Living a life or just making a living?
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” – Dolly Parton
We spend our lives climbing up a perpetually extending ladder. Each time we reach the top of a section (whether that be Senior Associate, Regional Legal Officer or Partner), back to the bottom rung we go to start climbing the new section of the ladder. The bars keep shifting, the stress levels keep increasing; and yet, we keep climbing.
As we progress up the ladder, our quality of life increases – we start being able to afford the new car, the new house, the private school fees, the exotic holiday destinations, the weekend trips abroad for a friend’s wedding – but so does the pressure and so does the expectation on us to constantly perform.
Holidays are spent on work calls and emails. School plays are missed. Weekend trips are cancelled for trial preparation. Calls with our parents are postponed. We barely see our homes because we spend most of our time in the office.
We work so hard to create the “good life”, but we are missing it.
When does enough become enough?
When are you going to start living your life rather than just making a living?