The 9 to 5, that’s what I am. That’s who I’ve been since I was 16: the 9 to 5. For those who don’t know, the 9 to 5 is the shift within the work day. The 9 to 5 can be any shift, aka 8 to 4, 12 to 9, 5 to 9, etc. These are the shifts of an average standard job. These jobs are for most of the average people who are working to live, working to survive, to eat, to pay bills, and buy crap they don’t need. The 9 to 5 is work, home, sleep, and repeat. A 9 to 5 is a job that pays the minimum wage or lower, higher if you have education or training.

It’s like that Dolly Parton song 9 to 5; check out the song:

Good song, until you read the lyrics. It’s all happy and cheery until you realize it’s totally true. Then it gets deep and depressing real quick.

Nine to fivers are slaves to the beaten path. They are dreamers who have gotten stuck, lost in the daily grind called life.

Now don’t get me wrong, I can’t say all nine to fivers are like this. Everyone I know is a nine to fiver, and from what I see, no one seems to be able to get out of their own way, and see the bigger picture, including myself. Dreaming is one thing, but putting in the action is harder. We’re so busy trying to make it, that we forget what we are doing it for, other than the common goal of trying to make it another day. Dreams cost money, a lot of money, and time that a lot of us don’t have.

I myself come from a long line of nine to fivers. My grandparents, great uncle, and aunts all worked until they couldn’t any more. My parents have always worked. I can remember them always needing to go to work. Being there from early in the morning to late at night. Not because they loved it, but because they needed to live. My siblings and I knew that at a certain age, we would have to eventually do the same. It was so natural for us to go into the 9 to 5 workforce, that when we suddenly found ourselves without a job, we panicked in fear and didn’t know what to do.

At this moment in time I don’t have a job. I worked at a job for 9 years as a nine to fiver (I won’t say why I left my last job, because it's honestly a short story I don’t feel like telling. But know I do not regret leaving). But not having a job gave me time to think. Which is always an enlightening experience (sigh depressingly). I realized that without a job, I was nothing. I was depressed because it made me realize that’s all I was. Without my 9 to 5, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I think of all the dreams I pushed back because of money or time I didn’t have. Or simply because I had to work. But then I think maybe my nine to five was an excuse to not live, to stay put. I didn’t want change, because change is scary, really scary. Especially if you’re not good at the one thing you want.

A lot of us do the daily 9 to 5 dance because there is simply no choice. Some of us do it as a place holder for whatever comes next. There are so many reasons why we stay at our 9 to 5 jobs. I think another reason is because we are conditioned into living this way. It’s the safest option. Because we know no harm can come from a simple nine to five.

I myself am supposed to find a nine to five, you know just for now, so I can make a little money. So I can pay my bills, so I can buy food, so I can…………. survive.

Funny thing is, I applied for a job last week that basically said we'd pay you almost the minimum wage, and we want you to work all day and night whenever we want. Every time I apply for these standard 9 to 5 jobs, I can feel a bit of myself chip away, I can feel myself literally ache from exhaustion, and I haven’t even gotten the job. The mere thought of doing what I’ve been doing for the last 9 years...I can’t, I can’t do that to myself again.

I know what you’re saying. “Oh, she just doesn’t want to work."

...Yep

I myself am stuck between what I know, what I should do, and what I need...I need a job, but the idea of going back to a 9 to 5, and doing the same repetitive things I did before, I'd rather be dead (dramatic, I know). What do I do? How do we change this?

I want to be an actress, so I took a step into looking at some acting classes, and over the weekend I did some modeling. This week I’ll be going to a casting for modeling at a fashion show. It’s not much, but I’m trying to live the dream. I still need a job, so I’m trying to look for something unconventional, or flexible. Something that isn’t like the standard 9 to 5.

I'd like to say this to all the nine to fivers: Be brave, and try! Don't forget about your dreams. It might take a minute, but make an attempt to move forward with your dreams.