【Companies Won't Protect Their Employees】 Live Life Your Own Way

My father was a passionate salaryman.



My father's prime years were during the bubble economy of the early Heisei era, and the company he worked for was rapidly opening new branch offices, with my father taking the lead in setting them up.

Perhaps because it was more common back then to move the whole family rather than have the father live away from home, I moved five times before graduating from elementary school. I was bullied quite a bit every time we moved.



Back then, Sunday was the only day off, so my father would work from Monday to Saturday, working during the day and going out for business dinners, returning home late at night, drunk.



On Sundays, he would either go to the driving range during the day or play golf for work, so he was almost never home.



However, perhaps because he pushed himself too hard, one day my father collapsed from illness while at work.



He was hospitalized for six months and was eventually able to be discharged safely, but his body was no longer capable of the kind of overwork he used to do.



After being discharged, my father returned to the company, but he started coming home earlier every day.



He had been hospitalized due to illness, and he couldn't handle the late-night socializing or golf anymore, so I thought it was only natural that he couldn't push himself until his health recovered.

However, in reality, it seemed there was no place left for my father at the company after his discharge.



During the six months he was hospitalized, the branch manager had been replaced by someone who used to be my father's subordinate, and it seems that because my father, whose physical strength had been sapped by illness, could no longer perform like the pure-blooded salesman he once was and could not produce results, he was removed from the sales department.



My mother had already passed away, and with no one at home to open up to, my father seemed to lose his soul; he took a leave of absence from work, spent his days drinking only alcohol without eating properly, and after his mind and body fell apart, he passed away.

After my father passed away, I went to the company where he had been employed to pick up his personal belongings.


When I explained my business at the reception, the receptionist handed me my father's belongings, which had been roughly stuffed into a paper bag.


My stay lasted about two minutes, by my estimation.


No one from the department where my father worked came out, and the receptionist just handed me the bag with a very business-like smile, and that was it...

【Companies Won't Protect Their Employees】

No matter how much heart and soul you pour into working for a company, the company's attitude can change at the drop of a hat.


As a college student, I engraved that into my heart.



I closed myself off, and while I outwardly became a salaryman who was obedient and met the company's expectations to a reasonable degree, I spent my free time reading books and attending investor seminars with the thought that I would one day earn a living on my own.

After turning 40, I completely stopped the social golf that I had almost never missed until then.

Thinking that there was no need to force myself to cling to a place where the company's rules didn't suit me, I changed jobs to a company with a commission-based system where I wasn't forced to play golf and was rewarded according to my sales.

What I gained by stopping social golf

・Reduced stress from no longer having to deal with troublesome social interactions


・I was able to use the spare time and money I used to spend at the driving range for studying to improve my own skills


・I was able to use the time I used to spend on golf on weekends for time with my family



When I changed jobs, my children were still small, so thanks to not having to play golf, I was able to take them to various places every weekend, and by doing the cooking on one of the weekend days, I was able to create some refreshing time for my wife.


Recently, my children have grown up a bit and don't want to go out with me anymore, but I have continued to cook to give my wife a break.


Since I have time, I sometimes go to the mountains or the sea alone for a change of pace.

【Living Life Your Own Way】

You inevitably need money to live.

Just being able to earn that money without stress in a condensed amount of time each day, and being able to spend your own time, time with your family, and time with your friends freely, makes life very meaningful.

If you are feeling anxious about your current environment, please gather your courage and try to take a step forward, even if it's just half a step.

Take action now.