Work matters but it should not come at the cost of your relationships.

It sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? Making tons and tons of money. Having the money to do whatever the hell we want. The “Work hard” advice pushes people to find a magic bullet that is as fun as a theme park and pays a fortune. Its fatal flaw?

Working hard comes at a cost.

I want to earn doing what I love. I want to support my family. I want others to recognize my professional achievement. But I don’t want all these to come at the price of my life. My relationships. My health.

Be determined. Resolve what you have set out to do. Persist. Persevere. Endure. Push forward. Resist obstacles and discouragement. Don’t give up on yourself. And your dreams. If all this is taking the precious time you have with your family, it is time to reconsider. Your job is taking something irreplaceable from you.

If the work you do feels exhausting. If you are perpetually frustrated. If you feel like you are swimming against the current and never, ever carried along with it. Maybe you need to cut your losses and try your hand at something else.

Working so hard should not come at the price of your life.

What is your hard work costing you? Is it stealing your mind from your family time? Are you thinking of the trouble you had at work when you should be thinking about what your kid is saying to you? Are you getting migraines, problems with digestion? Do you feel tired when you get home and you can’t even have a 10-minute discussion with your partner?

Working so hard should not come at the price of your life.

Is your work taking the life out of you? Is your job or career taking what is valuable from your relationship? Has your health been affected because it has been a long time since you have taken a decent night’s sleep?

If so, I have an important question.

What the heck are you doing?

Working so hard should not come at the price of your life.

Work matters — given that you’re likely to spend more time being deeply, truly involved with your work. But if all you want to do is stab your boss’s eye when you see him, quitting will be awesome for you. Snapping at your family every time you think of what your boss said to you is not healthy. For you and your family.

And if you do love your job and your boss is kind of awesome, good for you. But if you have a sinking feeling that you don’t like who you have become. As a result of too much time at work anymore, look in the mirror.

Why are you letting your work — even if you love it — come at the price of your life?

Writing is my main passion. And I love it when I write and connect with others. But I don’t want my writing to interrupt my family time. I don’t want notifications from my phone to steal precious time I have with my boyfriend. I don’t want to check my email over and over again when I am having dinner with my mom.

I want to be there with my brother when I talk to him. I want my laptop to be somewhere else when I am having conversations with close friends. Even if I love my blogging career, I don’t want it to come at the price of my relationships.

Working so hard should not come at the price of your life.

You have to have a life as well. Imagine that. The relationships you have with your loved ones are more important than your job. No matter how important your job is. No matter how much you earn from it. No matter how much you love it.

Too much is not good. Too much work. Too much time and energy. Too much intensity. Too much stress. You do so much without recharging. You do so much without resting that you become consumed. You do so much without tasting the food your partner made for you. You do so much without pausing.

At what cost?

Working so hard should not come at the price of your life.

Take a look at the price you are paying if a job you once loved has become a form of torture. Like all you want is to call in sick. Talking to your family has become overwhelming. You don’t even remember the last time you have a night out to be with your close friends.

Take a look at the price you are paying.

Working so hard should not come at the price of your life.

Your job should not sacrifice your family, your hobbies and your own personal time. If you are working so hard and you have no life at all, reconsider what you are doing.

I want to keep writing. I want to keep earning money from it. But I don’t want it to come at the price of my relationships. I want to have a simple meal with my family without urgent calls from my office interrupting our time. I want my walks with my boyfriend to be just about us. I don’t want notifications interrupting our intimate talks. I just want us to be there.

See, it is important we work hard. To earn money. And to be good at what we do. And to excel at our thing.

But…

I want to be free from my work (even if I love it) when I am with loved ones. I want all my energy on what is right in front of me.

Work is not all you need. You have priceless relationships. With your loved ones. And only you can choose to see them as something more important than the work you do. So don’t let working hard take away your presence in your relationships.

To your inspirations,

Banchi