Why work still SUCKS in 2026

In this thought-provoking episode, we explore a question that challenges conventional wisdom about work: What is the core problem facing today's working population? Instead of pointing to economics or broken systems, this episode reveals a deeper truth about how we've lost our connection to abundance, peace, and the natural flow of life—and how this disconnect shapes everything about how we work.

Reflection Questions

• What underlying conviction drives your days and your decisions?
• Do you wake up already dividing the world into good and bad?
• Are you unknowingly inviting conflict into your work and relationships?
• What resistance has this created in your life?
• How much of what you do has become an act of defensiveness?
• Are you merely managing your work—or truly leading it?
• Are you ready to make a contract with yourself and return to a more natural, more holistic perspective?

Resources Mentioned

The LOLA Principle - European bestseller with over one million copies sold worldwide. This book bridges the science of economics and physics with practical decision-making, showing you how to reduce resistance and conflict while reaching meaningful goals with far less effort.

Connect & Learn More

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might benefit from a new perspective on work and purpose.

Follow on Linkedin: Olivier Egli

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

I'm your host, Olivier, and this is the Do Happy Work Podcast, where we look at work in a different, more natural, and more peaceful way. And we're back. Every so often I get asked a question that sounds simple but is really not. What do you think is the core problem of today's working population? In other words, why does work still suck in 2026? And most people always expect an answer that's rooted in economics and politics or somehow a broken system. And I understand why. Because such an explanation would be comforting. It would tell us that we're victims of something larger than ourselves. And if we're victims, there's nothing we can really do. So there's nothing we have to change. We can just, you know, just kick back and relax and wait for it to be over. But my answer is different. And it often makes people uncomfortable and sometimes even angry. I believe, or rather, I know the core issue is this. We've lost the ability to accept abundance and peace as natural states of life. And to express them through our work. Let me repeat this. We have lost the ability to accept abundance and peace as natural states of life and to express them through our work. And that usually lands with silence, sometimes even resistance, because it places responsibility back where it belongs, in our hands. And it has to do with our own attitude. Now let me be clear. I am not saying systems don't matter. Of course they do. We need them. But our work always reflects how we see life. And if something feels deeply wrong in how we work, chances are something is off in what we believe truly matters, in the way we see life. Because the way we see life becomes how we lead life. And work being part of life, well, that too becomes touched by that attitude. Nothing distorts our work more than scarcity thinking. We've been trained to see life in sharp opposites, you know, success or failure, light or darkness, winning or losing. We have this divisive mindset where we only want to see one side of the coin, but somewhere along the way we forget something essential. These opposites are not enemies. They're partners, they're essential. Nature never judges night as failure of day. Winter is not a mistake. Growth happens because both sides cooperate. Both sides exist in balance. Both sides together make up balance. If you only focus on one side, you don't have balance. You have imbalance. But we've lost that understanding. Instead of growing through experience, we grow through judgment. Instead of existing and working in unity, we exist and work in division. As children, we didn't live this way. We explored life with curiosity and openness. We learned what worked and what didn't. And then we applied it in our steps without labeling one as good and the other as evil, which is learned and moved on. That's what makes experience. And then slowly we were educated out of that perspective, into this lacking scarcity perspective. We were taught to avoid darkness, to fear failure, to fight for a place in the light, to protect ourselves, to grow often without any real reason, just for the sake of it, to be safe, to somehow be comfortable, to somehow survive. And almost without noticing, work stopped being an expression of life and became a strategy for survival. Today, many, many, many businesses revolve around security and control and resources and avoidance. They're no places of happiness, they're places of rejection of half of the coin. They're places of scarcity. We don't work to embrace the entirety of life. We work to avoid loss. That's not purposeful work. That's defensive work. And when defense becomes the norm, struggle feels normal. We normalize the conflict in our work. Conflict feels inevitable and exhaustion becomes expected, but it starts to break us. That's why work still sucks. But nature teaches us that it doesn't have to be this way. As a matter of fact, nature doesn't operate this way. Even what we sometimes call violence in nature is not driven by fear, it's driven by balance. Nothing intends harm. Everything simply flows and does what it needs to do in order to thrive. Life is not incomplete, life is not broken, and it's not constantly at risk of collapse. So why behave, act, and work that way? Life is whole. Life is perfect and beautiful. But our mindset has to follow that principle of peace. Purposeful work begins when we stop trying to live only on one side of the coin, when we invite both sides, when we use both sides, when we allow ebb and flow up and down, night and day. And for entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals, this becomes very practical. It means learning from night as much as from day. It means allowing risk instead of obsessively trying to mitigate or eliminate it. It means meeting challenges without judgment, with openness instead of resistance. It's just not possible to avoid pain. You cannot avoid darkness. It's part of everything of the plan. You have to inhale in order to exhale. You have to pay your dues in order to move forward. Trying to do anything else will only shrink your life and your work and you will play it small. And trust me, your heart hates playing small. An apple tree doesn't decide to grow only when conditions are perfect. It stays open to it, exposed, vulnerable. It uses rest in winter and growth in spring. It thrives in its own cyclical movements. But cyclical movement requires contrast. It requires to see both sides. It uses sunshine and cold alike to become what it is. That's what nature does. Purposeful work asks the same of us to stop working against life and start working with it. That's literally what flow is about. That's where peace returns. And from peace, real success always grows. I want to leave you with a few final questions. What underlying conviction drives your days and your decisions? Do you wake up already dividing the world into good and bad before you even had breakfast? Are you unknowingly inviting conflict into your work and relationships? Is the place where you're at in your work right now the result of divisive scarcity or unifying abundance? What resistance has this created in your life? How much of what you do has become an act of defensiveness? Are you merely managing your work or truly leading it? And are you ready to make a contract with yourself and return to a more natural, more holistic perspective? Because if you are, feel free to reach out to me. I'm always happy to share a few practical tips. And here's one I can already offer you. I recently published the European bestseller The Lola Principle, a book written more than 30 years ago and that has sold over 1 million copies. It brings the science of economics and physics into the realm of decision making and shows, in a simple and accessible way, how to reduce resistance and conflict and how to reach meaningful goals with far less effort. You'll find a link in the show notes or go to thelola principle.com. And if you're looking for a grounded, simple and practical way to move toward more flow in your work and life, this is a very good place to start. Have a wonderful week filled with happy work.