🎙 65. Coming Full Circle: 7 Reasons Having a 9-5 Can Be Cool

the spiritual 9-5 podcast transcript

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Episode Published on Feb 27, 2024

Transcript:

Intro to the Intro

It can be cool to have a 9-5 or a job to work for someone else. To support yourself financially in this way is something to celebrate, to appreciate, and be proud of. And in this episode, we bring forward seven reasons why that is, including nervous system regulation. 

Listen, I'm not saying that a 9-5 is for everyone. I'm just saying that it can be cool. 

Intro music 🎶

I believe that working can be one of the most spiritual paths that we walk. Whether that work is turning your passion into a business, or sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day, or anywhere beyond and in between. 

And yet, we often take the way in which we show up to work for granted, even though it's where we spend the majority of our time. Here on The Spiritual 9–5 Podcast, we talk about that.

We talk about entrepreneurship, we talk about the 9–5, we talk about what it's like to be multi-passionate and talented and inspired, and also utterly demotivated. We are here to support you in your work, whether your work is sacred to you, or just something that you do to get by. We are here to help you see and know yourself a little bit deeper, and to inspire you to show up no matter what it is that you find.

I'm your host, Marie Groover, and like you, I am as multi-passionate as they come. I'm the founder of two businesses that are here to bring the soul back into the office. I, too, work a 9-to-5 in corporate tech. I'm a surfer, a writer, a philosopher-artist, if you will, and I'm so excited to bring you this episode today. 

If you haven't, please leave the show a 5-star rating, and if this episode resonates, consider saving it and sharing it with someone you think it would resonate with, too. 

Intro music fades 🎶

Many of you know that I just started a new gig after two years of being completely on my own as an entrepreneur. 

If you don't know but are curious, tune in to episode 62 for the behind the scenes. It's a very transparent breakdown from 9–5 to entrepreneurship to 9–5. And I have to add, I'm still an entrepreneur. 

Starting this new job, I did not quit either of my businesses, and I don't intend to. This episode, however, was inspired by going back to work and realizing all the things that are just kind of cool about having a job again. Things that I forgot about but have been immediately reminded of in my last three weeks at CrowdStrike. 

And things that may or may not be relatable for you as well. I'll run through my list, then we will dive deeper into each aspect. There will be side tangents, and as always, I'm curious what your thoughts are, what your experience has been, and how all of this lands. So if you're feeling it, definitely reach out. 

And I have to add, my dog is right behind me chewing on a bone, and I just can't, I don't have it in me, to send him out of the room and be alone in the living room, so I'm so sorry that you can hear the noises. 

Okay, the list. 

Seven reasons having a job can be pretty cool. And dare I say, double as reasons to be grateful and even stoked about employment. 

Number one, community.

It's cool to be part of a team with a shared purpose. 

Number two, scope of accountability. 

It's cool to have a boss again. 

Number three, predictability.

It's cool to plug into a system that has already been established with existing rhythms. It's also cool to know when you're going to get paid. 

Number four, skill and complexity can be pretty fun, or at least I think so. 

Number five, self-discovery. 

You know that this one is my favorite. If you're paying attention, work shows you who you are. I think work is one of the most spiritual journeys we can walk, so I am a super fan of number five. 

Number six, experimentation.

This is where work and entrepreneurship or personal endeavors integrate. 

And finally, number seven, boundaries. 

There is a line of demarcation that exists when you work a 9–5 that really is almost impossible when you're working for yourself, and I think that that's cool, too. 

Much of this list, by the way, is here because it contributes to nervous system regulation. That's why I think it's cool. That's why I like it. That's why I'm privy to this particular list that I've called out, because there are some circumstances, many circumstances, where having a 9–5 can really support your nervous system. 

And maybe – let me know what you think – I should record an episode about how having a 9–5 can also be really hard for your nervous system, because this episode is one perspective, but there are so many other perspectives to explore for sure. 

If that sounds interesting, can you let me know? Email me, respond to the poll if you're listening on Spotify, reply to my newsletter, DM me on LinkedIn. If you have my number, message me directly. I think it could be interesting. 

