Go Forth, Side FIRE Chronicles. That Stress Might Not Be About Relationships! Please Read This When You Think, 'Work Is Just Too Hard.'
Lately, work has been tough. The workplace environment is terrible. That person is just too unbearable.
Wait a minute. That might not be it.
Are you saying it's my fault? I see. So I have no choice but to quit my current job...
That might not be it either.
◇ ◇ ◇
Lately, the struggle at work has been my own story, and I was looking for the cause in the workplace environment, human relationships, or my own incompetence.
I really thought the cause was somewhere in there, and I didn't think it was just one thing, but rather a blend like 7:2:1, which made it hard to understand.
Please think of this as a sequel... (it's about side hustles).
Even while changing jobs, I stayed in one industry for over ten years, and I had the confidence that I could become a top player at any company in that field.
And yet, work is extremely difficult to do...
Or rather, I was being torn to shreds.
“You’re acting high and mighty.”
“You’re hard to work with.”
“Your way of speaking isn't good.”
“Someone like you doesn't fit our company culture.”
“I wonder if it was a mistake to renew your contract.”
(*Note: None of these people worked directly with me.)
Doesn't that include character assassination...?
個人事業の取引先から人格否定されるようなことを言われてね、昨日から落ち込みがひどいんだけど、でもそれって「心の制空権を他人に奪われてるから」じゃないかって気がする。
— 焔ふぁい|FIREの精霊 (@rockstar_narite) January 31, 2026
心を奪われてはいけない。自分の心は自分のものだ。
I never intended to act high and mighty at all!
I just did my job seriously... if I dare say, it might be because I had these feelings deep in my heart.
Is this really the right direction for the project? Shouldn't we think about it a bit more deeply? Wow, where does that confidence come from!
What I tried to question was the possibility that I had become a 'toxic veteran' because I was too strong.
Apparently, being a 'toxic veteran' is not about age. There is also a term called 'soft toxic veteran' that softens the image of age.
However, what I find hard to accept is that I am not saying things that 'were once effective but are now useless.' On the contrary, I possess the latest solutions that I have continued to change and evolve.
But, I don't know.
People who are 'old fogies' seem to think that 'I, at least, will not become an old fogy,' so in that sense, I have the potential.
◇ ◇ ◇
The one thing that gave me an answer to this vague feeling was the voice of my own heart.
Is the direction of the projectreally okay like this? Are you sure you don't need to think about it a little more deeply? Wow, where does that confidence come from!
Suddenly, I realized that the project the other person was talking about was something I had thought of in the past.
Since I thought of it that way, I suppose the other person would come up with that idea too...
The reverse of the reverse of the reverseIt was a feeling like that. One Othello piece flipped over.
As you know, in Othello, it is rare for 'only one piece to flip.' They flip over one after another.
The Othello piece at the very end told me this—
'Who is it? The protagonist? Of this work.'
It was not me.
◇ ◇ ◇
Our industry is needed by society. Someone has to carry it forward.
...However, I am not the one to carry it. People must grow. It is sad, but we are creatures that 'must' grow. In this place, I am no longer the protagonist.
It was not the time to be creating the latest solutions forever.
I will lay down my weapons here.
If no one can master them, I will take them apart and have them use only the parts. I just need to hand over what the protagonist needs.
'I leave the rest to you. It is a tough industry, but please do your best. It is a job that someone has to do.'
This was the role currently required of me.
◇ ◇ ◇
Why is work so hard?
Sometimes, a time comes when a person must change.
Roles change. What is required of you changes.
Change is painful.
It is the same as how the change of seasons is difficult.
It is not that the other person is at fault. It is not that you are at fault.
……………………
A time of changehas arrived.
Just understanding that is enough.
You do not need to take it as a trial or anything so heavy.
The arrival of a time of change is proof that you have grown.
Congratulations.
You did a great job!
You will surely be fine in the next stage as well.

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