Our feature story this month is about work-life balance. And if you’re sharp, you might catch the contradiction in that: you might well point out that work is not separate from life, as it’s a part of it, and you’d be totally right, too. I congratulate your astuteness if you did think that way. But what we mean here by work-life balance is balance between various parts of life, including the parts we consider work and the parts we consider not falling under the label.
You see, life is just the conscious energy that we have managed to catch from the infinity of the universe, like a bottle of ocean water. Now, what we do with this life, this rare opportunity of individuality, is entirely up to us. And we need to use it wisely.
There’s enough research to suggest that if we are to find ourselves in our deathbed in the distant future without regrets, we need to do three things: 1) make sure we’re working on something that matters to us deeply; 2) say yes to everything we’ve dreamed of doing without shying away from it due to fear of failure or some such insecurity; and 3) spend enough time with people we care for and those who care for us.
The first point is why at Healthwatch we’ve always striven to make sure that our employees are given the opportunity to do something deeply significant, meaningful and carrying maximal impact. Because connection breeds involvement, and deep involvement breeds a playful attitude. When one is spending nine hours of one’s life every day, week in and week out, it’d better be in a place where one matters; and in a place that matters to one and all.
For after all, making work not feel like work is key to making work not feel separate from life. And that is the ultimate success.
Have a playful month!
