Balancing Career and Life…

The world has changed drastically over the last few decades. The pace of life has picked up, to an extent that it is not merely fast now, but frantic. Social empowerment and upliftment has translated into more and more people taking the plunge into career building and moving towards the high life. The human mind has evolved, and evolved drastically. From inventing the wheel to nanotechnology, we have come a long way. And while this has increased the comforts of life, it has also brought about tremendous changes in lifestyles. The changes occur at many levels - the individual level, the family level, the social level.

The high life is good, no doubt. Having money helps, obviously. However, while career-builiding as a passion may be good, it definitely is not good news when in turns into obsession. We are a need-based society. We need, so we do. However, over time, there has emerged a serious dichtomy between need and requirement. Need is no longer the central theme. Need has become secondary. Earlier, a roof over our heads was a need. Not so any more. Today, a roof over our heads is a requirement. A 5-digit salary is a need.

This in turn has led to people sacrificing smaller things in life. While these seem like small things, the impact they have is often huge. Two such things are food and sleep. These are basic requirements for the body. The body cannot function normally if it is deprived of either of these. Today’s employee sacrifices both in large amounts. To be able to pack in our hectic schedules, we wake early and work late. We sacrifice a good meal for snacks. It has become all about maximum benefit with minimum input and the shortest time fame. While this may be a good business concept, it doesn’t work as far as the body is concerned.

The result? Stress, hypertension, sleep deprivation, and other assorted problems such as sleep apnea. The need of the hour is to strike a healthy balance between ‘work’ and ‘life’. If this doesn’t happen, the results can be ominous. Burnout, failing health, and fatigue are just the beginning.

All this is at an individual level. At a social level, the results are there for all to see. Failed marriages, divorces, separations have become the norm today. People are awe-struck today when they hear that someone has been happily married, to one person, for the past decade. These incidents affect not just the individual, but also the partner in the relationship, the children they have.

Having a high paying job at the expense of family - it is for the individual to decide whether it is worth it.

Add comment June 11th, 2006 Written By: daisy