Do you live to work? Or do you work to live?
Do you ever stop and wonder, why am I doing what I’m doing?
Do you go to work early in the morning just as the kids wake up, and arrive home just in time to put them to bed?
Do you ever think to yourself, is it really all worth it…the big home, nice car, holidays away on the credit card?
Looking good and putting on a mask to the outside world that everything’s OK?
If you feel like this, don’t worry – you’re not alone.
We find that many of our clients – particularly men in their thirties and forties – find it extremely difficult to cope with society’s expectations of them. They struggle with providing for their families, doing the hard yards and basically trying to balance it all.
An interesting article in a Sunday magazine recently featured Daniel Petre.
Daniel Petre is the media tycoon who upset corporate Australia when he retired as boss of Microsoft to spend more time with his family. He is now working three days a week as executive chairman of Kerry Pacl‹er’s new online business, Ecorp.
Daniel published a book called “Father Time.” This book took men to task for putting their jobs ahead of their families and counselled them to change their lives, work commitments and long hours to concentrate on what’s really important. Hundreds of men in corporate life wrote to him after the book came out, congratulating him and telling their own stories, reiterating his point that children are only children for a short while before they grow up. They don’t wait for a parent’s attention.
One particular point he makes is: There’s the macho image and there’s also another disease in the corporate world, present-ism. First to get to the office, last to leave, and it has nothing to do with productivity.
Isn’t that a valid point? I’m sure many of you reading this know exactly what he’s alluding to. I personally find that too many people are busy being busy, running around in circles going nowhere.
The following suggestions will show you how to take back control of your lie and break the vicious cycle (if you really want to).
4 steps to take control
Step 1
First of all you have to admit to yourself that you really do want to make a change and are prepared to take action.
Step 2
Next write out a list of what’s really important to you: i.e. family, friends, health, work, money
Number each one in priority order from 1 onwards.
Tick those areas you would like to devote more time to.
Step 3
Write out a list of all your commitments at present: i.e. Committees, sports and hobbies, overwork.
Number these in priority order from 1 onwards.
Step 4
Decide which commitments you’d prefer not to have or can reduce the amount of time you are involved in them.
Often you need to resign from obligations which can rob you of having the balance you really long for in your life.
Take a long hard look at the lists you’ve compiled.
Now you have identified the areas you can improve if you really want to.
It’s just a case of actually doing it.
Take control of your life now (or other people will)
We all have choices in our lives, we can choose to be overworked, overweight even underpaid! You can change jobs, lose weight, earn more money, have more family time if you really choose to. It’s how you look at your situation and the action you are prepared to take.
Because nothing changes if nothing changes.
When you know how to take back control of your life, you finally experience the life you want and not what other people want you to have.
You can do it, one step at a time. Start the first step today.
Ready to take back control? Book a call with us to discover how we can make it happen here or contact us here.