The stresses and complexities of our modern work environment are endless, and they can be analyzed until the end of time. The pace in which we are expected to “deliver” over the past two to three decades has been exponentially shortened with the age of computers and the internet. Profit margins are razor thin, deadlines are unrealistic, and management expects more from less. We all know about work-life balance, but much of this comes down to one’s own holistic wellbeing, which tends to factor in more than just work and personal life. There are always forces outside our immediate control. For the longest time I tried to think of this concept as the three-legged stool. A third of my life was work, a third was family and loved ones, and a third was “me or my space”. Unfortunately, as life gets complicated and compressed, the “me” part falls away fast. Thus, the life and work legs grow, knocking the stool right over.
Unfortunately, my generation developed a lot of bad habits regarding work that bring negative connotations to the whole workaholic mindset. It is one reason why today so many younger folks are looking for more life balance. I would argue though that the answer doesn’t lie in working less and playing more, but rather redefining what work really is and how it defines you individually. My dad told me when I was young, he said, “Son, find something that you really like doing, find some passion, because you will spend a third of your life doing it.” His words have always stuck with me. If you were like me and were lucky enough to know what you wanted to do from a young age, work never had this negative stigma attached to it. I wasn’t going to a “prison” as some say, being miserable for 8 hours a day in exchange for a paycheck. Instead, work took on more of a lifestyle choice. Even some of my earliest “mindless” jobs and work experiences as a young teen held some real-life lessons, which have served me well into my sixth decade.
One of the critical mistakes of my generation was working long hours; thinking it would develop wealth and independence, which in turn was supposed to lead to personal power. Perhaps my generation was the last to actually experience this on some level, where we were in charge of our own destiny. Today it seems much harder to reach these goals with home prices and cost of living always outpacing salaries, as the wealth gap widens and the middle class must work a couple jobs just to make ends meet.
Still, work comes with real challenges and stress, as does everyday life. Work should change and evolve as you do, such is the case with everyday life. Our priorities and goals change at work, which is how careers develop and advance, such is the same in everyday life.
Look, I don’t have all the answers; my generation made the mistake ‘putting in the hours’ to gain economic wealth and independence. Each generation must find their own path. Work can – and should – be about a journey, finding meaning, and evolving. Not surprisingly, it’s a lot of the same things that we look for in our personal lives. If you are stagnating at your job, I encourage you to tap into some self-preservation instincts and get out or at least change how you are going about your days. Money is a good thing, and unfortunately, the “perceived value” of one’s work is, and probably will always be the easiest measure of one’s worth, but if you set wealth as the primary goal, you’ll be miserable when you finally get there.
I don’t think we should separate or divide work and life into some percentage or equation that feels balanced on the outside but rather utilize strategies which join the two to coexist more harmoniously. Perhaps the three-legged stool becomes a pendulum, swinging from work to personal depending on imminent priorities. Looking back, I’ve discovered that what we are trying to achieve in each facet of life is very easily knocked out of balance… and here’s the kicker: more difficult to get back into balance. All this to say, each generation should take heart, knowing that there is a way through. It just might be time for a change.
-Tony Perpignano, CWG President