Hurrying to keep all the sand in the castle

June 01, 2018 12:35 PM

Confucius famously said that when you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.

But for workaholics, it’s actually quite the opposite.

When you find a job you love, you work every day of your life.

And that’s the problem. It doesn’t feel like work. And so, the reasonable story you tell yourself is that it’s okay to work long hours because you love what you are doing. This is your passion and your purpose and the time just whips by because you’re born for this and there’s nothing you’d rather be doing.

That may be true, but it also may be a loophole you use to justify staying addicted. There’s a fine line between being committed to the work and being too scared to give up the work for a moment and allow yourself the space you need.

As it says in the big book of workaholism:

Addicts are hurrying to keep all the sand in the castle as though they would die or cease to exist if they stopped.

And so, you continue with your compulsive behavior. Keeping yourself trapped in your misery indefinitely. No matter how bad things get.

Problem? What problem? I’m not that bad. Trust me, I know what I’m doing. This work needs to be done. And now is not a good time to stop. Besides, I’m not hurting anybody but myself. And I’m not nearly as bad as other people. Hey man, nobody is going to tell me what to do.

Well then, congratulations. Have you come any closer to filling the horrible void you feel inside of yourself?

Look, it you’re abandoning yourself due to incessant doing, that’s a work addiction. Period.

And after a while, you can no longer pretend that it’s something you can fix by working harder.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How can life’s little miracles happen to you if you are always rushing around?

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Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com