Perhaps more than other places in the world, the United States is hyper work oriented. Maybe it’s because we’ve been focused on making money since our beginnings and there was lots of it to be made.
Not sure.
Whatever the reason, I’ve noticed that a lot of employees or business owners often forget to feed their lives. They become so work-focused that they stop living a full, adventurous life. Play disappears into the ether. Or, the definition of play becomes reduced to watching others play.
Life tends to be about work, networking, making money, getting new business, etc.
Does this describe you or business owners you know?
The work path seems to be appearing earlier in the lives of children. Younger and younger kids are being directed onto the work path with resumes now starting in pre-school. Just yesterday, I read about schools giving kids more career counseling in early high school, helping them narrow their focus.
Don’t know if 14 year-olds are ready to have such a narrow focus. I certainly was not.
It feels like pressure to get on the work-a-holic path as soon as possible. If we never play, we can forget the power it has to feed our lives all along its continuum.
I’m always feeding my life – painting, drawing, singing, dancing, hiking, rebelling, saving, laughing, learning, traveling, questioning, thanking, horsing around, daydreaming.
My full life makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and learn something new. I see life as plork = play and work. Devoting my life to just work has never appealed to me.I’m sure you’ve heard the idiom: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Does a devotion to play make me less of a success? I suppose it depends on one’s definition of success. When I get to the end of my life, I’ sure I will have wanted to know if I’ve lived it loud and wild and outrageously. I feel I’m a success based on my own definition.
Perhaps, stop and taking an inventory of your life as a business owner. Are you all work and no play? Are you dull? Or are you a good mix of work and play or like me into plork?
I have read that folks who are dying almost always wish they’d spent less time working and more time playing or hanging out with their friends and loved ones.
Please share your thoughts, tips and anything else on feeding your life.
As usual, your post is so true. We tend to work way too much. I get really grouchy, if I have spent too much time focusing on something I’m not enjoying vs. going out and playing, spending time outdoors, or hanging out with friends.
One of the reasons I started Cereus Women was so that I could mix my work and my play together. As I network with women, I am making new friends, connecting and socializing, and even contributing to the lives of others. These are very important to me and make me happy.
I am constantly analyzing my business to make sure that I am able to stay true to who I really am as I contribute to the lives of the women I work with.
Thank you for the constant reminder to keep thinking about this, my friend.
Kim
Hi Kim,
I appreciate you stopping in to leave a comment.
You point out what’s so cool about being a business owner – more opportunities to mix play and work together into a satisfying life. It does require some vigilance to ensure we do not learn more toward work and away from out true nature.
I got in trouble at one of my conventional jobs for dressing “flamboyantly” rather than showing up in the dull, work costume. It was a bright orange, yellow and green, flowing skirt and top that spoke to who I was.
I kept wearing it anyway!
Thanks, G.
Great post. It is an area I work on with my clients. Part of what I do is make sure people are in balance. Especially with their primary foods. Their surroundings. When we become out of balance is when we create food issues. Especially cravings as well as open our bodies up to disease. I would agree with Kim because I am passionate and love what I do it does feed my soul. I still have to remind myself to breath. I get caught up in being the helper and giver that I forget I need to take my own advice. Thank you again for sharing.
Hi Michelle,
Welcome to The Fearless Tales!
Fascinating to hear that food issues arise out of imbalance. Yet, it makes complete sense. I wonder if certain types of food cravings relate to certain types of of life imbalances, which reminds me – some practitioners call disease — dis-ease. The body always seems to know when things are not right in the mind and elsewhere. Thanks! G.