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A loss for words.
I think my work is my escape from life right now. I have always struggled with balance. I try to do it all, be it all to everyone and that's just not possible. I think if I want true happiness, I have to accept the fact that like you said, I can balance my time and that's about it. My days will always be out of wack somehow and I have to realize that's okay.
more of your time. There is a thing in the US where we are supposed to
work really hard and long, but when we do it, we must be unhappy
because we arent enjoying life. As if "life" has been defined equally
for all.
There are a couple of things that are inherently hypocritical in our
society.
1) its ok to discriminate against fat people and smokers.
2) that when someone prefers work, its ok to look down on them as
someone who doesnt enjoy life; and when someone enjoys life (A friend
told me of a friend of hers that quit his high paying job to be a
waiter so he could mountain bike more) we think they have no goals or
drive.
Just be happy that someone is happy. No idea why that is so hard.
My pastor shared a testimony this week of a woman who attends our church. She had been unemployed for months, and wasn't praying for just a job, but a position. She knew that there's so much more than just finding a source of income; that being able to apply your gifts and talents in your area of work speaks volumes to your happiness in that work. I wholeheartedly agree.
The more you love what you do, the less it seems like work and more like life, and the line between the two becomes harder to distinguish. So in theory, your work/life "balance" becomes a gray area, because in the end they are one in the same.
--
By the way, the woman got her dream position in a specialized field, just a week after requesting prayer :)
job. She could have worked in any job to make money, but she wanted a
specific job. So we waited and waited, going so far as to get your
church to pray (request) that she got that specific job, because
otherwise, she would not have been happy.
Right?
Micah, while I find your "take your pick" advice interesting and possible for those who may not know any happiness, I have to agree with Heather, that ideally, we should be applying our gifts and talents in our work, thereby gaining satisfaction and happiness.
We have our gifts and talents for a reason. Fulfilment will be elusive until we use them. Total fulfilment comes from applying them in our life's work.
I've always chosen 'Life' over 'Work'. As a kid, I knew I wanted the freedom of a 'job'. Thus, when I left my last corporate job (2005), I toughed it out on my own to 'enjoy life'. Any chance I can, I'm on a plane to another city. Or, I'm spending time with friends, seeing favorite movies and visiting the bookstore. I grew up believing that hard work didn't necessarily equal success. I wanted to work smarter. I wanted to see ahead and beyond the masses.
My freedom over the last few years have been wonderful. Sure, my income varied as a self-employed guy, but the freedom was liberating. I declared a few weeks ago that I would remain independent of a job (though I don't deny 'peeking' at jobs on occasion as a 'just in case' measure). I see the modern day job as slavery. Going to work for someone was never a stimulating experience for me. I wanted to vomit more often than anything else.
So, yeah, this lifestyle brings me happiness (when I'm not saddled down by trying to save and inspire the world).
Why frame it as a choice between deriving your source of happiness from life or from work? Fuck that. I choose neither, and I work very hard to derive my happiness from pure living. My only enemy is wasting time in dull moments. From that perspective, my job AND my life is damn interesting because if its not, trust that I won't wait around too long for someone else to "make something happen".
living" mean you derive your happiness from life/living? You can enjoy
your job/work, but what really is the genesis of your happiness? your
work or your life?
It was great meeting you as well!
ran my agency.
I do agree that there are many people that don't focus. They either just do what they have to do to get by with their job, just to give them the ability to live and do the things externally. Or they go through the motions of a job to an extreme, because there is nothing else in there lives but their job.
While I get reasons for both, I don't see either option as ultimately being a good way to live.
The majority of our life time is spent doing work. So, you gotta work right? Well if we're not pushing ourselves for the sake of developing ourselves at every chance we get, then wtf are we doing?
Opportunity exists in the most menial, tedious, and repetitive jobs out there. Yes, in some jobs I can imagine it could take almost delusional levels of positive thinking to self-motivate, but again, if you're not being positive and pushing your boundaries... then there's no point in doing it.. I mean the money will never be enough for sure, if you're living every day counting the seconds until quitin' time.