---
title: 'Most People Blame Their Job. They''re Wrong.'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=PAN5FFJ-PeY'
video_id: 'PAN5FFJ-PeY'
date: 2026-08-05
duration_sec: 1522
---

# Most People Blame Their Job. They're Wrong.

> Source: [Most People Blame Their Job. They're Wrong.](https://youtube.com/watch?v=PAN5FFJ-PeY)

## Summary

The video addresses the widespread issue of workplace burnout, arguing that the root cause is often a mismatch between one's job and personal interests rather than the job itself. It presents a narrative about an employee, Rohit, who resigns due to burnout, and a mentor who guides him through a three-step process to find fulfilling work. The video uses statistics and examples to illustrate the prevalence of burnout and offers a solution based on self-reflection and gradual career shifts.

### Key Points

- **The Problem of Delayed Work** [00:14] — A manager confronts an employee about a delayed report, highlighting the pressure and lack of empathy in the workplace.
- **Anna's Story** [02:09] — Anna, a chartered accountant, dies from work pressure just four months into her dream job, illustrating the extreme consequences of overwork.
- **The Reality of Office Life** [03:10] — The initial excitement of a new job fades into a routine of office politics, long hours, and burnout, leaving no time for personal life.
- **Burnout Statistics** [04:15] — 73% of Gen Z and 70% of Millennials consider switching jobs or careers due to burnout, indicating a widespread issue.
- **Karoshi: Death by Overwork** [05:14] — The video cites the Japanese concept of Karoshi, where an employee died from overwork, and mentions that chronic stress can physically shrink the brain's hippocampus.
- **India's Burnout Crisis** [06:07] — According to a 2023 McGee report, India has the highest number of burnout cases globally, and the WHO reported 7.5 lakh deaths due to overwork in 2016.
- **Productivity Decline** [07:09] — Stanford research shows that productivity decreases when the work week exceeds 50 hours, leading to fatigue and errors.
- **Rohit's Second Reason: No Personal Life** [08:08] — Rohit explains that overtime leaves no time for personal life, and he feels he has no right to recognition if work consumes everything.
- **Work as Identity** [09:29] — The video discusses how work has become a primary identity marker, from the Vedic varna system to modern society's focus on job titles.
- **Work-Life Balance Impact** [10:12] — A survey in five Indian states found that over half of employees feel burned out due to poor work-life balance, while those with balance are 21% more productive.
- **Biological Effects of Stress** [11:11] — Chronic stress disrupts the stress-recovery-growth cycle, leading to cortisol imbalance, irritability, and health issues.
- **Toxic Culture** [12:04] — The problem arises when office culture becomes toxic, with examples of bosses threatening employees and a survey showing toxic culture is 10 times more likely to cause resignations than salary.
- **The Solution: Do Work You Love** [15:34] — The mentor suggests that doing work that doesn't feel like work is the key, citing examples like engineers who love machines and the quote 'Nobody ever changes the world in 40 hours a week.'
- **Step 1: Look for the Roots** [17:30] — The first step is to look back at childhood interests, as Robert Greene advises, to understand natural inclinations.
- **Step 2: Find the Present Pulse** [19:37] — The second step is to listen to your inner voice and identify your current calling, as exemplified by Kim Hong Yong who left a prestigious career for self-satisfaction.
- **Step 3: Slide Shift** [21:31] — The third step is to make a small shift towards your calling without quitting your job, as illustrated by Akshat who transitioned from accounting to coaching.
- **Examples of Slide Shift** [23:05] — Harsha Bogle and Anurag Kashyap are cited as examples of people who made gradual shifts into their passion industries.
- **Take Action Today** [24:25] — Instead of waiting for organizational change, individuals should take small steps like reading about their interest or learning on weekends.

### Conclusion

The video concludes that burnout is not inevitable; by understanding your natural interests and making gradual shifts, you can find work that feels fulfilling. The key is to take action today, even if it's small, rather than waiting for external changes.

