I am not one of those people so it is extremely easy to focus more on outside hobbies than my job – often thinking about and/or planning outside activities is the only thing that gets me through my work day. Working in human resources I watch the constant struggle between work/life balance, and let me tell you that no job is worth not enjoying your life. No salary should prevent personal happiness. At the end of it all are you going to look back and say “I’m so happy I worked all those hours, and made all that money”? Or are you going to regret not spending more time doing the things you enjoy?
Do your hobbies relive stress? If yes, you definitely need to take them more seriously. Job stress has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, which can cause liver or kidney disease or a stroke – just to name a few. Also, what stressed out person is really enjoyable to work with, therefore creating a hostile work environment for others?
Do you know that taking your beloved vacations can also stress you out more? I have read several news articles lately that state the aftermath of vacations leave employees sad that they are no longer on vacation, overly aware of how unhappy their current working status is, yet tied to their job to pay off said vacation. The anticipation of an upcoming vacation puts employees in a much greater mood, therefore creating a more enjoyable work environment. So if everyone could constantly be anticipating a vacation…..
Ok. Sorry I went all HR on your asses. It wasn’t deserved. I apologize.
You see blogging lately has become a hobby. Do I take it more seriously than my job? Kind of. My job has become non-challenging and non-rewarding, and as you already know, if I’m not challenged at things in my life, I’m more than likely not interested. I process tasks at warp speeds as it’s my nature and that leaves me with free time. Most people would not complain about this, but I am bored easily. I am stuck wanting a job that ends at 5 and that I don’t have to think about on weekends so that I can enjoy my outside life, but also a job that is challenging. I fill my time reading HR articles on current news and trends, attempting to make processes easier with excel spreadsheets and access databases, and of course blogging. I can honestly say I’ve spent more time blogging this week than doing actual work – so that is taking my hobby more seriously than my job. Also planning and completing the 101 things and blogging about them is far more interesting than my job!
As I would love to be paid to blog daily I do not see this happening without winning the lottery. So I must earn a living. I am very aware of the rut that I am in, and am working towards a solution as part of my current life changes. However, whatever path I take I will be sure to make sure that there is always time for my hobbies – as a person who lives at a stress level above most, stress-relief is very important. As a wise man once said:
The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on. ~Elbert Hubbard
My job....I'm finding myself caring less and less about, but it allows me to go visit people I love, so it's worth it. I leave work at work, though, and that's nice.
ReplyDelete