Do you realize how much this generation has imbibed the “work” culture? You could say that times have changed and everyone is visibly looking to work in some way, add value and make money in between. You know the late nights and early mornings, the reviews and board meetings you have to prepare for, the endless amount of time you’d have to put into a project but do you ever think that you’re taking it too far? Do you ever have that feeling or awareness that work is just work, nothing more, nothing less?
Yes, it gives you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of worth. To actively engage in a process or a project and see it to completion can be fulfilling all on its own but sadly as much as work gives you intrinsic value, there are a lot more that rank higher than work and most times we fail to see it. Now let’s look at an analogy quickly.
Story
This is the story of a man, his wife, and son. So, the man in question was a hardworking businessman who put in long and tedious hours at work every day. Now he’s constantly at work and of course never at home. He misses birthdays and anniversaries because he’s trying to build a better future for his family. Eventually, he’s promoted to Director and while his wife is elated that he’d finally have some time, he just digs deeper into it and is completely oblivious of the fact that his family needs him.
So, one day his wife decides to talk to him. She says “Honey, I know you love your work and you’re very successful at it but you are barely home and we need you here”. He apologizes for his absence and says “Babe there’s just no one to replace me as a director in the company, please give me a few more years and I’ll be all yours”. Now naturally she’s unhappy with the situation but helpless, to say the least. She cannot influence the situation in any way so she’s been defeated. A few weeks after this conversation with his wife, on the same route he uses to work, the man is involved in an accident and is subsequently pronounced dead. His company replaces his position as director in 2 days and life just goes back to normal as nothing happened. Let’s look at the morals of the story.
Replaceable
Do you know when people say no one is indispensable? Well, they meant it. You’re probably only irreplaceable to your family and your loved ones which is why you shouldn’t ditch them in pursuit of money or to chase a career that pushes you far away from them. See how it was easy to replace him with another? That’s how fast your company will replace you when you are suddenly unavailable or indisposed and sadly you can’t even apportion blames. So, what’s your purpose and is it flexible to include the things they matter most?
Pain
At the end of it all, your family is the closest to you and the only ones likely to experience a bucket load of pain should you pass away. The office or company you work for will probably only miss your approach to work if you were truly skilled but you know what? There’s always someone more skilled or more talented than you and it’s only a matter of time before they are found and you are but a memory.
Work Ethics
We’re definitely not coaxing you to be mediocre in your actions or attitude towards work or refuse to maximize your full potential because you fear being replaced. By all means, work hard and be the best at what you do but you should not have to sacrifice your family for that.
It’s probably easy to say this would not happen to you and take pride in the amount of time you spend with your family but the truth is these things kind of seep in unannounced and are very unobtrusive. Especially for someone that is career oriented, the need to grow to a higher echelon will sometimes conflict with the need to be available to your family. You should never put these on the same pedestal as they are worlds apart.
Be available, focus on the bigger picture. There are a lot of reasons why family should take precedence over everything else. Do you get to listen to what people consider as regrets on their death bed? Or what they wished they’d done when they had time. Amidst all their regrets, no dying man ever says “I wish I’d spent more time in the office”.
