even remember the old place. Why were all those fights necessary? Why harm yourself, your home, your loved ones you’d later complain to, and the company itself, bringing tension and discord?
For over 18 years managing companies and projects, I’ve seen countless situations where people wasted up to 70% of their time and energy on worries and discussions about areas that had zero long-term importance for them. Think back to a job you had five years ago: you probably can’t even remember the tasks or conflicts from then. Now imagine: your boss shares a new idea, and you immediately feel resistance, disagreement. But it doesn’t even concern you. It’s not related to you — you’re just wasting energy.
It’s like when people watch political news, get pulled into arguments, debates, and stress, but in reality, they’re not directly connected to those events. You should always ask yourself: why am I doing this? Why am I watching the news, reading professional literature, sending my kid to daycare, reading a novel in the evening, going to a meeting, doing work tasks? At work especially, it’s important to do tasks with focus on one goal. That helps you go through inner states and at the same time bring value:
- to yourself;
- to the company.
In most cases, people obsessed with “interesting work,” “company values,” “relationship with the boss,” or their own mood are actually focused only on themselves.
Here’s the amazing part: for a person who lives by true values, lives from freedom and love for others, focusing on making money makes it easier to get through a huge number of barriers. And most importantly — interacting with different people becomes easier, because you clearly understand that most of the work doesn’t directly affect your income. Unless, of course, you’re working strictly by time just to be present in the office. This understanding frees you and allows you to bring something new into your own growth, the growth of people around you, and professional development.
Nine out of ten people in this case are under the illusion that work brings them growth. They are constantly looking for interesting work, a job that will bring joy or improve their mood, and this search can last for years. But in reality, if you come to work only to earn money and consciously know how to do it, you avoid a whole layer of unnecessary worries. It doesn’t matter if the work is interesting, if it develops you — these questions just vanish.
If you focus simultaneously on money and growth, but the job doesn’t bring growth, you immediately face a problem, stress, and worries. This path isn’t permanent or universal for life, it’s not a ten-year professional development strategy.
I often say your professional development will last for decades ahead. And all this time I emphasize: you still have many years of professional activity ahead. But people often only think about the moment “here and now.” They care about: did I like the colleague who brought the idea, or do I think he stole it; did the boss say something nice — I want praise; did someone swear — it makes me angry, disgusted, and I don’t want to work with that. But let’s be honest: is that the right setup? It’s only the right setup if your work contract specifically mentions your emotional state, mood, or interest.
But notice: 99.9% of work contracts have nothing to do with your mood, interest, or emotions. They define goals, tasks, functions, legal aspects, and your salary — but not your emotional states. If this matters to you, you must fix it in documents, or that interest should be protected by law.
You know, I noticed something interesting living in the U.S., in California. Here, for example, you can talk back to a police officer, even curse. I’ve never done it and won’t, but formally it’s possible. And in most states, the officer can’t punish you for such actions, as long as they don’t threaten life or safety of others. The law and court practice clearly state: police officers must remain balanced, calm, even if they hear insults or profanity.
For me, as someone who was born in Minsk and lived there 27 years, then another 12 in Moscow, this is striking. I’ve never seen this level of legal and social balance. The whole point is that there’s a law that clearly defines what you can and cannot do, and there are written rules of conduct to follow. Law and rules are the foundation the whole system is built on, and understanding this lets people act freely but safely.
If you clearly discuss these issues with your employer and put them in documents, then it really matters. Not just listening to corporate rhetoric — from the CEO, owners, HR, or marketing, who beautifully talk about the company’s “values.” You know how many big companies declare values, but if you look closely, especially in organizations with hundreds of thousands of employees, showing off nice offices, lunches, gyms, psychological support, and more — they often treat people there, I’d say, almost like slaves. Yes, they act within the laws of the countries they work in. But when situations change, employees quickly forget about these values. The real question is: what is your internal core?
And so, when you set the goal “to earn money,” it doesn’t remove responsibility for your real work, for your values and guidelines you live by. You keep acting according to your principles, according to the laws of the universe you follow.