It feels, honestly, a little vulnerable to produce, like being back in a 9–5 again to talk about how dysregulating this type of work can be to a nervous system, which is a whole other thing to maybe think about adding to that episode. 

And maybe we can also bring in a guest or have a couple episodes, because I think this is such an important topic, who can share about their nervous system experience in the 9–5 as well. I don't know. What do you think? Let me know. 

Anyways, back to this episode today. Let's go through this list a little bit deeper, starting with number one, community or connection. 

Working a 9–5 is cool because it's comforting and nourishing to be part of a team. It's really cool to know that you're not alone. Connection is a basic human need, and sometimes we overlook it. 

I think most especially people who are high performers or high achievers or multi-passionate, multi-faceted, who once they feel a little bit of pressure in their life, tend to overlook the value and importance of connecting with other humans. 

Like, the connection itself is worthwhile. And even those who are not high performing, I think that as humans living in the world we live in today, we can have this tendency that when things go wrong, we have to solve it alone, or we have to like roll up our sleeves and focus on the problem at hand, and like cut everyone out of our lives for a bit until we fix everything. 

Which is fundamentally the opposite of what we should do. But I think that our culture, at least in the Western world, has shaped us this way for whatever reason. And the thing is that connection is part of how we get through life. It's a major nervous system regulator. 

I mean, many of us never learned how to regulate our nervous systems on our own to begin with. 

If your parents didn't know how to regulate their systems and then pick you up when you were a crying baby so that their regulation could regulate you, you probably don't know how to and you may even have distorted tendencies for how you try to regulate it with someone else, depending on the type of modeling your parents gave you for their own nervous system regulations. 

And I mean, that's all a tangent. So the point is, connection is important. 

It helps us survive and thrive, and it reduces stress and calms our nervous system, and community is important for that reason. And work, when you work a 9–5, when you work for an employer, when you have to go into an office, when you work remotely, but you're working for someone and there's a team, that provides a built-in community of sorts. 

Working in a company, especially a bigger company where you can kind of find your people, like there are ERGs, or employer resource groups, or groups to join. But even if you don't, you have a shared goal or purpose just by being on a team. And that alone can be really good for you. 

I really think we underestimate how valuable that is. Because you are experiencing something alongside other people who are experiencing the same or very similar things. You have people for which to relate and share notes and talk to. Also, with workplace community, there is, or should be, a shared direction. 

Or in the very least, a shared space where there is no direction. Like if you're on a team and your boss is super unclear about everything, you have other people to talk to about it. And that will make you feel better, which will make work easier to show up for, which will also make the rest of your life also easier to show up for. 

I think, truly, when we have difficulty with our jobs, part of the reason for that difficulty is because we're feeling isolated, we're feeling disconnected, we're feeling like we can't talk to anybody and be seen and understood. We're feeling alone. Right? 

So, on my first day at CrowdStrike, one of my all-time favorite moments was realizing that I was no longer out here in the world alone. 

Because in entrepreneurship, you are so alone. 

And, you know, joining CrowdStrike, it was this realization that I didn't need to go out of my way to find other people who are experiencing similar things, because everybody online was experiencing similar things, especially as they got closer to me in terms of teams and roles and priorities. 

Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, which I am still very much in, can be lonely. And you do have to go out into the world and seek your people and your team, but not the team that works for you directly. The team of people you can talk to about shared experiences, that you can be vulnerable with, that will support you, mentor you, hold space with you, commiserate with you. As an entrepreneur, you have to find that, when you're not always clear about your job or what it is that you're going to do. So then you have to find that when you're not always clear about what it is that you're even looking for. 

And in many ways, by the way, especially if you're in the coaching industry, you buy that. You join masterminds or other paid communities, or you place yourself where like-minded and experienced people will be willing to share knowledge and experience with you without you having to pay for their expertise. Or sometimes you still have to pay for their expertise. 

Add to that, you are limited on space and time, and every other entrepreneur will also be limited on space and time to an extent, you know? Like, these are people who are very cognizant and intentional of how and where and who they spend time with because they could be doing something else more productive, or making money. 

