Glamorizing Workaholism Needs To End
You can flaunt your Ph.D in professional busyness all you want in my face – it still won’t phase me one bit. The truth is that nowadays, people wear their workaholic tendencies as a badge of honor. " Look at me, look at me, I burry myself in my work and avoid coming face to face with myself. Where’s my award? " Give me a break now, and you might wanna give yourself one too.
Working isn’t solely a means to an end – it is more often than not a means of distracting ourselves from issues that we should be addressing, instead of continuously avoiding. It is beyond me that society has brainwashed people into stigmatizing those of us who don’t choose to embark on this working-myself-to-my-own-deathbed- fuckery. Maybe you are working 82 hours a week – and getting paid for it – but I’d rather work 82 hours a week working on my mental and emotional health and doing so without collecting one coin out of it.
I don’t care what it is you’re working toward – but driving your employees to the point where they are on the brink of suicide is completely inhuman, unacceptable and not normal. When I hear entrepreneurs such as Gary Vee saying stuff like "I’m constantly optimistic, never sad, - yadi yadi yada…" it makes me cringe. Suppressing emotions isn’t a sign of mental strength, and it’s certainly not something you should put upfront to a young audience watching you, as they will internalize your message and take it as the ultimate truth.
It baffles me that in this toxic hustle culture that gets promoted, mental and emotional health are rarely – if ever -part of the conversation. Yet they are the most important aspect of the human condition. You can have the best work ethic out there – kill it in the workplace- and still – if you overlook the importance of your own emotional health, you ought to become as toxic as the work culture you float in.
People are status conscious ; and being a workaholic is just another way to elevate their own false sense of prestige. What’s more is the fact that people have this ingrained perception that free time equates failure, and that being a busy ass bee is a sign of success. I don’t know what metrics you use to make such assumptions, but my conventional book of wisdom tells another story.
What can I tell you, free time just isn’t fashionable in the western world of today. Displaying your gazillion work commitments for the week is. “Work hard play hard” is the desirable motto. But are you really busy doing the right things? Or is your busyness rather a means of escaping some uncomfortable truths in your own life you don’t want to confront?
This is actually an article about me, I know it. Are you hiding a documentary crew somewhere. Have a voice over of Richard Attenborough speaking of the majestic beast as he walks to the copier only to foiled by a paper jam.
I got caught in this cycle. I was taught, right wrong of otherwise, by my father the value of hard work and dedication to your work. I placed so much self value in my job and my career, that it drove my whole internal system of self worth. It is what gave me purpose. That illusion fell apart last year. To not bore anyone with the silly back story, I will keep it short. I didn’t get the job that I was working to get and the company chose a lesser qualified candidate. It destroyed me, I was broken. This was what I thought I was supposed to be. I was going to be important. I even went through some of the stages of grief, over a job.
What came out of that though, once I made it out the other side that my structure for giving my life purpose and self worth as a like fucked up. I wasn’t focused on the important stuff, like simply myself. I built a shrine to this one pillar in my life and fortified it while neglecting then others. When that pillar failed the others were not strong enough to sustain. The whole house of cards collapsed on itself.
Definitely hiding a documentary crew;) funny as I’ve been told this for the 2nd time this week:P what can I say, I’m the new psychic of the world 😂
Thanks for sharing your story❤️ It touched my heart to read it. It is interesting that you went through the stages of grief. I can understand that. When your sense of self worth relies on one thing and you lose that thing, you feel as if your whole world crashes.
I believe that this may have been life’s way of teaching you something powerful.
You are not your job/your looks/your wealth/your status. And to find the real you requires a lot of soul searching that most people won’t necessarily take the time to do in their lifetime.
I’m very happy you made it to the other side with a different and wiser perspective ❣️
This is going to sound narcissistic or maybe anti-narcissistic, but I came to the realization a couple weeks ago that was probably not special. That doesn't mean that I am not valuable or important to people, but that maybe I am not meant for some higher purpose. It kind of released some of the stress of trying to define my purpose and who know I might find it when I am not looking for it. I understood that it maybe my purpose it just to live and be happy, not something be something I am not.
Wow! I love this commentary. (Opposite of narcissistic btw;) ) Most humans run around trying to find meaning and purpose and while these things are worth being sought after - it is important to remember that we are already complete as we are. There’s no rush. It is very true that purpose and meaning can come to us when we expect it the least.
Yep work is overrated. We are too wasteful so we have to work too much. :(
Fuck consumerism!
I think consumerism in general isn't too bad but wasteful consumerism is. We waste a lot of good cars and food and build a lot bigger houses than we need to.
How do you reconcile this current post (Glamorizing Workaholism Needs To End) with your previous post (https://steemit.com/life/@steemityourway/you-can-keep-going-and-your-legs-might-hurt-for-a-week-or-you-can-quit-and-your-mind-will-hurt-for-a-lifetime) where you said:
"High On Prolonged Self-Inflicted Pain
I’ve always derived some deep form of pleasure from pushing my body to its greatest limits."
To me it does not compute :-)
I’m in trouble ...... 🙊😂
I may push my body to its greatest limits, but I believe it isn’t an unhealthy habit. Which is the opposite with workaholism.
And is it not within the realm of possibility that a "workaholic" is saying to herself : "I may push my life to its greatest limits, but I believe I am building a future. Which is the opposite of an extreme athlete who is destroying her body for a biochemical high and to avoid her..."
Just kidding :-)
(kind of)
You have such great topic choices.
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Aw!! That means so much to me! Thanks a lot 💗
Yep, ... I spend a shit load of time at work (sometimes more than is probably necessary).. I do like my job but I often wonder if it’s just that sense of purpose that’s some what fulfilling. Like everything balance is the key but is often hard to find.
I agree with you! Striking a balance is a job on its own;)