I like that. You should always be skeptical.
Here is the deal.
I’m not gonna sit here and blow smoke up your ass. We both know how the day went.
You’re fried. You’re stressed out of your mind, probably just staring at your phone wondering if this is the rest of your life.
I have a word for you. It’s free. You mastered it before you could even walk. Remember how you used to scream at your parents in the grocery store? You didn’t care who was watching. You just knew what you wanted and you didn't give a damn. But then you grew up. And somewhere along the way, between growing up and dealing with corporate bullshit, you just stopped using it.
I’m gonna help you get that back. But first, we need to be honest.
You’re a grown-ass adult, right? Mortgage. Pandemic survived. Probably people relying on you. Yet, here you are, trembling over a draft email to a boss you don’t even respect, just to ask if it’s “okay” to go to the doctor at 10:00 a.m.
“Would it be alright if I took care of my health?”
Think about how pathetic that sounds. Seriously, read it again.
And it’s not just the doctor. Maybe it’s the dentist, or just wanting a damn afternoon off. You don't even bother asking anymore, because you already know the look on their face. You’re literally asking for permission to manage your own time.
However.
The ones this isn't for already closed the page. But you're still here. So the thing you can't stand is the begging.
You’re sick of begging for permission just to reclaim an hour of your own life
And you deserve that. You want a reality check?
Don’t show up tomorrow. Let them take away your desk, cancel your password, whatever. How many people would call because only YOU know how to solve their problems?
Three?
One?
None?
If you’re being honest, you know they'd just call whoever sits in your chair next. You're not valuable. You're convenient. And convenience never buys freedom. Convenience gets managed.
I hear the excuses already.
Yeah, yeah... doesn't work like that in your country. Your industry is special. Your company is different. Your boss is a good person. Of course he is. But it’s irrelevant. A decent person inside a machine still behaves like the machine rewards him to behave. And the machine rewards control.
You really think reposting Marcus Aurelius quotes on LinkedIn is gonna help you? It’s not.
You're free in a company just when their fear of losing you completely overrides their instinct to control you. That's the only freedom that exists inside a company.
Which brings us back to the word. Two letters.
"No."
Opening your mouth and saying what you think. So just do it and see what happens. If they laugh, fine. If you end up in a disciplinary meeting, even better. At least then the mask is off and you know where you stand.
And no, I’m not telling you to go in there, flip a desk, and Jerry Maguire your way out of the building. That’s for the movies. Sometimes even idiotic. But you seriously need to stop acting like the needy little kid holding your hand up and begging for a gold star from a teacher. As long as that needy version of you is running your life, you’re basically putting yourself on a 90% discount.
Uncomfortable?
Good. Close the page. Everyone manages their career their own way. But if you think I’m exaggerating, there are only two possibilities. Either you've been in for so long that it seems normal to you. Or you're just terrified. Like those who hide in the bathroom to look at their phone.
Fear is human. I get it. But they're betting on your cowardice. And so far, they’re winning hands down.
There's no middle here. Either you start writing your own rules, or you keep asking for permission.
That's up to you. Completely. It always was.
Because nobody is going to walk into your office and tell you that you’ve worked hard enough or that you deserve your life back. No one.