So when I started at CrowdStrike, there was this super warm welcome and outpouring of people who were like, hey, I've got your back. If you have any questions, I'm here. Let's set up a call. Let's have a virtual coffee. And it was really cool. It felt warm and fuzzy, and I forgot how much I love working with other people in this kind of way. And how nourishing support is, and shared spaces, and shared experiences are.

If you have a 9–5, something to be grateful for that can be overlooked quite often is community or connection or shared space with other people going through the same things that you are, where you have a shared goal or purpose. You might have different perspectives, but how might you lean into the connection and appreciate it even more? 

And if you disdain everyone that you work with, perhaps it's time to investigate that and see what is there for you. 

Number two, scope of accountability. 

And by this, what I really mean is that I think it's cool to have a boss again. When you have a boss, you have a guide. You have someone else who is actually responsible for your results.

You have direction. You get to be trusted with someone else's vision. You have accountability, of course, but the company is also probably not going to burn down if you fuck up. And/or your boss will have your back, hopefully. And that doesn't give you a free pass for messing around, right, or messing up at work. 

But a boss can help you prioritize. And again, really, they can be your guide in your work and what you produce. 

That doesn't mean that they hold your hand, but a good boss will keep you on your edge, and allow you to know that you are supported, that they have their back, that they're going to help you. I mean, that's my idea of a good boss. A good boss looks differently, I think, to everyone. 

But, to have one again after not having one for a couple of years, it's kind of like a big exhale. It's a sigh of relief. Going to work at CrowdStrike feels like I'm empowered to conquer the world, but I don't have to do it alone. 

And I have someone who is going to keep me in check, which is massive nervous system regulation. Again, massive sigh of relief. My scope of accountability is under this umbrella of someone else's.

Of course, I am and I will take that seriously, as should you if you're an employee somewhere. And again, the results of the entire company are not just dependent on me. And where they are dependent on me or my work or my team or our greater team or organization, I have a little bit of guidance and direction and a scope that I think is pretty manageable. I have people that I can work with for defining all of these things, namely my boss, but also my team. 

On the other hand, working for myself in entrepreneur land feels like, well, it feels like I am it. I'm responsible for the vision, the mission, the execution, the results, everything. Even when I hire people, even when there is a team, I am the guide. And I love that. And it's hard sometimes. 

You hold a lot as a business owner, founder, entrepreneur, even independent contractor or consultant, which is why having a coach is such a luxury. If you're walking down the path of entrepreneurship or founder or CEO, I mean, even VP, right? 

So if you have a boss, hopefully–this is my wish for you–hopefully, they are a good boss.

And, how might you appreciate that, in having a boss, you have some sort of guide or partner or collaborator? You are not alone. You don't just have to figure everything out. And someone is there for you to provide cover and help you prioritize and hopefully enable and empower you to grow and be at your edge without feeling like you're going to fall and the world wind. 

I had to take my dog out for a quick second, but I'm back. 

Predictability, number three. 

And this episode is sponsored by my dog, Ddokbokki, which means spicy rice cake in Korean because he is a Korean dog. And he is taking up a lot of my time as I record this. But, and predictability.

Another reason that having a 9–5 is cool is because there comes with it a system that has already been established where there are rhythms that exist with and without you. Where there are pay cycles, cadences, structure. Your nervous system loves predictability and consistency. Loves it. And where there is an established company, there are rhythms. 

If there is little guidance or structure, simply pay attention. The rhythms will unfold. They will reveal themselves to you. But you do have to pay attention. 

For example, I was recently talking with a friend who has a uterus, as do I, and we were talking about our cycles and how for, we're both in our thirties, 20-ish years, we've been existing cyclically and not really having awareness around that. You know, your cycle is the same pretty much every month, and yet the lived experience feels wildly different every single day.

You end up repeating these big feelings, certain reactions and ways of being, dramatizations, etc., in your cycle again and again and again, until one day you maybe start to write it down or you look up your cycle or you get an app that tracks it for you, and you realize, shit, this is all normal. 

And suddenly your life changes because you have predictability, because you know what's coming and you can prepare for it. And you can also not make it a huge existential thing while you're actually in it. Instead, you can regulate yourself just by having the knowledge. 