## Transcript

Sir, actually it will take some time. Yes, there was a little bit left so I was just doing that.
said that you will give it at 6:00 today?  It is 10:00 pm.  There is already a delay of 4 hours. 10:00 pm.  There is already a delay of 4 hours. How much time will it take now? Sir, I was feeling a little unwell.   Don't excuse me, friend.  Don't give excuses.
excuse me, friend.  Don't give excuses. if you don't get it done then there is no need to come from tomorrow. understood?
understood? In 15 minutes.
sir, I wanted to talk about something. Come and sit. Sir, I had to submit a client report right now. Yes.  So I had submitted that. Ok.
A yes. And I don't want to What?  But so what if you are one of our best employees What?  But so what if you are one of our best employees ?
after completing her studies, finally achieves her dream job in a big MAC in Pune.  It was his first day as a chartered accountant. From the very first day, she starts working for the company with full dedication and heart. But just 4 months later, on
July 20, a news comes. Family of a 26 year old employee who died professional. Due to lot of work pressure.
This story is not just of Anna but of 74% of working employees.   Of competition with lakhs and countless rejections.
Your life will be better with excitement. Now there will be a new routine, professional attire , new friends will be made, salary will come and a great life.
But with time the excitement of the first day in office changes. In a hurry to reach on time.  The gossips of new friends change. Office politics and professional culture start appearing as boundaries and daily routine becomes a meaningless life full of coffee and paste.
pressure is more than exam pressure.   The client's responsibility is far above the responsibility of the marks.  The boss's orders are more valuable than the teachers' rules. But sir, I have just reached home.  I did not sleep the whole night, sir.
sir. Come to office right now and do it. And the school syllabus is nothing compared to these targets. And this is the reason that after completing a 9-hour shift in 11 hours, there is neither time nor energy left to live life.  All that
remains is doom scrolling, bench watching, scrolling, bench watching, calling someone and a thought before sleeping that friend, this is not possible anymore.  And this condition is called the state of mental burnout.   There are
surveys on the internet that talk about poor work-life balance and mental burnout.  But when it comes to mental burnout.  But when it comes to escaping this, 73% of Gen Z and 70% of Millennials start looking for the option of switching jobs and careers. And
Rohit did the same. I respect your decision Rohit.  But I want to know what is the main reason behind this decision ?  Sir, there is not one reason for this.  I have three reasons for this.  And Sir, the first reason is that Sir, I feel that no matter how much
work I do, it never ends. Sir, like everyone else, I also started a job to bring growth in life, to bring success in life.  But now it seems that if anything has come into my life, it is only work.  Work pressure, work tension,
fear of not being able to complete the work, KPIs, targets, meetings and sir, I am just a targets, meetings and sir, I am just a human being or not.
he started his work from scratch and worked day and night.  He worked 90 hours every week.  90 hours means 13-14 hours every day and that too seven days a week.  Now this
He became an inspiration for the people who won awards. Even everywhere he Even everywhere he got recognition.  But one day he died suddenly.  There was no accident, no illness.  The reason became just overwork.  That means Shuji
himself did not know when his hard work turned into overwork. And in Japan it is called And in Japan it is called Karoshi meaning death by overwork.  There are many researches which directly show that excessive brain stress directly
damages the heart.  Even chronic stress causes the brain's hypocampus, which controls learning and memory, to physically shrink.  But if we leave Japan aside and come to our country for a while, the situation here is
very bad. According to the 2023 McGee report, India has seen the highest number of burnout cases globally.  In fact, we come second in the world in the list of overwork. And if I
talk about the WHO report of 2016, then according to it, 7.5 lakh people died globally due to overwork in that one year.  Just according to it, 7.5 lakh people died globally due to overwork in that one year.  Just imagine, when this was the condition in 2016,
indirectly the work came out of the office and reached our home.  Many stats and figures show that the productivity of employees increased further when they worked from home. But where earlier the 9-hour office shift used to extend to 11 hours, now
due to working from home there is no counting left for it.  If you are working for six days and work for 10 hours.  Meaning you work up to 60 hours a week.  And Stanford research says that when the work week exceeds 50 hours, our
productivity gradually decreases. Fatigue and errors start increasing.  Now coming back to Japan, the Japanese government is accepting Karoshi cases to a large extent. They officially enacted this act in 2014.
After that, on Premium Fridays i.e. the last Friday of the month, any employee can leave the office early without any restrictions.  The Work Style Reform Act of 2019 limited weekly overtime to 45 hours.  Even rest intervals have been
introduced according to which employees can take rest in between work to relax their body and mind. But surprisingly, here burnout is But surprisingly, here burnout is
