Few days back I had a brief conversation with a friend and she brought some very good news: She has learned that there is more to life than just work and money.
This friend is someone who earns quite a bit and can comfortably afford properties, holidays, branded stuff and one of her possessions that I love the most, her Opel convertible. Not bad at all for a gal in her early 30s. She is someone who is very driven in her work and makes sure that she packs her days with at least 8 appointments so that she can make the most money. But she said recently, she has cut down on her work and as a result, her earnings are also slashed by half. You see, how much she earns is really dependent on how much she works. But this lack of income does not faze her. In fact, she said she finds her life more fulfilled.
In those days when a major part of her life is just about work, she goes back home and finds that she is alone. There is no one to talk to, nobody to cuddle up to and she certainly is very much alone when she needs comfort. But now that she has stopped pushing herself so hard, she finds the time to spend with her boyfriend and as a result, the relationship has improved and she now enjoys these quiet evenings with her special someone instead of having dinner appointments with her clients.
This is one person who vehemently objected to my quitting my job; who insisted that having monetary gains is very important; who enjoys the finer things in life. But yet, this same person now tells me that she finds joy in not returning to an empty shell every night. So what if she earns big bucks? At the end of the day, her life is still empty. She self-professed that she now sees the beauty of taking things slowly and enjoying her human relationships instead. And all these, amidst the current economic turmoil. I gave her the thumbs-up.
She's now preparing for to go for a 2-weeks holiday, the longest she has taken in all these years. She dared not take long holidays before because she didn't want her work to be affected. But now, her thoughts are no longer preoccupied with work. Rather, she is enjoying the luxuries that life has to offer: love and human relationship.
Not that long ago, another friend was asking if we really can't have it all, family and career. I told her we can't. Either one has to suffer. The only difference is, to what extent. Some people may say that they have found the perfect balance. But did they really? How sure are you that you have not missed out on your child's first words? Your spouse's celebratory moment for a job well done? There may be a lot of things that you have missed out but yet not know. But in this instance, perhaps ignorance is really bliss.
So many people have gone all out to pursue what they call a career. At the end of the day, when a company goes bust, or if you need to be retrenched, is your boss gonna stick around and comfort you? For a day, maybe. For a year? A lifetime? Nah...Those who really stick around, are the very same people that you have neglected while trying to pursue something that vanishes so easily. Your boss may hold you in high regards. But that's only because you have done a good job. The more important people in your life should be those who stick around when you have failed miserably and try to pick you up.