So fun fact and side note, the female cycle is roughly 30 days, give or take, and the male hormonal cycle is about 24 hours. I say this because I think it's quite interesting when we start to pay attention and notice it, but I think it's also quite interesting when we look at how things move and work in a 9–5 type environment or a workplace umm..scenario. 

Because most of the time, if we look at a 9–5, that's Monday through Friday, you know, business week, we are accommodating actually the male cycle. And that's something that I think is just interesting and wise to pay attention to, regardless of if you have a uterus or don't have a uterus, right? 

But I think it's wise to pay attention to, because when you start to pay attention, you see where you are in your cycle, but you also can see the cycles of where it is that you work. And compare notes and work better, be happier, feel more efficient, actually be more productive, right? So working in a company, in office, remotely, in academia, whatever, similar. 

People are generally the same, like each person is who they is. Not grammatically correct, but true. And where we tend to have issues is where we expect them to be different, to behave in some sort of other way. 

Meanwhile, you know, work tends to be cyclical, like us, where we have issues is when we expect it to be something that it isn't. But if we pay attention, we can understand and we can predict. We can calmly walk through the fire that happens every single month-end or quarter-end or during annual planning, every single time without fail, even if the reasoning seems different, even if the justifications seem different. 

Oftentimes, the justifications seem different, the reason seems different, the frustration seem different, the priority seems just high, high, high, because we're all in these cycles that we're not aware of. And when folks are not aware of the same thing that happens again and again, we will create reasons for why that is, as opposed to just pausing to pay attention. 

Like we are always behind. 

So it doesn't matter why sometimes, how about let's just not get worked up about it. Let's just be with it, you know? Like Janet in HR is always going to be like Janet in HR. And if the way she is, is frustrating to you, because she responds the same way every time, rather than getting frustrated and trying to change the response, why not just accept the response, notice the cycle that's there, and be with the cycle and work with the cycle.

The same thing, if you know that every single month-end there's going to be a fire, you can predict that! If you know at every single month-end, the sales team is going to be running around with their heads chopped off, you can predict that. So rather than getting frustrated with it and reacting, you can respond, right? 

Okay, I have fully gone off on a tangent, because what I really meant was that you can know what to expect. 

In the very least, if you're not paying attention to all the things around you, which I do highly recommend, when you have a 9–5, you know when you're going to get paid. When you have a job working for a company or someone else, you know when you're going to get paid. And that's pretty cool. 

I one time recorded a podcast about how I think it's pretty cool in entrepreneurship that you never know when you're going to get paid or how much, which means you can get paid at any time and any moment, which is very exciting. And I still stand by that. It is very exciting. I love when I see, you know, payment hit the bank account. I love when I see a sale go through, right? It's so fun. 

And it's really nice to know what my paycheck is exactly, and when it will hit my bank exactly. 

Because the nervous system prefers predictability and consistency over surprises, even if surprises are fun. So if you have a job or a 9–5, or if you run your own business, actually, just period. Pay attention to the rhythms. And again, lean into them where you can accept them, be with them. And how might you even appreciate them? 

Knowing that your nervous system likes predictability, and it is entirely possible to tap into predictability and consistency, even when things feel chaotic. Remember, predictability feels safe to the body. It allows the body to relax. So how might you allow yourself to relax? 

Side, but very relevant note: I do have to acknowledge that the state of tech, but probably many other industries, have been quite unstable recently. 

And while you may know when you're getting paid and how much, at this moment in time, you might not know for how long. Because a lot of companies have been doing massive layoffs. And that is the opposite of predictable or stable or safe for your nervous system.

And my unsolicited guidance here is to lean into the present where you can. To lean into the known quantities where you can. And to be easy on yourself, recognizing when you may be feeling unsafe, or stressed, or fearful, and worried, which could kick you into survival mode, by the way. So, being gentle with yourself, knowing that these feelings and reactions are normal and valid given the state of the industry.

Give yourself grace. And in these times, what I would say is stay connected to yourself, to your own rhythms, and to any connection points that you have with other humans. Because again, I said this with number one, we tend to stray from connecting when things feel hard. But really, that's when we need it the most. It's an honor to be there for someone when they need it. Don't take that honor away from the people in your life. Stay connected, because you are never alone. 