not even a single official talk has been raised, let alone any official step, regarding this. actors, entrepreneurs, businessmen, professionals, politicians, artists also work for 12-15 hours.  So how do they not feel burned out or overworked?
I got the answer to this myself in Rohit's next question. Sir, my second reason is that Sir, let me do some overtime for the company.   I can even give you my extra time.  But because of that, I had no time left for my personal life. So sir, I feel like I have no
right to get recognition through work, isn't it? No doubt sir.  It is right to get recognition through work.   It is good to get recognition for your work.  But if only work remains in life then there will be nothing only work remains in life then there will be nothing left in life except work.
Someone puts a hand on your shoulder from behind.  You turn around and as soon as you look back, you see that you had so much fun with in school. So what do you think his first question will be?  First question,
what are you doing these days?  But the surprising thing is that 90% of the people give answers related to job or work. Reese is known to all of us through his work.  What did we listen to in school as children ?  Son, what does father do?   As soon as we grew up and came out, the society asked the
same question that son, what is going on? Nowadays, when marriage is being fixed, then where does the boy work, what does the girl do, yes even after that when you take your own house, people ask that brother, it seems things are going very well. In fact, if we talk about our history,
thousands of years ago in the Vedic period, a Varna system was created in which all the people were divided into four parts according to their different works, Brahmas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The thing to think about is that the
better the work is, the better the money one gets and the better the money one gets, the more respect one gets.  In such a situation, what is the harm in getting fame through work?  So the problem is not that you are recognized by your work in front of others, you
work becoming your identity in your personal life too? Meaning crisis of work life balance. A survey conducted in five states of India
revealed that more than half of the working employees feel burned out due to poor work-life balance. And at the same time, people who are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance are 21% more productive in their work overall. But here, poor
that there is more proportion of work in your life and less of living life.  This also means that no matter how much time you spend in your personal life, your mind remains focused on office work, deadlines and targets for the coming day.
All this affects not only your brain but also your overall biology. Because our brain usually works in a cycle when we are stressed. Stress, recovery, growth.  We take stress.  The body has to
recover to handle it.  Meaning good sleep, good diet, better body functioning or relaxation.  And that makes us stronger for further stressed movements. Meaning growth.  Now, when your work- life balance gets disturbed, your recovery
stage also gets disturbed.  And this is where the real problems begin.  Due to imbalance in cortisol levels i.e. stress hormones, the emotional center of your brain gets disturbed.  It means that you feel irritated and anxious over small things.
You get angry.  When you do not get enough sleep, you feel tired the whole day and overthink.  And your bad diet continues to spoil your metabolism, your immunity and overall energy. To overcome all this,
your body also gives you signals.  Sometimes you have a headache, sometimes you feel exhausted , there is pain in the eyes, dark circles are forming, bad mood, what is all this ?  These are signals which indirectly say slow down.  But this is where the
main problem arises.  That despite knowing everything and understanding everything, we are unable to come out of it even if we want to.  And its main reason is culture. ? No sir, as long as this office culture continues, there is
no problem.  The problem arises when it becomes a toxic culture. Hey, what do you and I care brother?  And from tomorrow he will come every day saying good morning and leave the
office and he will go every day saying whoever is not able to understand, come to the office in the evening, he will not come from the next day or today I am coming to tell you a million times in the morning, if the person whose number does not come to me this evening will
not survive, I will not keep him in the system from tomorrow, tell me how much revenue has been generated sir, if there is no revenue then resign sir, where does the resignation come from, sir the matter comes from here, if it is not happening then don't do it, friend, you have been
sitting at zero for two weeks. All these clips probably represent just 1% of the toxic culture that exists inside many of these large, classic buildings. A survey by MAT Sloan found that
toxic work culture is 10 times more likely to be the reason for employee resignations than salary or any other reason.  This means that for a moment, people can work even with low salary, poor facilities or long distance travel. But it is impossible to do a job while facing a toxic work environment.
An example of this themselves claimed that they were made to work 12-hour shifts.  That too six
days a week and sometimes even on Sundays.  But if the targets are missed, then permission for lunch, break or going out of the office is not given. In fact, just last year, a case from Jhansi in UP was going viral.  Where
