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Calculating the amount of time I spent working during the workweek gave me huge insight on my work life balance.
I calculated my days and weeks and you guessed it; like everyone else in this world, I found the majority of the workweek was spent at work. (big surprise, but listen to the point) Roughly ten hours a day are spent at work including travel to and from. Additionally I try to gain about seven to eight hours of sleep per night and about one to two hours exercising. This leaves me with approximately four hours to take care of dinner and the children. Thank God for my wife whom is a great help with dinner and taking care of the house and kids. At a significant point in my life I found myself calculating how I spend my time and trying to determine the best way to spend it. (How to get the most value out of my time) Approximately forty-five hours a week are spent at work, so I may as well like the people I work with otherwise the majority of my time would be spent suffering. I used to have a fairly well paying job, but the department I worked in just wasn’t the right fit for me. There was more preach than practice and barley any direction at all. I couldn’t relate to the managers and didn't feel any real support. I saw managers making actions just to justify their positions, but none of their actions truly engaged the team as is was mostly a lot of smoke. I found common ground with fellow colleagues, but there was a sense of fear where people just accepted the way things were because the pay was good. Ironically, most of these people complained all day, including the manager I reported to. Communication felt forced throughout the entire department. To top it off, I wasn’t given credit for specific work I completed, nor process improvements I created. I felt it was a shame because the company had a lot to offer, but unfortunately when companies get to big, focus can shift to numbers and away from people. Needless to say, I needed a change. I applied to other jobs but told myself I wouldn’t accept any job offer until I found the right fit. Eventually, I resigned and took a chance to relocate, but that fell through. I ended up back at square one, but I had enough to cover me for a few months to make the change I wanted in my life. After a few interviews and job offers, I finally came across a place that felt great from the start. I accepted the position and became quickly acquainted with my new colleagues. I embraced my new work family and was able to come to work with my usual positive outlook and received the proper respect. This is the way we should feel when we go to work everyday. Though the difference in pay was quite less, it still had enough to pay my bills. Besides, I don't live above my means and I'm grateful for all that I have. Plus being happy to go to work made such a difference in my work life balance. And feeling good about what I'm doing will help me excel wherever I am. The bottom line is we all work to live though a few may live to work, it’s still really all based the value of time. And how can you value your time if you don’t enjoy it with the people you spend it with? Perspective is a most valuable tool because we can choose to embrace people or negate people. If you embrace people, you will see and bring the best out of them. If you negate or resist people you will push them away and create an unfriendly environment. This is certainly important for higher ups and managers that have people reporting to them. When dealing with direct reports it is important to create an approachable environment. Bosses who carry hostile mentalities that degrade their employees do not incentivize creativity or passion from their employees. “What I say goes,” or “Because I said so,” just doesn’t work anymore. (Negative attitudes in general don't work and leaders need to lead by example) How can any business thrive in such an environment and lack of culture? This day and age, we need to be more team based and empathetic to human life. None of us are so different. We all need to eat, protect our skin with clothes and use shelter from the weather. It's pretty basic. Unrealistic and irrational thoughts/ideas are made up in one’s own mind and the only person who can change that mind is the one who owns it. It doesn't matter where the influence came from. We all have Choice. So back to the topic at hand, embracing people. Previously I’ve written about ownership and truth in value, though the title of this written work is “Work Family,” it is really about embracing people. In regards to your work family, if you do your best to embrace them, but the culture in the workplace is stagnant and resistant to change and you are unhappy there, you must be the one to make a change. At least that's what I've learned from my experience. If you value your life, you will not wish to spend the majority of your time in an unpleasant environment just for the sake of a paycheck. You can survive, you will survive and all you’ve got to do is try. Sometimes we have to sacrifice, but weigh it out. Value yourself and make sure your time is well spent. If you believe in yourself and apply your energy efficiently, you can create peace in your life. Measure your time and place your value on the quality of life for yourself and those around you. Don't make choices solely based on income! (You can be rich and unhappy too) Income, in it may come but out it goes, so choose to enjoy today, everyday and don't waste your energy in negativity or around negative environments. You have choices to make. You can surely find people out there that you will love to embrace and they will love to embrace you too. Find your Work Family. Written by Ariel Flashman Dedicated to Humanity
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AuthorMy view is for the common good in all people. #NecessityBased Archives
October 2016
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