Think the “hustle and grind” – “cult of busy” mentality of working 80+ hours a week is what leads to success? Well, this of course depends on how you define the idea of “success.” And many people would argue this mentality isn’t worth all the hype.
How long can you sustain this approach, and what are the long-term ramifications? How are you able to enjoy life and those around you that you care about, if all you do is work-work-work?
Just ask Motivational Speaker and Sales Trainer Kelly Roach, who last year on the Get Ya Some Radio Show said it best:
“Listen up people. This is crazy. There is only one way that this ends and it’s in disaster. Whether it’s ending a marriage, or you in a hospital, or you having some type of breakdown that requires you to scale all the way back. Whether it’s you literally deconstructing the business that you built, or the career that you made because you literally cannot go on another day doing it. I’ve never heard of a single instance where that ended well.”
But then there is this perspective, the comment from a connection on LinkedIn in response to a question I had posed:
“I think that for some it’s an issue but if you’re happy, I am mean truly happy working hard, long hours, multiple hustles, sleeping late and waking up early if that is your truth then man you have to live that. It’s more of being self-aware to what makes you happy and going in that direction. I think the real question is do you know what you want and truly makes you happy? Not what society, your spouse, your kids, etc. Thinks that happy should be for you but what truly, at your core, makes you happy and are you in pursuit of that.”
Infusing the Idea of “Rest” Into Your Life Work
Regardless of your belief, living a healthy and happy life is important to most of us. Which was precisely the premise of our conversation this week on The White Collar Therapy Show.
In this episode – Show #16 – Robb and I talk about the idea of infusing rest into your life work.
But what is “rest” and how should rest be defined? And what is “life work?”
We use the term “life work” and the word “infuse” intentionally to distinguish that life and work go hand-in-hand. That they aren’t separate things in our lives and that by approaching life and work in this way then you can truly fuse the life work experience into one.
Enjoy the Show
Now, the idea of finding rest as we talked about previously isn’t necessarily speaking to not working and not doing anything. It’s beyond sleeping or taking naps and relaxing. Rest in this context is a matter of finding peace and efficiency within your life work and lifestyle.
It’s not realistic to be at peace at all times across every single moment and situation of your life, but it is feasible to find peace and rest within the day-to-day contours of your life work.
Importance of Defining Your Goals
Defining terms like peace and rest and happiness is essential for achieving these things and incorporating them your life. Without definition, it can be like reaching blind for something you think you want or need except that you don’t know what it is.
For instance, telling yourself that you will be happy if and when something occurs or if and when you have something such as more time or money, as opposed to defining what that happiness looks like, makes it impossible to reach your goal.
You have to know what you are up against.
About White Collar Therapy
White Collar Therapy is a community-driven approach to career development, life and business coaching. It consists of a show, a podcast, a group coaching webinar, and growing network of career-minded professionals, business owners, leaders, coaches, authors, and speakers.
To learn more and to sign up, go to www.whitecollartherapy.com.
