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Health & Fitness

How Do We Prevent Our Jobs From Controlling Our Lives?

Make your job fit into your life, not the other way around.

On June 12, I wrote a blog piece titled In it, I talked about how we need to have a balance of 5 different aspects to really be able to live a healthy lifestyle. In today’s piece, I want to focus on how our jobs mess up the balance we need.

We all know of people (maybe ourselves) whose lives revolve around their job. The routine goes something like this: checking email at 11:00 at night, not sleeping well because of what that email said, waking up tired but with a mind that immediately starts going 1000 mph, rush out the door with no substantial food, driving in the car anticipating the long list of things to get done on the job while either talking/texting on the phone to someone at work about work, speeding through the day in a blur, coming home and walking through the door in a cloudy, exhausted daze as your family excitedly greets you, sitting through dinner (maybe) in a foggy, distant, state of mind as everyone but you debriefs their day because although your brain is fried, you’re thinking about how much work you still have to do that night and what is facing you again tomorrow as you get ready to repeat the same cycle all over again…..phew!!. I’m tired just writing that. And yet, that’s how many people “live” their lives. My question is WHY?

Why does it have to be that way? What do we allow ourselves to get sucked into that cycle? Why do we have to take the promotion? Why do we have to check email at 11 pm? Why do we keep this pace up despite hating it? Why do we neglect those times at home when we’re not at work, yet thinking about work, instead of building into our spouses and kids? Why are we consumed by the kind of life that is clouded in pressure, stress, deadlines, corporate advancement, getting ahead, and personal gain, instead of living a life reading an actual hard copy newspaper on the deck on a Saturday morning, eating ice cream with your kids, or sitting in a quiet room with your spouse and just enjoying each other’s company?

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The answer is because we choose to; and all of us have reasons we choose to. Until we make a conscious decision to shut the phone or computer off at night, be intentional about the time with our families when we are home, and maybe even say no to the promotion even though it pays more or gives us a better title, the pace will only get faster and the pressure and stress (on ourselves and our family) will only get worse. If we want it to change, we can change it. But until we say to ourselves, “MY JOB IS NOT GOING TO CONTROL MY LIFE!” unfortunately, it always will.

About Dave Schall: Dave has been the Head Strength
 & Conditioning Coach at Westminster Christian Academy for the past 6 years.
 He is a former Division I and Professional Soccer player and holds a Bachelor’s 
Degree in Physical Education and Health and a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology 
and Physical Education. Dave earned a Certified Strength and Conditioning
 Specialist credential in 2000. He has been married to Stephanie for 7 years and 
has a 5-year old daughter Madeline and a 2 1/2-year old son Colton.

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