Law of Insanity

We often whine more than what we can imagine, be it about work, about school, about family or relationships. We will always rant about the same things over and over again without knowing the reason.

I remembered I was giving out the same old negative rant on my msn one fine day and this ‘friend’ of mine suddenly message me. Well she wasn’t really a ‘friend’ but someone whom I’ve added on my msn network without knowledge.

She asked if I’m unhappy about my current job.
I replied ‘yes’ instantly without giving a thought. You would have imagined how much unhappiness I was going through at that time.

The next question she asked was quite expected.
“So what you gonna do?”

I replied that I was looking for a new job in other companies.

“New job or new company?” she asked.

I told her probably a new company as I already have the experience for this current role.

“Aren’t you doing the same thing?” she replied.

“Yeah I’ll guess so, but I will be better off in my next job I suppose”

“Better off with?”

“Maybe higher pay, maybe higher post, maybe…”

“Life is so full of maybes huh?”

“Yeah, there’s nothing I can do”

“You can step out of the circle, how many jobs you hold including current?” she replied.

“This is my third job” I replied without shame on my job loyalty.

“What did you change from the first job to now?”

“Well… my pay is higher than my first two jobs.”

“I guess you didn’t read my question too well, I asked you what did you change from the first job. Not what did you get from the difference”

“I didn’t changed much, I only changed environment.”

“Why are you doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results?”
This was the question that shot me the deepest that day.

“Don’t you get the same feeling from your first job and your current?”

“Kinda… yeah” I replied after pausing for a long thought.

“So?” she was prompting a response from me.

“So… I don’t know what I’m going to do” I replied.

“Do something different, stop doing the same things over and over. You can change companies, you can change bosses but your job scope and responsibility will always be the same if you do the same kind of jobs.”

I didn’t replied but she continued shooting at me ruthlessly.

“Don’t rant about something which you fail to change. You are the first to blame if you are in this current situation. ”

I was pissed that a total stranger was giving me a lesson on life. Not pissed with her but myself for failing to see and understand about what she had said.

I was doing the same things for the last 7 years. Even though I changed two companies and my salary increased, there are elements that will never changed.

I used to believe that career advancement is all about putting in effort and continuously showing aggressiveness in your daily job to finish up all the tasks that is given to you.

I believe that if I work hard and meet all the expectations, all my hard work will pay off and I will move up the ladder very soon.

King of wishful thoughts.
There will always be situations that I have no control on and against me.

Although I tried to steer the ship towards other directions, I was not prepared to give up my current salary due to financial reasons.

I felt stuck in the mud hole and the feeling worsen everyday as you would have felt you are driven to work with a knife on your neck.



Two years had passed since that conversation and recently I just began doing some freelancing design jobs.

As I work on something different, I saw a different light.
The feeling of achievement is something that I’ve never felt in my career.
Perhaps this is the feeling of ‘change’ as I recalled the conversation once more.

I decided to change the way I do my job, I wasn’t as aggressive as I used to be and I tried to have ‘fun’ in what I’m I doing. Not practically ‘playing on my job’ but applied a lighter approach towards my career. No more setting unrealistic career objectives for myself but enjoy the moments of being in it everyday.

Not getting emotional for not able to get the best performance for that year. I’m proud of whatever result that is given to me, as having the job is already the best proof of your worth towards the company.

I still rant, no less but definitely on a lighter note altogether.

All thanks to a lady named Lisa and Albert Einstein for his quote.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”