Saturday, November 26, 2022

The Saturday Morning Post: Finding Joy


Back in the Go-Go 1980's I participated in a lot of training in sales, marketing, and business development.  The motto of one the trainers was, "You Must Do The Most Important Thing Possible At Every Given Moment." Then if you listened to the rest of the statement, he would say, "and at times the most important thing possible is relaxing on the beach with a tropical drink." His point was be productive during work time, but balance that with down time, family time, me time, time with no agenda. Time to recharge.  

All to often our time away from work is filled with must do's. And yes the laundry must be done, but if you put it off for a few days you are unlikely to go naked and unwashed.  *** 

It is easy for work to take over our lives.  I have let mission creep take over my life a few times in my life.  Part of the reason leaving Florida and starting over back in 1995 was so easy for me, was my work was consuming every waking moment. A major factor in my seeking the job in DC, was that I was working everyday, even taking the laptop on vacation, most of the Kentucky legal service capacity assessment was written at my parents house in Florida over Thanksgiving week, when I should have been sitting in the sand listening to the waves and the birds.  

My grandfather used to say, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."  He worked a lot, but also had a lot of me time to play pool, hunt, fish, play cards, or just nap in his chair.  

I worry, that my work is taking over too much of my life.  I succeed at taking most weekends off, but I wake up thinking about work, occasionally I lose sleep over work. I will admit it here, that it is not as much fun as it once was.  I need to change that.  Either find the fun, or move on.  I will be able to retire sometime this coming year.  I have some mixed feelings about it.  I am making a good living, but I am not finding the joy in what I am doing as often as I have in the past.

The most important thing possible, is something that brings me joy, something I find value in. That may be nothing, or it may be new opportunities.    

Maybe I am approaching time to start the next chapter in life, a chapter sure to be filled with joy. 



*** This post did not go where I expected it to go.  I started out to talk about the importance of making time with no agenda, and ended up talking about my state of burn out.  Probably another symptom of my burn out.  

14 comments:

  1. This week I heard a school teacher complaining about receiving emails requiring a reply from students on weekends. The story was about unpaid overtime. My view is he should not reply until he is back in his school in paid time. The same goes for anyone who is not being paid. You just don't reply to emails or messages during times when you aren't being paid.

    It does really sound like it is time for you to retire. If you have an adequate income for retirement, I doubt you will regret it. You are that sort of person.

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  2. Unfortunately, I was at that stage of burnout for most of my career. Not working has been my bliss. I hope you can find more pleasure and less stress in your work as you get ready to write another chapter.

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    1. And now to have fun for another 13 months

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  3. I've always been lucky enough to work a few different kinds of jobs which I loved, but still was able to take time and enjoy life.
    That old saying, "All work and no play ... " is truth!

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    1. Much of my time here has been fun, but not all

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  4. The best work/life balance I ever found was retirement! No work!

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  5. Work - life balance is very important. I like working but 6 years ago decided it was too much so I went part time. That seems to be working just right. I can still contribute but I also still have time to enjoy things.

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    1. My idea of part time, is a couple of months on and a couple of months off.

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  6. I stopped all the "must do's" I work hard and do the chores during the week. But most week nights and the weekends are my time.

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  7. As folks go I think you do a good job keeping mind on work vs. time off to travel. Good for you !

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