What is a job?

I don't think many people will understand what I'm going thro. Usually, a job, e.g. accountant, engineer, lawyer, is just a job. It's something that we do so that we earn a living. It's not our life's priority, which are usually health, family, and happiness.

In our current society, a job can be more time and emotionally consuming than it should be. Most of us spend more time at work than at home, and some people places career above everything. Even if we are not that career minded or workaholic, we grew up learning to work hard so as to earn more, as having a "good job" is one of the foundation of a happy and successful life. We are taught how to live in a materialistic and commercial world..

I grew up in the environment that I described above. So in my last 15 years of working, I worked hard and I worked smart. I was very committed to all my jobs and the companies. I produce a lot of good results, and I was constantly rewarded with promotions and growth. From a wide eyed accounts executive fresh out of school, I progress to become a competent accountant, and then I am the confident and capable manager that I am now.

The transition took place day after day, without me realizing that career has become such an important part of my life. Another reason why this is so is that life outside work is relatively simpler (doesn't need a lot of attention or create much headache). So day in day out, my energy was spent on resolving work issues, such as "how to close accounts on time next month", "how to implement charges because of new business deals" etc etc. Everyday, I face challenge at work rather than at home.

Now that I explained how my job has inevitably became an important part of my life, I then can explain why the crisis that I faced in my job this year took such a toll on my personal emotion.