I should probably create an episode for nervous system regulation, especially in the season of mass layoffs. If that sounds interesting to you, let me know. 

It's something I've been witnessing and observing and contemplating deeply for probably about a year now. And maybe you have been too. If you've been affected by layoffs, or are fearful of them, and you want to come on the podcast and talk about it, also reach out. I'm extending the invitation. 

Okay, but back to the list. Number four is scale and complexity. 

I think that it's really cool to be thinking at scale. For me, I think it's really cool to be thinking at scale again. Not about scaling my own business or work, but thinking in terms of an entire market segment or impact across multiple organizations.

And I think it's fun to be solving problems at this level that would never be problems in either of my businesses. 

Man, I love execution at scale. One of my favorite experiences in my career thus far was working in the first chief of staff office I ever worked in. It was at Microsoft. It was a rotational program, so it was temporary. Almost like an internal internship opportunity for not-early-in-career people. And it was with an organization that was 10,000 people strong. It was big. And it was global. And I got to see how the Kool-Aid was made. I got to see how we served the Kool-Aid, and how excited people got about the Kool-Aid, how we got them excited about the Kool-Aid, how we got people wanting to drink the Kool-Aid and then serve the Kool-Aid to their friends and colleagues. 

Like, I got to see how an idea from a senior leadership team or an executive team became a reality for an entire organization of 10,000 plus people, which rippled out into the world, by the way, to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of consumers and customers.

That is fucking cool. When you think about it from that perspective, that is really cool. And I was hooked. 

This was something that I missed in my own business, where my problems were just smaller, are just smaller. Most of my business problems are somewhat me-centric, like mostly things that I need to work through within myself in order to take the right actions to get the results that I'm seeking. 

The scope of impact is so much bigger at a large company, that even if you play a small part and you feel like it doesn't matter, or you feel like what's the point, you have to realize that you're contributing to something that is actually probably changing the world as we all know it. 

Businesses are like ecosystems and massive living organisms that affect everything around them. And everything is connected. There is power behind the individual because it's something so much greater than one individual. 

And by the way, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with this. And many companies are not as concerned or accountable for that level of responsibility as I think they should be. Like, some companies are not good companies and they are maybe not making the world a better place, arguable. Not naming any companies. 

But if you work for a company that has values or creates a meaningful product or contributes to the world in a way that you agree with, this can be really powerful. 

Don't forget that you, as an individual, doing whatever it is that you do on a daily basis for a company or for yourself or for a volunteer organization, you're contributing to the planet no matter what you do or who you work for. And the scale at which you contribute if you work for someone else is probably bigger than you're giving yourself credit for right now in this moment. 

Which is also an invitation to reflect: 

Are you working somewhere where you believe in the company's contribution to the world? Do you even know what your company's contribution to the world is? Do you know the whole story around it? 

And I will say, no business or company story is ever going to be perfect. Just like we as human beings, none of us are perfect. We're not all doing everything right, right? Like we all cause unintentional harm. 

But in the grand scheme, do you believe in what your company is doing? If yes, amazing! That is something to celebrate because you are an essential part of that work and that amplification and that impact on the world around you. 

Again, tangent: 

I was talking about scale and then we went into a different type of scale. But the point was, personally, I like big problems. I think it's cool that I get to flex my mind in this way, again, in ways that I wouldn't in my own businesses. And I think it's cool that this mind flexing feeds an ecosystem, for better or for worse, that feeds the world, for better or for worse. 

And I think it's something to think about as you contemplate your own work, if you work for someone else. Or even if you work for yourself. 

What's the impact of that? Where do you enjoy working? Do you enjoy working at scale or do you enjoy working at smaller scale? Right? 

Okay, number five, self-discovery. 

This is my favorite. I think the coolest part of anything that we do ever is the opportunity for knowing ourselves deeper. 

We are constantly changing and growing and in flux. And when we pay attention, we see ourselves reflected in everything. When we let go of who we think we're supposed to be, or whatever we think what we see means about us, and when we let go of the stories we are attached to, we find some pretty neat things. 

And when it comes to the 9–5, especially out of being out of it for two years, I'm really excited to meet myself again, but in a new way, because I know that I've grown and changed a lot. Even in my perspective on the 9–5 is so different than it once was. And now I get to meet this new version of myself. 

