We need to work. There is no argument there. Most of us spend long periods of time ticking off a series of things we have to do to generate enough income to make ends meet. 

Unless you are one of the 0.0001 percent of people who are sufficiently rich to not need to work for a living, you will fall under one of these realities: you either wake up full of energy and keen to go to work or dreading the next eight or twelve hours to come. 

On average, you fall between the two extremes – you may not necessarily be excited about the prospect of going to work but neither do you curse the fact that you have to go to work. The good news is that at least you feel something. This feeling guides us throughout our career. If you trust your instincts, this feeling will guide you well. 

There exists a third type of person. This person neither loves nor hates their job. They feel nothing. This type of worker drags themselves to work and all they care about is the salary they receive at the end of the month. These people neither have nor wish to have the ability to progress in their career. You who are reading this: get away from such people because they affected with the worst work-related cancer known to man: work apathy. 

Each and every one of us has a different source of motivation when it comes to work. Some of us  are motivated by the satisfaction of helping others, a good pay or the family we are working for. We all have our reasons for going to work. There is no wrong reason. 

Everyday we are sustained by this source of energy to keep up with everything we have to do at work. Some people get so much satisfaction from work that it becomes a renewable source of energy. In time, our sources of energy change. We may experience trouble at home.  Or maybe our work satisfaction is tempered when we offer our help to people who show no gratitude. We spend our time looking for ways to move ahead. That is, until we come face to face with the career cancer: apathy. Apathy attacks motivation like a tumour. 

 

You may try and fight it but it keeps eating away at you until you are left with nothing but the following symptoms:  lack of interest in our work; becoming ambivalent about your success or progress; poor communication; cynical outlook and no inclination to go even slightly beyond what is expected of you. A person who suffers from apathy is carried through life. Such a person counts the days towards retirement. What a pity! 

What happens if you catch this disease? What do you do if you wake up one morning and you realise you care nothing for work? There is a remedy for apathy, but it is not easy to administer. The remedy to apathy is not to find a new job and neither is it to accumulate more money. It is the awareness and appreciation of our own selves. When we realise that there is more to life than the salary we can only take action in a different direction. Only then can we overcome apathy. 

There are days when we are cautious about moving forward. There are times when we hang back and let life pass us by. But then we think about what we will think of the way we have lived our lives when we are older. Will we be sorry or proud of our journey? Apathy will lead only to disappointment. 

It is not easy to accept that realising our dreams is down to the choices we make. We are all gifted with a set of skills and talents that allow us to contribute to the betterment of this world. This remedy is a hard pill to swallow, but it is the only way to overcome the cancer that ruins so many journeys. 

Like any other disease, one needs to take the time to recuperate. You may feel unstable at first, but you will soon feel the strength coming back into your legs, your shoulders and, most importantly, your heart. 

Then, and only then, can you be ready to live the life you were meant to live.