Is a subject that seems to be the rage these days. A term more commonly used in the States but has since of late found it’s own following (victims?) right here in paradise. Particularly amongst the younger segment of corporate society. Theoretically you can find a broad definition here.
Just a couple of months back a friend of mine who was perfectly well suffered a massive stroke. One that left him virtually crippled for a few good months, minus speech, movement and any such way to express himself. He was just 26. A seemingly normal, good natured guy overnight became a vegetable. Hope was faint everytime we heard news of him. Comatose, unresponsive and feeble. Gradually, by some miracle (and I won’t hesitate to state so) and countless hours of Doctors working on him later, he started to improve. He was a friendly face, practically everyone liked him. Late hours daily in office were no stranger to him than the sun setting in the West.
I won’t elaborate further on this story but rather, how far do we push ourselves for corporate success? Sure, we all would love to drive oour own shiny car and have the wherewithall to do whatever we please whenever we pleased. From another point of view if you’re eyeing that promotion purely for rational reasons like a bit of extra cash around the house, maybe spend on your childs education or you want to save up for a rainy day, it all makes sense that you seem married to your work. At times the motive for success can be so blinding that we forget to live life. Life with family and loved ones, life that involves physical and mental well being, spirituality & society amongst other things.
I’m no martyr. I’ve been caught in this tangled web and the unnerving part is that you don’t realise you’re caught in it. Routine becomes so normal that anything interferring sets you off. There have been days where a simple thing like the strap of my gym bag coming off or getting caught in the rain has virtually left me sobbing big fat tears in the confines of my car! Stress? Oh yeah! plenty…and we all know how dimunitive stress can be on both your work and personal life, leaving you pretty much back at square one. It’s a vicious cyle.
All that being said and done, where do we draw the line?
as soon as i GET a job.. i will let u know
hehe
We get so caught up the race to the corporate ladder, we just forget whats equally important or more than work. Was a workaholic until last yr. Beginning of this year decided i was to take more time off and spent time with family and friends or even for myself.
went straight 3yrs without annual leave.. now i take close to 3 days off in a month.. 
Good for you Lost!!! I relish the off days I get with a passion!
its a choice we make dont you think? if you choose the harder path then you need to be strong enough to deal with the crap that comes with it. perhaps one needs to consciously cultivate the kind of grit that is required. but then even the strongest can still crack. So maybe the wise thing to do is to find ways of minimizing the stress – getting away, yoga, gym, partying;)etc.
Absolutely
I likes the way u think!
I think some people enjoy doing what they do, from what I hear. Or maybe I’m just fooling myself, and as Gehan said, I wouldn’t know till I got myself a job anyways…
hehe
True. this by no means implies that i dont enjoy my work. I love it!! and wouldnt have it any other way…but sometimes it can really test ur boundaries
The weak fail. They do things like sobbing in their car etc.
Agree with Delilah… each day, you need 5 minutes or 15 or 60… whatever you can spare, just for yourself, just to relax… otherwise what you’re on is the ladder to a stroke or heart attack…
yeah. For me my me-time is generally time out at the gym. A good hour and a half on most days. Gets the old blood flowing, weight in check and a good stress buster!
but why work?
are we free when we work?
is our sole objective to earn more money and buy new things an ind joy in our posessions so that we can show em off to other people?
people hardly think of life in a philosophical, deeper context. its shunned by society as being old fashioned and out of place with ‘modern thinking’, but even the romans said that
so we all turn into machines. more more more. without ultimate purpose.
sorry for the rant. but i detest corporate life.
thats not to say im part of it though, does that make me a hypocrite
?
hehe you big hypocrite you!
But in all seriousness, corporate life CAN get to you, and sitting on the inside of the box being tossed around in the corporate tidal wave, we still brave the storm and swim ashore.
That metaphorical shore maybe balance, complete detachment from corporate life or just a shrug and say whatever attitidue. Choices.