Sorry
I missed writing this blog on the good and bad habits of working last week, but
I was on vacation and wanted to practice the good and bad habits of working.
So, I didn’t write the blog before I went away, and did a pretty good job not
getting involved with my emails…too much.
Working
is something we have to do in order to become responsible participants in the
world. When we do, we are able to support our families and ourselves. Sometimes
we can engage in work we like to do and sometimes we work at places we don’t
particularly like, but we work regardless so that we can be productive and
responsible beings in society. We pay our taxes, which some consider is like
paying our rent to live in the good old USA. We save some of our earnings for
later in life; we are able to make donations and support non-profits,
organizations, religious and spiritual groups though donations; and there are
so many other ways we are productive and supportive because we work.
So
when does something that does so much good become a bad habit or more
destructive then helpful?
There
are many ways and I will try to touch on some of them.
Do you
get so lost in your job, position or title that you forget who you are and take
on the identity the job given you?
For
instance, do you forget that we are all human beings, and each one of us has a
place in life that doesn’t make us better persons than others? So if your
position at work is one where you have seniority or authority over others,
thinking you’re better than others and/or taking advantage of them because of
your position is being destructive.
If
your job is being used to stay away from your family or other responsibilities,
that is also being destructive.
Getting
caught up in the benefits of working hard is tricky. Yes, it’s nice to have a
comfortable home, own nice car(s), provide better schools for our children, go
on fun vacations, and much more. But none of those things will bring you
lasting peace, happiness or security.
Remember
work is just part of the journey; it is not the goal of life. I often heard it
said, “I never heard a man on his death bed say ‘I wish I worked harder at work.’”
It’s
important to be responsible, but there are more responsibilities than just
work. There is your family and then, most importantly, there is you. The main
goal of human life is to continue to explore and find the answers of:
- Who are we?
- Why are we here?
- Where are we going?
At
work, we conduct ourselves the same way we walk in life…with integrity,
compassion, leadership, respect and joy, by sharing smiles and humor and
creating great memories. Live to make a positive difference at work, with your
families and with all those you meet.
Work
can easily distract us from our families and our own personal growth. It
happens to all of us from time to time. But hopefully, each time we will catch
ourselves earlier from falling into that trap and turn it around quicker than
last time.
There
is another old saying: “Work as if everything depends on you; pray as if
everything depends on God.”
Your
Higher Power/God is one of the most important pieces in the triangle of life:
Without
God/Higher Power in your life, there is no triangle and there is no peace, happiness
or security. Your work in life will never give you what God can. Make time to
continue to build that relationship through pray, meditations and reading of
bona fide scriptures.
Life
has to be a balance of many things and we can always tell when it’s not,
because we get cranky, short with others, depressed and, at times, even our
health is put in jeopardy. Remember to make time to pray, meditate and read.
There are 24 hours in a day. How much time are you giving yourself to continue
to develop the most important relationship in your life? You spend 7-8 hours
sleeping, 9-11 hours of work and travel, time with family and friends, then the
personal time to take care of your personal needs, so where do you fit the time
to take lasting care of yourself, and how much time to you give yourself to do
that?
For
each of us, it’s different. Just find the time each day and continue to make a
conscious effort and stay present when you’re making that time. It will give
you the peace, happiness and security you are looking for and you’ll find the
time to make more, I promise.
Peace
& Love
Michael
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