My mom was actually funny yesterday. Usually, she’s not. She sent me this…
Okay so yes, this is awful, but it does make a good point.
Look, I don’t know everything, but I DO know that I DON’T WANT TO DIE AT WORK!
I am all for having a career and being successful and making a difference. But at the same time, work should never be your entire life. And so that’s why I get upset when people can’t understand why Generation Y wants flexible work schedules. Um, yea…of course we do. Because there’s so much out there! There are so many things that we want to see, that we want to experience. Yes, there IS life beyond those three walls of your cubicle. Go read a book. Go take a vacation. Go spend time with family and friends. That’s what life’s about.
I hear crap like this all the time: “That’s life…Work is work…You’re not supposed to like it… Suck it up….You guys complain too much…That’s the stuff we’ve always had to deal with…We’ve always worked 9-5…You’re fighting a losing battle…etc. etc. etc.
But here’s my question: WHY?????????????????
Why do people give up so easily? Why have we just accepted that it’s okay for work to suck our souls and leave us too tired to enjoy the things that actually matter?
We’re not fighting a losing battle. We’re going to change things. You’ll see.
Because there is absolutely NO WAY that I’m going to die at my desk filing papers. That’s way too lame.
I’ve adopted a mantra: Work to live, don’t live to work. It’s all about balance. Oh, and loving (or at least liking) what you do. We spend too much of our lives at work for it to make sense any other way.
That’s right. My boss told me “Work to live, not live to work”. How ironic that my boss had to tell me I was working too hard.
We cease to live the very moment that work becomes our reason for existing. My grandparents had the mindset that the job was everything and my grandfather never too a day off until he died (you think I’m kidding, but I’m serious).
If the only reason for our existence is the job then why do we have the desire for other interactions?
LIVE! And live fully!
Nice post Kayla! Thanks for sharing!
I have worked for the same company for 26 years, due to medical reasons Friday will be my last day, I don’t intend to die at my desk looking at a spreadsheet full of data. Life is way to short for that. Goof post Kayla, keep up what your diong!
That article is just sad. I agree with you 100%, work is important for many reasons. But if you can pass away without anyone noticing that you’re gone…that’s the real reason why you need to get out and do something!
Oh, my goodness! My Dad finally retired after 30+years at a company that was just this way. No job, no matter how fulfilling, high paying or stimulating is worth dying for. And if it’s NOT fulfilling , high paying or stimulating, no question, it’s definitely NOT worth dying over! Great post with a great message!
Whoa. That’s horrible. Definitely should be taken as a wake up call for those who can still wake up!
Omg that’s extreme! I’m having a hard time believing it’s true. Maybe the journalist exaggerated!
Excellent advice!
That’s horrible about the guy! But you have a point. I don’t want to be stuck at a 9-5 desk job filing papers and staring at a computer screen typing in numbers. People always tell me that what I want to do is unrealistic but what I want will not be a 9-5 job and have flexible hours. I’m going to fight for what I want to do because you’ve only got one life to live. “I figure life’s a gift, I don’t intend on wasting it.” -Titanic
As a recovering workaholic, I whole heartily agree! Good post — keep ‘em coming.
I love it! It’s so true. Adults these days put so much emphasis on setting down and finding a stable job. But why settle when there’s so much else to do?
Well said! Work shouldn’t become life… it should be a part of life.
Are they kidding? A guy that works for you DIES and nobody notices? Really? C’mon people. If you work in THAT environment there’s only 1 thing to do. Get the heck outta there. And fast.
Imagine how the remaining employees are treated. I am not sure where you folks work but if no one notices a dead guy in the office then you have to wonder whet type of myopic envirnment they work in or are as people. What are they too afraid to ask a guy that hasn’t MOVED in 5 days “what’s up”?
This article is a joke http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_george_turklebaum.htm
This is True, keep up the Fight Gen Y !! I am sure many agree but their not as vocal
Kayla -
First of all thanks for posting! I agree with you – work is an important part of your life, and it should be rewarding. Sometimes work should even be wonderful!
Essentially, the trick is finding what you love, and then getting paid for it. There are people like me around (Workplace Psychologists) if there are issues deciding on the right path.
I look forward to more posts about your perspectives concerning work – Dr. Gottschalk
What a great post. We all need to realize that we all have an expiration date and when that date comes, well, what we know as existence here on earth is over.
We need to learn to live today like it’s your last day and enjoy every moment.
Life has so much to give us we can’t waste it.
Each day is a gift and not a given right.
I am pretty sure we spend more time at work than “at” anything else in life. The problem is, “How do we make work something other than what we do to get money to do what we want?”
I now work to try to change the world (which is job security to the max) and occasionally folks will even pay me for my efforts.
Be encouraged!
Kayla,
I love your energy and your attitude! You WILL change the world, I am sure. I think back to my Dad and his friends, who worked and worked their whole lives. Once they retired, all too many of them literally dropped dead of heart attacks within a few years. That is no way to live one’s life.
Nancy
Agree, agree, agree! I’ve been in the workforce for a little over a year and it blows my mind how this mindset is the norm. All work and no play … if you do any different it tarnishes your credibility. Hmph!
I work to live, not live to work! That’s scary that no one noticed. I mean he wore the same short to work all week, wasn’t answering emails, etc.
I believe that I’m on the cusp between the X and Y generation. Generation X feels the same way. We don’t want to live at work.
Reblogged this on The Wandering Mind and commented:
Don’t let that be me. Yeah, don’t work too hard.