You are not meant to dread work.
At it’s best, work is the primary way that man realizes who he is. What he’s good at, what he’s bad at - both things we are not born knowing.
Through an over-obsession with efficiency, riches, status, and power, work is twisted into a means to an end other than the worker.
This obsession, while not natural, is our current default. We dream of being retired, at leisure, following our every whim. And this vision becomes our treasure against which everything is measured.
The focus on the now is blurred in favor of the focus on the tomorrow - when we will finally be free. But tomorrow never comes, and that freedom we chase remains ever elusive.
The best way to engage more fully in work and remain present in it is to take time away from it and reflect on it.
Further, a feeling of “being trapped” by a consumption-driven world adds fuel to the fire of dread. To fight this from being another avenue in which we come to resist work, we must resist being overladen with debt through bad spending habits.
Freedom is available through sacrifice and dedication to work. That starts today, right now - not when you retire.