To be clear, every single day, you and I, we get to meet new versions of ourselves, regardless of what we do. 

The workplace, however, is one of the most complex, interesting, frustrating, fun, dynamic environments for which we can find ourselves. Because it is so complex. And because we are so complex. 

And because of this complexity together, there are almost always going to be about 100,000 points of conflict within us at any given time. Most especially, yeah, when there's complexity around us. 

So how do we show up for that? How do we nourish ourselves through that? How do we remember what matters most? How do we keep healthy perspective and mindset? How do we grow? How do we establish psychological safety? And who do we want to be through it all? 

These are questions we get to ask ourselves on a regular basis. And we get to find a lot of answers through how we show up at work, with other people, in projects that are hard, in projects that we don't give any actual fucks about, and/or that we do kind of care about and think are really cool, but we're like, “meh” you know, it's work. And it's interesting to meet ourselves through all of that and more.

I mean, that was like the whole point of starting this podcast. And to some extent, that was a major point and factor behind starting the Corporate Psychic as a business: Was to find these transcending points of life through our work, and through the tension and the opposites, and in all the things that pull us in different directions. And to witness how we show up for all of it. 

So if there's anything at all to be grateful for when it comes to your job, or what I would say is if there's nothing at all to be grateful for when it comes to your job, regardless of how you feel about your job, working is a serious invitation to know yourself and to transcend and transform. 

I believe that work is one of the most spiritual things that you can do, regardless of what you do for work. And how you go about it is one of the most defining ways to develop your character and to become truly the type of person you want to become. 

Work is such an invitation and can be such an initiation into your highest self. Man, if we all saw the potency here, the world would be a way better place. A way better place! And we would all probably be working so much less too, by the way. 

Anyways, I digress. Number six, experimentation. 

Okay, hear me out. If you are an entrepreneur, if you are an artist, a writer, a creative, a hobbyist of sorts, and you hold a job too, your job doesn't need to be your nemesis. Your job can be the ultimate place to source inspiration and to experiment with ideas. 

It's character development. Like if you're a writer, you can develop your characters based on your experience and people, because you're working with real people in the real world, right? It's offer development. It's human relationship observation. It's systems observation. 

Your job can be a lab and a test center for your hypotheses and your views on the human experience. 

If you want to be an entrepreneur, especially a service-based entrepreneur, like you want to offer services to the people of the world, many people of the world have jobs. Working one helps you to understand what their experience is like on a day-to-day, because you are in it. You're in their shoes. 

For me, working again is the ultimate lab environment for my products and services. Most especially for Essential Teams. I am behind the closed doors. I am at city center. I am witnessing and noting the barriers to entry, the pain points, the appetite for the type of work that I bring to the world, whether or not people care or would invest. Or what would make them invest, the potential challenges I have to overcome. 

I'm developing empathy for my customers, because I get to be in the shoes of my customer. 

And I need to clarify for anyone who doesn't know, Essential Teams is an integrative team building and people development business. Our services are to facilitate team and individual experiences that deepen connection, increase awareness, develop empathy, develop leadership, deepen team trust, establish psychological safety in the workplace, which are all foundational elements for people's success. 

And if you didn't know, business is people. Because 100% of your customers are people, regardless of what your business is or brings to the world. Whether you're a product-based business or not, the people buying your products are customers. The people buying your services are customers. They're people! 

So my work with essential teams is essential to business success. I have to make this clarification, because I work for a cybersecurity company by day, and I'm not, like, infiltrating this company to develop my own cyber product, right? Like, that is maybe not ethical. I don't know. But it's not what I'm doing. There's no conflict of interest here. 

And when I say that, I am behind the closed doors, I mean that I get to wear the shoes of my customer personas. And this is the ultimate testing grounds for my work directly. 

So it's not just about learning where my work would be needed, learning who would be receptive, what are the pain points or challenges for myself and my customers, but I get to put my money where my mouth is and, like, lead with the leadership principles that I'm teaching.

I get to actively test my methodologies and product suite and see what's effective. And personally, I think that's pretty cool. 