sleep and without proper food and water. in which he wrote that he was being threatened with not paying salary and firing from the job.  And they are even
humiliating me badly.  I am very scared about my future.  And now I have lost my ability to think also.   There would not be just one or two but thousands of people who would still be facing humiliation in some company or the other due to financial or family compulsions.
And as Rohit said, the problem arises when the office culture converts into a toxic culture. is, the time when the boss's voice starts giving more fear than feedback.
Sorry sir.  When targets are made more important than home, circumstances and one's own fever.   I did not sleep the whole night, sir. When the relationship between seniors and juniors starts to seem like that of master loss understand loss? And when one mistake overshadows the hard work of an entire month.
Lack of respect, lack of appreciation, office politics, overloaded work, poor work life balance, domination in the name of rules and unethical behaviour all these together create employees with mental burnouts.  Which is literally so stressful
that some people are forced to leave their jobs and some leave the world. leave their jobs and some leave the world. And sir, I don't have the courage to leave this world for my career.  And no sir, I do
not have the courage to single-handedly get all the colleagues in the office to change the office politics or fight with the organization and get its rules changed. Or else the boys should get the entire government to change the work culture.  Sir, in such a situation, I or any employee like me has
only one option left. Resignation. Well, if I ask you, is there no way to escape all this? Session: Yes Sir, there is a solution but the steps required for it,
neither I could take them nor any employee like me could take them. any employee like me could take them. Meaning Sir, do that work which does not feel like work. Meaning Sir, do that work which does not feel like work.
Nobody ever changes the world in 40 hours a week."  Even below this he himself commented, if you love what you do it doesn't feel like work.  Because just imagine, Or an engineer who just loves playing with machines.
He will sometimes complain about his work.  Or you yourself, when you got tired of playing cricket, used to very exhausted.  Even these words belong to the person who probably tops the list of hard work and overwork. Meaning, overall we can never have any problem or fatigue in doing work
as long as that work is to our liking.  Now that could be a business for someone. like singing, dancing or acting.  Someone may like only a stable job. So someone wants exciting, travelling work.  Burnout is
not just a term of office culture but it is the effect that someone faces due to not doing the work of his choice. that someone faces due to not doing the work of his choice. But the problem is that from playing to buying toys, from eating something to going out somewhere, we do everything according to our mind and
interest except work.  83% people have said in a survey that if they get a chance, they would focus on their passion more than money. Rohit, 13 years ago I was in the same situation as you.  There was a job going on in a decent company.
Logged in was logged out.  It was a 9 hour shift.  But we got good money.   Was also getting promotion.  But then I realized the same thing that these 83% people realized, that realized the same thing that these 83% people realized, that friend, do that work which does not feel like work.   I
friend, do that work which does not feel like work.   I mean I'll tell you three steps that can get you, anyone,
out of the cycle of burnout.  The first is Looking for the Roots.  Imagine you buy a big house and there is a big garden outside that house. You thought I had to plant trees in it. Now you will take the seeds and sow them. You started watering.  Now those
roots started forming.  Gradually a plant was formed.  Now when the plant is becoming a tree, then you thought that instead of giving water to the roots, I will give it to the leaves or branches. I will give it to the leaves or branches. So will that plant become a tree?
No, this is what happens in our life journey.  In childhood, we all have different seeds inside us.  Meaning our interests.  That's why whenever someone asks in childhood what do you want to become when you grow up?  We respond very strangely.  Astronaut,
Writer?   The problem was that with time, instead of our roots, we start paying more attention to the branches visible in front of us or the options that are in front of us. or the options that are in front of us.
your plant has completely wilted due to the roots dying.  That means, when you have gone so far in your career, there is a term in Botany called Plant Revival.  That means, if there is still life left in the roots, then the plant can be grown again by watering them again.
Robert Greene says the same thing in his book, that the first step is to look back at childhood.  To see what were those things that were fun for you rather than work.  Innovation and creation as it used to be.  But when you
try to think back like this, you will hardly see one or two things So what is the right way? Take the paper and calmly rewind your entire life.  Move on from childhood.
Move ahead class by class.  Look what's happening while you're bored at home.  Look what's happening as people meet. What are the things that you liked and were interested in? Drawing Cricket Opening and checking things. Write something and keep people laughing.
