Do you live to work, work to live, or live to work? I know, the question doesn’t sound right, but, trust me, it is what I meant to write. These are questions of our approach to work and to life.
For, possibly, the majority of people the answer is: “I work to live.” This is a reasonable answer. After all, our work should not consume us. It should provide for the essentials of life—which includes food, housing, clothing, education, recreation, etc. As the question is traditionally posed—i.e., “Do you live to work or work to live?”—this is the favored response.
Why then do I present “live to work” as two alternatives? Because, the English language allows for the same words to have different meanings on the basis of emphasis and context.
“Live to work” usually refers to someone whose life centers around his or her work. On one hand, this can be seen as good—one takes pleasure in going to work. On the other hand, this can be seen as more of a negative—all one does is work. This “live to work” is the classic “workaholic”. One may be driven by the prestige, the money, work ethic, etc. For such people, there is little time for anything else—family, relationships, exercise, leisure, faith/spirituality, etc.
“Live to work” can, however, present a third approach to work. It presents what I would petition is the healthiest approach to our work. It is the “well-centered” approach.
One can emphasize the “work”—as in “live to work”—or one can emphasize the “live”—as in “work to live”. Alternatively, one can “live to work”. In other words, one can serve one’s Purpose—or greater calling—in one’s work.
Remember, well-centered fitness includes growth and balance in one’s Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social dimensions. If we are not living to work—i.e., living Purposefully—we are lacking in one or more dimension.
It is often easy to enjoy the Physical, Intellectual, and/or Emotional aspects of our work. These are the creative aspect of work. Where we tend to lack most in our work is in the Spiritual and Social dimensions.
Spiritual, remember, is the sense that there is more than self. So, Spiritually, our work—knowingly or unknowingly—affects countless people beyond ourselves. This goes far beyond the fact that our work has an immediate effect on someone—a customer/consumer. This alone can be rewarding, but there is far more satisfaction in work when we recognize that what we are doing can (and does) have far greater impact on others and has a rippling effect (you know, that whole “six-degrees of separation” thing).
One may consider their work insignificant (I only attach doohickeys to whatchamacallits on an assembly line.), but consider who is the recipient of your work—the usefulness of the product, the joy it might bring, the benefits of your employment, etc. Your work is only as insignificant as you make it. Sure, it may not come with prestige or a big paycheck, but that does not make it any less important. The line between ordinary and (extra)ordinary is drawn by our actions.
Somewhere in one’s work, one must interact with someone. Thus, there is a Social component to our work. Sometimes interacting with the people at your work—be they bosses, coworkers, or customers—can be the worst part of your job. It is our choice, however, how we respond to the actions of others. We must see the opportunities in interacting with difficult people. Rising above a negative social environment is far more satisfying than getting sucked into it (or letting it suck the life out of you). Let’s face it. The work environment often sucks, but we don’t have to be its victims. Challenging as it may be, we can choose to be positive even among the most negative people. In doing so, we rob them of power over us—and it seriously messes with them!
Then, of course, there are the social benefits outside of the workplace. Our income provides us the means to live outside of work. True, the benefits for some will be much greater than for others. If we “live to work”, we will miss out of the relational opportunities—in our marriage, family, relationships, community, etc.—if our work takes priority. As well, our relationships in the workplace will suffer, because it is all about the work itself and not the Purpose of the work. If we “work to live”, we will likewise miss out on the relational opportunities. If we are working only to live, we will be driven to work more because we will always want to “live” more. Thus, we miss making time for others, believing that we are sacrificing for them. I am sure there is not a spouse or child who has ever said of an employed relation that they wish their husband/wife or father/mother worked more.
Our lives and work lose value when they don’t consider the Spiritual and Social impact of our actions. It is when we consider our lives and work as Purposeful, however, that we become truly (extra)ordinary.
When given the choice—and you are, after all, given the choice—of whether to live to work, to work to live, or to live to work, choose to live to work!
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”—Albert Einstein