I had an interesting after lunch conversation with a friend, Y. Y was commenting that there was a lot of work to be done in the office and she needed to start working late. She also mentioned that another friend of her was working way too late till there was no time to go to the gym.
Which is when I started posing her a simple question. Why work so hard? After all, work is work. I mean, it should be an honest day's wage for an honest day's work. No more, no less. Sure, by all means, work darn hard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But why work late everyday? Working late once a while to complete some urgent and important work is fine. But daily? Something is terribly wrong.
After much thought, Y finally answered "For success and fame". Something was even more wrong with the answer. Let's study it for a moment.
If success means money - hmmm. Have you ever heard of a cubicle worker getting rich? I don't think so. You seen a cubicle worker getting enough money to even get by? Hardly. Same with fame. Any famous cubicle workers? Heck, even William Hung did not get famous by sitting in a cubicle. He had to perform for it.
Which is when I started posing her a simple question. Why work so hard? After all, work is work. I mean, it should be an honest day's wage for an honest day's work. No more, no less. Sure, by all means, work darn hard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But why work late everyday? Working late once a while to complete some urgent and important work is fine. But daily? Something is terribly wrong.
After much thought, Y finally answered "For success and fame". Something was even more wrong with the answer. Let's study it for a moment.
If success means money - hmmm. Have you ever heard of a cubicle worker getting rich? I don't think so. You seen a cubicle worker getting enough money to even get by? Hardly. Same with fame. Any famous cubicle workers? Heck, even William Hung did not get famous by sitting in a cubicle. He had to perform for it.
So, it wasn't really success. She changed her answer to dedication and responsibility. I went on to ask her, what's the definition of dedication / responsibility? Let's look at the bigger picture. What about responsible as a pillow owner, I asked. I mean, heck, we all do own pillows. We have to accompany them at night, slept on them, hug them. So, by working till 2am daily, we are neglecting our duty as a pillow owner. Sounds funny, I know. What if the pillow in question was really your boyfriend? Or girlfriend? Or mother? Or father? Or perhaps, even all of it? Does anyone want to be responsible mother?
Personal successes are also important. "I manage to stay fit". "I lost 10 pounds" (which is my dream for the moment). Why neglect gym? Why neglect sleep? Why not a good laugh in the cinema?
And even with success at work, why not put a timeline to things? I am sure a lot of us, Y included, were very successful during days in university. But do remember. As well as we do for exams, we had 3 hours, or 2 hours, to complete the paper and hand it in. So, why can't we do the same for work? Allocate a reasonable amount of time, complete what we can, and hand it in?
And the most important thing is, why can't we have fun while working? Why does one hate work so much? Go do something else. As much as I complain about Nible2, I enjoy my work a lot. Despite the bitching and some bad moment, it has been fun. I have learnt a lot and had great fun, all paid for. Why prostitute ourselves to do things that we hate?
This reminds me, again, of a senior consultant. He would gentle remind me when I was stressed at work "Always remember. Only God can do miracles. We are only human. Just do what we can." Words of wisdom, I would say.
Personal successes are also important. "I manage to stay fit". "I lost 10 pounds" (which is my dream for the moment). Why neglect gym? Why neglect sleep? Why not a good laugh in the cinema?
And even with success at work, why not put a timeline to things? I am sure a lot of us, Y included, were very successful during days in university. But do remember. As well as we do for exams, we had 3 hours, or 2 hours, to complete the paper and hand it in. So, why can't we do the same for work? Allocate a reasonable amount of time, complete what we can, and hand it in?
And the most important thing is, why can't we have fun while working? Why does one hate work so much? Go do something else. As much as I complain about Nible2, I enjoy my work a lot. Despite the bitching and some bad moment, it has been fun. I have learnt a lot and had great fun, all paid for. Why prostitute ourselves to do things that we hate?
This reminds me, again, of a senior consultant. He would gentle remind me when I was stressed at work "Always remember. Only God can do miracles. We are only human. Just do what we can." Words of wisdom, I would say.
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