I think for many people, there's an increasing disconnect between their goals and how working hard might get them there. When there's so much separation between

I think for many people, there's an increasing disconnect between their goals and how working hard might get them there. When there's so much separation between risk and reward, the risk is less palatable. Maybe they dream of a new home or a bigger house or holidays or something else. Housing is expensive; building/renovating is more expensive and facing more challenges (availability of services); travel is also more expensive and leave is harder to take. A friend in a very decent professional role recently faked surgery to get enough leave to return home to see family over xmas! As of 2023, I've worked for myself for 25 years so I'm quite interested in small business and side hustles. The number of friends and acquaintances who talk dreamily about quitting and starting their own thing was noticeable before 2019 but definitely seemed to ramp up since. I suspect constant exposure through social media to how peers are using leisure time could be part of it. If you are remotely social, at almost every time during the year, someone you know will be off gallivanting around putting up photos of better weather or more adventurous pursuits while you sit in the office. (And I say this as someone who spends a lot of time gallivanting.) 20+ years ago, you heard about a trip when the friend returned home, rarely in detail and certainly not for each day during.