I AM Peter
Oct

When I first watched ‘Office Space’ in 2001, I thought it was hilarious. When I watched it again in 2006 after working in a cubicle for 4 years, it was a bit depressing. Now, after 8 years at a desk and most of my life sucked out of me, this movie defines my existence.
Since I first took a desk job in 2002, I have slowly transformed from an active, energetic, upbeat guy into a downtrodden, pessimistic, and lifeless drone. Yes, I AM Peter!
Dragging your ass into work like you’re walking to the execution chamber is a miserable way to live. Millions of people struggle to get motivated to punch the clock for yet another ho-hum day. The next time you are sitting in rush hour traffic, look at the people around you. Most will probably look like zombies.
Sitting in an office or cubicle for 8+ hours each day, especially if you a person who loves being outside, can be excruciating. Life was not intended to be this way. So why are we choosing to stare at Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations all day long?
Life has conditioned us that way, that’s why. This is what we’re supposed to do. My wife has often asked me “why can’t you just be happy at work”? My answer is always the same, “because I hate being there”.
All those self-help guru’s will tell you that all you have to do is choose to be happy. It doesn’t matter what your situation is, it’s how you perceive that situation, they say. I get that, it makes sense to me, but applying it is damn near impossible!
When we are in a situation we don’t want to be in (i.e. our lousy jobs), we can either choose to find the positives or dwell on the negatives. Most of us will dwell on the negatives. Do you know why? Because it’s easy.
Reminding ourselves of all the great things we do have is hard work, and most of aren’t going to do it. Our minds tend to drift back to what feels natural and that’s being a Debbie Downer. I’m not trying to cast doom and gloom to all the readers here, I’m just talking about what’s real.
I’ve said this before, but the first step to creating change is recognizing you need it. Actually, I haven’t said that before…
How can we break free from our office prisons if we can’t see the bars? Take a long look at your life and the role your job plays in it. If you go to work, do your time, leave, and don’t think about it again until 9am the next day, you’re excused from the following paragraph.
For those us us who carry the black cloud of misery home with us, it has to stop. Our children are suffering and we don’t even know it. We all want our kids to be happy and full of life and we are slowly taking that away from them.
We may not see it now, but the effects of chronic stress and unhappiness have profound negative effects on our families. My number one goal is to have more time with my family and here I am bringing them down every day with my tales of woe.
Don’t be like me. Don’t waste most of a decade working a job you hate. Find something you love and turn it into a career. It’s taken me this long to make the commitment to follow my passion, don’t let it take you that long. Please.

Sean Gallagher
This is by far my favorite movie of all time!
It captures the sad live that the cubicle crowd lead.
Great post! Very inspiring!
~Sean
Steve
Thanks Sean. This is a great movie! Unfortunately, it hits home a little too hard for a lot of us desk jockeys.
Sandeep
Good work Steve – drills 98% of the population down in a nutshell….
Steve
Thanks Sandeep! It’s such a sad fact that so many people lives their lives this way. It doesn’t have to be like this!!!!
Evie
“Corporate Accounts payable, please hold.” I LOVE LOVE LOVE that movie!
Steve
I think I know every line in that movie!
TheNextMartha
I think that can happen to just about anyone. Even staying home sometimes I think “who am I?” To society I am this person who cares for children and dusts. Ok. I don’t dust but I’m sure some one thinks I do. But I don’t. I don’t even like dusting. I’m going to pay attention to the most miniscule thing? No. But someone probably thinks I do. And that annoys me.
Ben @ Dried Herbs
Just followed yor link from ViperChil.
Spot on with this post Steve. I’ve only been working professionally for a few years (I’m still quite young), and already it’s dragging me down to the point where sometimes I just don’t want to get up in thr mornings and go to ‘work’.
Ben.
Steve
Thanks Ben,
That’s a tough spot to be in and it’s only going to get worse. 8 years for me and it’s a nightmare….
Hopefully you can find a way out. Good luck to you.
Ashraf
The movie is very realistic and it truly reflects the lives of most people in the corporate world
Steve
Sure does. It IS my life!
Bruce
bang on!! nice.
My last day in cubicle nation is next Friday!
no job to go to, a great plan in place ready to execute, support of loved ones… priceless.
Steve
Bruce,
Awesome, man. Good for you. Care to share your plan with us??
Jonathan
What is your passion, Steve? Looking forward to that becoming prominent in your online presence 🙂
Steve
Hey Jonathan,
It’s funny that you asked this becasue my whole blog is based on finding passion in your life, yet I sometimes lose sight of what it is that keep me going. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day grind, so it’s important to take the time needed to refocus on the big picture.
As far as my passions, I have a few major ones. Forst and foremost it’s being with my family. That is #1. I want nothing more than to be able to spend much more time with my 2 young daughters. I want to be in their lives in more than the capacity of a weekend daddy.
What’s holding me back, as well as what’s holding millions of others back from living their passion is their jobs. We are trapped in the rat race and many of feel like there is no escape. Unfortunately, most of us will allow this menatlity to control our lives and affect our happiness. Many will grind out a living and miss out on many of the things life has to offer.
This is what drives me to write here. I strongly believe that nobody needs to suffer through a miserable job. Take it from a guy who has wasted 9 years working in the wrong field.
The more I can help inspire people to take a look at the direction of their lives, the better. I have had people email me telling me that I inspired them to start their own business and quit the job that was making them unhappy. That’s what it’s all about..
BethanyBob
I’m resurrecting old posts and I hope you don’t mind…
I knew in January 2010 that I needed a job that didn’t suck, and I figured the only way to get it was to go back to school (massage school, actually). I was all registered and everything; I just needed a job to help finance it.
Cue my finding the exact thing I didn’t want in the first place. We got off on the wrong foot, my retail job and I: the assistant manager was hesitant in hiring me and didn’t tell me where the employee orientation was; training was (and continues to be) spotty; and half the supervisors were jerks.
I’ve been there over a year now. Not too many people have the dubious honor of holding a certificate saying, “Congratulations! You’ve worked here a year!” I’ve hated every day of it since May 7, 2010.
I graduate September of this year. In the meantime, I’ve twice made the mistake of trying to work eight hours and then go to school for four hours afterward: I take the bullshit with me, I’m exhausted, and neither is conducive to giving massages.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but it still seems hopelessly far off.