What did you do in front of everyone? What will happen with this?  This will be the first step.  You will understand your natural inclination.  Your natural interests will be understood.  Now the second step is finding the present pulse. Present Pulse means that inner voice
that comes into your head every night or every weekend.  But because of its suppression, you do not feel any lack in your work.  There is a feeling of dissatisfaction.  It feels like a burden.  So how will I get it?
Kim Hong Yong was a popular person in Korea around the 70s.  He was research at NASA by the age of 7 and PhD by the age of 15. People thought that he would make great
People thought that he would make great Kim took a decision and left everything and returned to his country.  After studying a little more, I started a normal job. His main reason behind this was self-
satisfaction.  He chose what our second step, to recognize our pulse.  That by doing which you can be happy today.  Now
what is the way to know this?  So make another column on the same paper and think about what your voice is today?  What is it that you think?  What is your calling?   I wish I was doing this job.  I wish I was doing this job.  I wish I was in this field.  I
wish my day was spent doing such things.  What is the voice inside you right now?  This is your pulse, your calling.
but just look inside yourself and listen to your inner voice.  But Sir, even if I listen to my inner interest, understand it, and leave all this, then how will it be possible for me to do any other work ?  And what if I am not successful there
?  Meaning, neither will I be from here nor will I be from there.   It is this fear that keeps people tied up. And this is the only step that most people are unable to take. What is that slide shift that we can take today
that is connected to our calling that leads us on that path. What happens a lot of times is we think we have to do this. It's a choice and that's a big decision. We are not able to take that big risk but we do not think about slide shift.  Let
me give you an example here.  And Akshat is my partner in one of my businesses.   Let me give you his doing an accounting job.  When they saw that my interest since childhood has been in things where my voice is involved.  Where I
Then he saw what my present calling was.  He became interested in teaching people through coaching.  Currently he is doing an accounts job.  But the calling is coaching. Now if he had left his job and become a coach directly, a lot would have been at risk.  Family
risk.  So what did they do?   I Started understanding coaching. During this time, he applied for jobs in the coaching industry.  With the coaches.  During this time he also applied for a job with me.
liked his learning attitude, his inclination. He joined me as an emails. Gradually I started handling systems started handling business and then with me as a coach I started coaching others.
Today, he coaches many content creators in our Content Creation Coaching Academy and is living his dream of being a coach.  When you reach the industry that is
You reach that environment. You start learning. You start having fun.  And that's where you understand which turn to take , which twist to take.  So that you go on your way.  Suppose
you are not doing your dream job but you are doing something around it, then you feel satisfied.  You enjoy working.  Harsha Bogle, an engineering pass out and MBA from IM, was working in an ad agency. Now after doing IMC MBA,
who takes the risk of going into cricket? Now he cannot play cricket but he is fond of cricket so he tried commentary.  The first commentary he did was free.  He did not get any money but he earned peace of mind.  Happiness was earned.  But
today he is a well paid commentator and a well paid author.  Has written many books.  As a cricketer, he is not playing cricket but is living the world of cricket.  Anurag Kashyap wanted to become an actor but did not. But he gathered courage, came to Mumbai,
from writing he developed interest in direction, became an assistant director, and then a director.   I am living that industry and today I am in a good position.  If you want to do something in AI, then today just take the risk of joining an AI related company.  You are
but if you are doing sales in real estate today then understand how sales can be done digitally ?  How to sell property through content. Talk in your company about creating sales content.  If they do n't agree then work in another company saying that
create or produce content for you. You are also doing a job.  Didn't even take your income. But you are also learning.  You are getting paid to learn. when to take the next turn and which one to take.  So keep waiting for
organizations to change their culture.  Instead of the government doing something, it is better that we understand our inclinations , understand our calling and see what small shifts we can take in that direction today.   If you ca n't do anything today, you can take out an hour every day and read about it.  You
can learn something about it on the weekend and whenever you get a chance, you can make your life more satisfying by taking twists and turns. not so important for me to leave my job right now.   If I want, I can work on my passion along with my job.
Absolutely.  And there are many people who have taken a risk for their passion and dropped out of a good career. So what should I do then?  Anything is right both ways.  Neither path is wrong.  It just depends on you and your
circumstances.  It is important to decide whether you just want to work decide whether you just want to work or work while smiling. Om [Music]