does our work really define us?

It seems like whatever position and whatever company I get into, I always manage to be stressed about it. Hah! That's such a positive way to translate: Ano ba yan, kahit anong trabaho pasukan ko e tambak pa rin ang trabaho! (Okay, since one of my distinct traits is my optimism, I shall stick to the English translation instead.)

When I launch my tirade about work, my husband would give me the following replies: (1) You can't finish everything in one day. (2) Workaholic ka kasi. (3) Manage your time.

I agree with him on number 1: It gives me unnecessary stress just thinking of that there are things that I have yet to finish.

I disagree with him on number 2: I am not a workaholic (anymore). I recovered from my work addiction on the day I set foot in Singapore.

And number 3 makes me ponder: Do I really know how to manage my time? Do I use it wisely?

It's sad to think that most of the time, our work defines us. When we meet someone for the first time, one of the first questions we ask is "What do you do?" And we answer by telling him what kind of work we do, which company we work for, who are clients are, etc.

I totally agree with what The Unsettled Woman wrote in her blog:

When did this happen? Why is work suddenly the center of my universe?

I understand the whole idea of loving your job, doing your best and
making yourself and your company proud. But when it comes to a point where it
seems as if you just live and breathe work, that everything else around you
comes into neglect --- your family, your friends, your health, even yourself ---
doesn't that make for a sad little life?

Me thinks: Isn't it sad when our work is the centre of our life?

Not only workaholics have their work as the centre of their lives. Even regular working people do. When your boss breathes down on your neck, or when something bad at work happens, your whole day is destroyed already. On the other hand, if something really good happens at work, it's enough for you to celebrate by having a round of drinks or by being in a good mood throughout the week.

Nothing is wrong with that, but I do hope I am more passionate with the more important things in life--like my family, friends, my health, my interests...

I remember this quote I read somewhere when I was still in high school. Something about the Five Balls of Life. Briad Dyson, CEO of Coca-Cola talked about these five balls when he delivered the Commencement Address in one of Georgia Tech's graduation ceremony. He spoke of the relation of work to one's other commitments:

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.
You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re
keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.

If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls--family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.

You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.
How?

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they would be your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be
brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but
a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery and Today is a gift: that’s why we call it ‘The Present’.