Everyone Needs A Day of Rest

I’m back to work again and that makes evenings on Sundays feel especially precious because it is when I feel that the weekend is ending before it has even fully begun. So in the spirit of prolonging my weekend I’m sharing a series of photos taken when I took my dogs out for their weekly swim at the beach while sharing some random thoughts I have about work, play and personal development.

I believe a lot in working hard and playing harder. Not because I’m lazy (even though I honestly am), but because being able to relax and look forward to more good times helps you to work more efficiently. I’ve always believed that I’m working hard to afford a better lifestyle and I don’t want my life to be all about work. I’ve gone down the path where I spent most of my waking hours hard at work, earning money that I didn’t have enough time to spend. It felt really nice to have all the extra zeros in my bank account but I was miserable and constantly fell sick. Earning money is still necessary and very important but I have placed my focus more towards a job that gives me a greater satisfaction with reasonable returns rather than one where I’ve traded my happiness for increased dollar signs.

Why are we getting dressed in clothes that we buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that we are still paying for — in order to get to the job we need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house we leave vacant all day so we can afford to live in it.

Sometimes I feel that the companies we work for keep us busy on purpose so we would lose sight of the bigger picture of our personal life and end up spending the better part of our lives mico-managing the immediate goals of our companies instead.

When I earn more, I spend more and when I earn less, I naturally spend less. Strangely, I’m not unhappy about it. It was one of my biggest concerns as I thought I would be really unhappy about having to think twice before shopping. I realized that while I’m earning less, I’m actually happier and more contented. My life is filled with even more activities except it’s activities that I enjoy. I’m pursuing passions that are now available to me because I no longer work inane long hours. On the other hand, when I was earning more and investing more time working, I naturally pursued more material items because it was easier to buy happiness with the limited free time I had. There isn’t a right and wrong to either lifestyle, but I’m just sharing with you the personal lifestyle choice I’ve made and come to value.

It’s not just about money vs time.

When I was in a job that had never ending deadlines, I developed skills that made me even more efficient, had a greater resistance to stress and learnt better people management skills. However, in exchange, I became more self-centered and egoistic. My time became more precious than the time of those around me and my needs became more important than that of my love ones. I wasn’t developing the skills I valued most but I was developing the skills my employer valued in me. While it’s not all bad, I just knew it wasn’t who I wanted to be and what I wanted my life to be about. It took a lot of courage plus a little push from my love ones to finally walk away from the rat race while I was ahead because every sacrifice I made to stay ahead in the game made me more determine not to let the sacrifice go to waste.

There are still some things I miss about the fast track in the corporate world and I’m tempted to take up some offers that will hurl me into the center of the buzz again but at this moment in my life, I’m just happy to be where I am and feeling blessed to have found a job that is in line with my work philosophies.

I hope sharing my thoughts will inspire you to take time off to reflect on what your personal life goals are and help you to journey towards it.

Bikini – A Dreamy Shop

Skirt: Bangkok

Wedges: Korea