Working Overtime
Working Overtime
In my last post, ‘Why You Need a Vacation from Your Vacation‘ I talked about the need for balance and rest in your life.
I recently had to bring my car in for service and while I had a loaner for a few days, I realized that the service guys work 6 days a week! Actually, most people in the dealership and service center work 6 days a week. I found that to be an extraordinary commitment to the company.
I asked a Manager if he loved his job and he said, “Love, that’s not a word I like to throw around casually. I love my dog…and like my job.” He went on to say it’s what’s he’s been doing for many years, since college, it’s what he knows and is compensated fairly.
But I wonder, how does someone find balance with only 1 day off a week? Even if all employees receive very fair compensation, how and when would they be able to enjoy that income?
Many Entrepreneurs tend to work overtime in the beginning, to establish their business(es). I often work 5-7 days a week, but I am able to set my own schedule. And, there’s an added benefit to working for yourself, in that, you are working for yourself! All those hours put in, are to directly benefit your business, which ultimately benefits YOU. There’s also an added sense of pride, joy and freedom when completing a task. Even though starting your own business means you’ll often take a pay cut to begin, your energy and effort will be your own, driven by your dreams and inspiration. (Not your boss’s needs.)
So, I ask you, do you love what you do? Would you do it for free? If the answer is no, why not?
A morbid thought, but one to think about, if you knew you were going to die within the year, would you do anything different? Would you quit your job and take a long awaited and needed vacation? Would you spend more time with your family? Would you move to another city?
At the end of your days, will your boss be by your bedside thanking you for your contribution? Would you even want your boss there? A career need not define your life. Actually, it’s quite the opposite! Your life and the enjoyment of it; experiencing love, family, friends, adventure, and many lessons learned, can help define your life’s path. Let your skills and natural abilities guide and lead you on a path that will fulfill you. And if there’s something you’ve always wanted to learn, go take a class and let that YEARNING guide you too.
You CAN love your job. You CAN love going to work and contributing your skills and being of service. You CAN love working 6 days a week! It’s all possible. The questions I ask are, do you truly love where you work? Do you truly feel you have enough time for yourself? Do you truly know what you need to be happy? Start there.
Please, remember, you chose to be here. To LIVE, to LOVE, and have experiences. To work, yes, and to ENJOY! And, eventually your work won’t feel like ‘work’ because you will love it! If you’re not enjoying life, more often than not, please know you have the ability to change that. Choose to love your life! You deserve it!
‘Til next time, thanks for reading and choose to love yourself, to love your life! 🙂
Why You Need a Vacation From Your Vacation
Why You Need a Vacation From Your Vacation
How often have you come back from a vacation exhausted, only to be waking up early the next morning to go back to work? Do you ever feel like it would be great to have a few days to relax and unpack before getting back to the grind?
With the drive to do more, be more and work as hard as you can to make it, many people are taking less and less time for themselves, often opting to forego their vacation time, and put in longer hours. Well, not only does this rob you of downtime you desperately need, your health will likely suffer.
No one can sustain themselves by always going, going, going, and not take a break. Americans are taking less time off, and even when they have a week to go play, a week is barely enough time to recover from burnout.
How many days do you get off per year including sick days? Have you ever not taken your time off or rolled your days over into the next year? Have you ever felt resentful towards people who do take time off? Have you experienced any irritability from not getting enough “you time?”
There is a way to alleviate this.
5 Tips to Help You In-Between Vacations
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- Set boundaries! When you leave work, leave your work, and all conversations about it, at the office. Leave the building and be free! Turn off the “work” phone. If you work for yourself, set up blocks of time where you commit to taking a break. Many entrepreneurs must make their own schedule, as 9-5 doesn’t usually cut it, however, you can still work in increments of time, giving yourself opportunities to eat, sleep, exercise and play.[adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
- Commit to exercising! Exercising sometimes feels like a drag. Like it’s something you have to do. And while it is to some degree, if you want to maintain your health in a particular way, time for exercising, is also more YOU time. Walking around the block, taking the stairs at work, going for a bike ride, going on a hike, all of these moments are to benefit you. You don’t need to make it hard. Walking, just walking can be great for your state of mind. Walk in a park, on the beach, down the street, around the lake, and even on a treadmill with great music in your ears, and it will break up lots of energy, and give you energy too![adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
- Take your days off! Use them up. Go play! If you only have a few days (like a weekend), a road trip can be a great excursion. Go places you’ve had on your list to see! Or, if you just need a day of rest, do that! Sleep in! Ask someone to watch your kids and take a day for yourself! (And put your phone in another room so you are not distracted by social media, or emails coming in.)[adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
- Ask for help! Seek guidance when needed. Maybe you need a different job that doesn’t drain you. I was watching Family Feud the other day and one of the questions was, “On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with the work you are doing in the world?” And 2 women answered, “5” and “3”. 10 was the number one answer. If you feel the same as these ladies, that’s a sign to leave your job and find something that inspires you. Talk with people in the industry you want to work. Ask for guidance. Love what you do, it will make a difference![adev_gap size=”12px” class=”” id=””]
- Leave time for rest! When you book your vacations, make sure you are leaving some time for rest. If you leave on the 8p flight after work, and fill your vacation with back-to-back activities, and then arrive home at 8p the day before you go back to work, you will surely still be burntout. If you’ve never done this before, the next time you book your vacation days, give yourself time on either end to relax. Also, while on vacation, wake up each morning and decide after you wake up, what you want to do. Give yourself the freedom to just BE. With nothing to do, nowhere to be, this newfound freedom might inspire you and also relax you, which is the point of you being on vacation!