And this point here will be a future episode, because I have so many clients who are creatives and work a 9–5, and sometimes they miss the opportunity to integrate and source from both. Most especially my clients who identify as and offer healing services. They miss the connection point and the integration. And they keep everything separate when, in fact, their job could really support their work in ways beyond paying for it. 

So number six was experimentation. And at some point, I will record an episode based on just the value of working in both and how your job can contribute so much to whatever it is that you're passionate about bringing to the world outside of your job. 

Okay. But back to the list. Last one. 

Number seven. Boundaries. 

Working hours. Time off. A defined job or scope. Lines of demarcation. These are all music to my ears. My point is when you work a 9–5, you can shut it down. Some people don't, but it's possible. Sometimes it's even encouraged. 

And so I say, find a job where turning it off is encouraged. But regardless of whether you shut it down or no, the job in itself is a container. It's contained. It's a boundary. There are things in and out of scope. 

That doesn't exist for me in entrepreneur land, or at least the boundaries and the bleed over is a bit more extensive.

Something that I'm so grateful for, that I highly encourage you all to lean into as well, are boundaries in the workplace. Because boundaries, whether they're containing a role or containing our availability or showing people how they can work with us or be in relationship with us or interact with us, they make us more reliable, consistent, clear to work with. They help other people to respect us. 

Having boundaries makes us more well respected. They communicate that we want to deepen in relationship with others, they are not walls. And boundaries are such amazing guideposts that to many extents are built into a job description or a career path. 

So let's celebrate that. I think boundaries in the workplace are amazing!

And I don't know about you, but it's definitely something that I appreciate in going back to the grind. 

Whew, okay. I've been talking a lot. 

This was a long one. So let's wrap for the week team: Seven reasons to appreciate your job or career, or at least seven reasons why I'm choosing to appreciate mine. 

I will repeat them back to you and then close this off. 

So number one is community and connection. It's cool to be part of a team with a shared purpose. 

Number two, scope of accountability. Sometimes it's cool to have a boss. 

Number three, predictability. It's cool to plug into a system that has already been established with existing rhythms. It's also pretty cool to know when you're going to get paid. 

Number four, scale and complexity. I think they can be pretty fun. 

Number five, self-discovery. If you're paying attention, work shows you who you are. Work is one of the most spiritual journeys we can walk. So why not embrace it? 

Number six, experimentation. This is where work and entrepreneurship or personal endeavors integrate. 

And finally, number seven, boundaries. There is a line of demarcation that exists when you work a job, and that's pretty cool if you ask me. 

So in conclusion, it can be cool to have a 9–5. It's cool to have a job and to support yourself financially, to be resourced, to learn a little bit more about yourself and who you want to become. If you have it, don't take it for granted. 

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Thank you so much for listening to The Spiritual 9–5 Podcast. I'm your host Marie Groover and I am beyond honored that you are here. Please follow, save, and rate the show and if you can, share your favorite episode with a friend.

It makes the world of a difference. Connect with me on LinkedIn. I would love to hear from you what you think about the show or my work, so don't be shy.

And I'm always here to connect and support you or your business through coaching, team building, and leadership development. You can find my work in the show notes. 

Until next time, Big Love.

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Shownotes:

The objective of Marie's two businesses–The Corporate Psychic and Essential Teams–as well as this podcast (The Spiritual 9–5), has been to find and reflect on the transcending points of life through our work, through the tension and the opposites we experience, and in all the things that pull us in different directions. It is to witness how we show up for all of it and to learn how to embrace it.

This episode shares seven benefits that a 9–5 role offers and the appreciation Marie is experiencing in one this time around. The truth may be that having a 9-5 can be pretty cool, even and especially when you work one alongside entrepreneurship.

Episode themes: Jobs | Business Lessons | 9–5 Business | Corporate | Management | Work | Lessons Learned

Links:

The Corporate Psychic Resources + Pod Transcripts: https://www.thecorppsychic.com/resources-index 

Essential Teams: https://www.youressentialteam.com/ 

Connect with Marie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmariegroover/ 

The production of this episode was in collaboration with Lyndsee Nielson. See her work here: ⁠www.lyndseeloves.com/⁠