Last night I read Want to Be Successful, Stop Trying So Hard on BNET by Steve Tobak that began:

If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re driven by achievement and success, at least to some extent. Well, some of the most career-oriented, success-minded individuals drive themselves too hard and become their own worst enemy. I’m not talking about work-life balance; I’m talking about how your drive can become toxic to your career.

Thankfully, I have not become my own worst enemy but I am all too aware of how easy it is to upset that balance. How many of us know that guy or woman for whom work-life balance is non-existent?

The post goes on to describe how the author had his own wake up call that transformed his life and career. He learned to let go and as a result his career soared. Tobak woke up before he destroyed his health and marriage. The only collateral damage was a job loss, but that was enough for him to make a real life change.

As I read, I wondered when did our lives become about career. We wish for more hours in the day so that we can  get more work done. We give up sleep and time with our friends and family for our career. Is our life’s purpose work or is it life?

I am all for career happiness and spend a great deal of my working life helping leaders create happy work places and employees find those places, yet I am aware that life is so much bigger than our job title.

We have 168 hours in a week. Today, many people see the 40 hours per week as light, with many working 60 hours or more. Assuming that we work 40 hours, and sleep 42 hours per week, we have spent half the week on those two activities alone. This does not even count the amount of time some spend actually commuting to and from a job, or spending off time on work tasks (conference calls on vacation, emails before you get to the office).

With our precious remaining 86 hours per week, we must manage the other details of our lives such as children,  families, health, nourishment, cleaning and errands.

I am a realist.  Life cannot be all fun and games (or so they tell me) but it would be a revolution if we decided to take back more of our lives. My guess is that we’d actually get more done in fewer hours if our lives were in balance. We’d sleep and eat better and spend time with people who nourished our souls. With energized bodies and refreshed minds, there would be no limit to what we could accomplish.

At least that’s the way it plays out in the fantasy of my own mind. Maybe I cannot convince the world to chill out but in this I can lead by example.

Are you with me?

Speaking of career, I’m doing a twinterview (twitter interview) with Rick Ceciltoday at 11 am EST. Rick will be asking follow up questions to the interview he did with me a few months ago that ran this week.  If you’re not too busy working, please stop in and tweet with us. 🙂