Improve Your Quality Of Life

Improve Your Quality Of Life

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Some people live to work, others work to live. Who has the better life?

The latter show up to work, do what they are asked to do, collect their paycheck and promptly punch out at 5pm to go home, have supper with their families, sit back, relax, and fall asleep in the arms of loved ones. The former may be too driven to stop and smell the roses, but, if they have a positive outlook, their hard work, dedication and perseverance allows them to strive for the life they aspire to.

don't believe the hype

People who "live to work" do so because they strive to obtain a certain standard of living; be it in the professional, social or personal realm. After all, even the most driven, ambitious and energetic souls strive to attain peace of mind when they rest their heads on the pillow at night.

No matter how career-focused you may be, peace of mind is not attained solely by what your job is, how much you earn or what your title is. Rather, it is obtained when all of the things that comprise your world are aligned in a fashion that you are comfortable with. Being "comfortable in your own skin" is central to living a balanced, fulfilled life.

After the Internet bubble burst and the stock market evaporated people's wealth, many would-be career-centric young professionals realized that maybe, just maybe, thinking all work and no play was not a good strategy.

give peace a chance

Human beings have peace of mind when they achieve the standard of life that they seek. Those who work to live tend to want a family, a nice home and employment that allows time for these things. The employment itself is secondary to what it provides. After all, numerous paths take you to your ideal destination; the key is whether you wish to take the scenic route or the express train, and mainly, who you feel deserves to be riding with you. Frankly, if your professional needs are secondary to your personal and social ones, then what you do is largely irrelevant; it is an after-thought.

Those who live to work need to have successful professional careers before they can focus on building their homes and starting their families. After all, if you spend five years of your life driving at 200 miles per hour, realistically you can then slow down from years 5 to 10 and coast at 150 mph and still be ahead of the guy who was rolling at 100 mph all along. Heck, at that pace, you can even get an SUV and slow down to 100 mph and still be ahead of the pack. The benefit is that you can bide your time, take a step back and choose what you will work on.

Is making it to the red light faster than the next guy worth the hassle? It depends...


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