Do you love your job? If so, lucky you! It’s definitely a blessing. Unfortunately, instead, many people find themselves "trapped" in a job they are not passionate about. According to research conducted by Gallup, 85% of employees are not engaged at work. If you are lucky enough not to belong to this percentage, and you actually enjoy what you do, this does not mean, however, that you have to prioritize your work life to the extent you end up becoming a workaholic. If you don't want to risk accumulating stress, tension, and discontent or, even worse, becoming unhappy and regretful, it's very important you remember you need time off from work.
TRUE HAPPINESS COMES FROM ELSEWHERE
As much as you like your work, you must never forget that it is simply a job.
It cannot and must not be the only fixed point in your life and, above all, it must not be at the top of your hierarchy of values.
So, what should be at the top?
You should be at the top of your personal priority list.
Otherwise, you can never be completely happy. Happiness, in fact, is not a condition that must be sought externally, but within oneself.
Sure, a fulfilling job is a great help in experiencing satisfaction, but it doesn't have to be your only source of joy.
Even more so, if it absorbs you to the point you sacrifice everything else. In the long run, it risks making you feel empty.
Taking some time for yourself is essential so that you don’t lose sight of the things that really matter.
On this note, I’d like to share a true story that will touch your heart and inspire you to reflect on your own life and rethink your relationship with work - the way you spend most of your time - so that you won’t miss out on the things that matter the most in life.
WORKAHOLIC FATHER DISCOVERED HIS SON DIED DURING A VIDEOCONFERENCE
Work is a constant in our lives, but it can become predominant, the main focus of our existence.
In some cases to the extent that there is no room for anything else, not even for our family and loved ones.
That’s what happened to J.R. Storment, an American businessman, obsessed with his work, who learned of his son's death during a conference call, consulting an online site.
R. Storment is a dad like many others, he works all day and every day.
But as he himself admitted, he worked too much.
This is what he understood after losing his son.
From that moment on, his perspective changed but it was too late to make up for lost time and love.
The man shared his story entitled “It’s Later Than You Think” on his LinkedIn profile.
He begs other working parents to consider how they choose to spend their time and he sends a powerful message:
“Hug your kids. Don’t work too late. A lot of the things you are likely spending your time on you’ll regret once you no longer have the time. I’m guessing you have 1:1 meetings on the books with a lot of people you work with. Do you have them regularly scheduled with your kids? If there’s any lesson to take away from this, it’s to remind others (and myself) not to miss out on the things that matter”. - JD Storment
This post on LinkedIn now has more than 45,000 “likes” and over 4,200 comments. Clearly, J.R. Storment’s story has affected thousands of people.
The biggest takeaway after examining the comment section is that J.R. Storment has made many people rethink their own lives and what they should focus on.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The death of a close family member is one of the worst things a human can experience.
Unfortunately, taking our loved one's time on earth for granted is a recurring thread in our society.
Furthermore, it is more and more common to witness people devoting way too much time to their jobs or careers.
In today’s society in fact we compete to keep up with the Joneses and in order to do that we sacrifice what we really care about, i.e. our most precious asset - OUR TIME - and the people we love.
Professional achievements are temporary, they come and go and they come again. A personal loss is permanent, once a loved one is gone, they never come back. Press pause and spend time with the ones you love
The old adage continually rings true, as it always will - you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
Before you go, would you consider sharing this post with your friends and family?
Imagine if this post, thanks to your contribution, could reach and touch even just one person.
Thanks to you, they might reconsider their relationship with work and start devoting more time to the things that really matter in life.
As a result, they would avoid being regretful and suffering when it’s too late.
Get inspired and be inspiring. You rock!
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That was an extreme story! I happen to like my job. I do not love, stress about it too much or see my life’s purpose in it but I look forward to going out to work on Monday. I do hug my children every day as they still want to 🙂 i’m sure one day they will have better things to do so I grab what I have while I have it ❤️
Love it!!! you are a great father Mikolaj. I know it!