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This is your life. It’s happening now and you are either living for yourself, or you are living for someone else. Choose wisely and know that you are meant to ENJOY life. So, find work you love, take time for yourself, play and share all this goodness which you are with others!
‘Til next time, thanks for reading, and let’s go somewhere magical!
Your Degree Doesn’t Matter to Me
Your Degree Doesn’t Matter to Me
Your degree doesn’t matter to me, especially if you’re an unkind person.
I read a great article titled, “I’m a Harvard Graduate and My Partner Is A High School Dropout.” Gina Florio, an Emory and Harvard graduate, talked about the educational pressures she experienced, while in school and in her romantic life. She says, “I spent two years struggling to make a toxic relationship work with a fellow Harvard grad boyfriend. He was exactly the kind of guy I felt like I should be with…” When she met Myles, a high school dropout, her perspective changed, and so did her life.
Degrees don’t separate us, it’s our belief that they do.
We live in a society that places importance on being better than your neighbor, aka competition. And if you are a competitive person, you will often find ways to belittle others, so you can feel better about yourself. This also applies to our education. Whether you have it or not. Whether you went to a “good” school or not. Whether you graduated or not. And when we meet people, socially, romantically or for work purposes, we often ask, “where did you go to school?”
Education is great to have, and, it can come to you in many different ways. Just getting out of your house can be an education. Traveling will teach you a lot. If you don’t like to fly, drive to the next city, next state, or take a train. There are adult classes offered all over the world, and online too. Take classes that are related to your interests. Does it matter what you learn? Yes, because if you love what you learn, you will teach it to others.
Next time you ask someone where they went to school, check in with yourself and be honest, why are you asking?
Your awareness of this simple little question, may have a big impact.
‘Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Learning!
Why Healthy Food Is Expensive
Why Healthy Food Is Expensive
Have you always wanted to eat healthy and organic, but felt the prices were too expensive? Too expensive to justify eating healthy?
You’re not alone.
When I first began shopping at healthy food stores I was super surprised by the total on my receipt. And even to this day I am often surprised by how much money I spend on organic food.
There are several reasons for this.
While it may be true that it’s a simple explanation of supply and demand, there’s more happening behind the scenes. Just as we are often bombarded with negative news and media, it is much easier to manipulate you by having your health deteriorate from foods that are cheap and easy to consume. The thing is, these foods are not easy on your body, and unfortunately your body has become accustomed to this new way of being, so the cycle continues. And wouldn’t you rather have a fast food meal and be fully satisfied by spending only $5-7, compared to a similar organic meal that could cost $12-18?
However, when you add up your medical/health insurance costs to maintain this way of eating, is it really worth it? There are over-the-counter meds and prescription drugs for everything now, but why would we need all this if we were healthy and the foods we ate were healthy?
There is good news!
Consumer Reports recently did a study comparing prices of Organic and Conventional food, and their findings might surprise you!
According to their study comparing more than 100 products, on average, organic foods were 47 percent more expensive, but in some instances, organic food was cheaper by as much as 13 percent. You can read the whole report here.
Also, a friend recently purchased a lot of organic product from Costco and I was surprised by the amount of organic food Costco supplied! This is great news for everyone, especially since most anyone can have a Costco membership now. And according to this article on Huffington Post, Costco might even be selling more organic product than Whole Foods.
So, if you really wanted to eat healthy, it is possible. Small changes everyday will make all the difference. What can you do today that will help you tomorrow? Research your local groceries for the organic product you would want to buy. Make conscious choices, read labels, and if something doesn’t feel good in your body, leave it!
Here’s to your health!
‘Til next time, thanks for reading & Happy Eating!
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