This is a challenging week for me. I won't be getting much sleep because I need to finish the rough draft for my next book, Primal. Just thought I'd make an observation.
I need deadlines and I need vacations. I need someone to hold me to the fire. And I need to get away from it all. And its in the middle of those two tensions that I get things accomplished. Without deadlines, the perfectionist and procrastinator in me would never finish. But I also need to keep the workaholic in me in check by using all of my vacation days.
Maybe what I'm getting at is this: work hard and play hard. If life it one big deadline it'll kill you. But so will one long vacation. Life is lived in the middle of those two tensions. In my experience, the harder you work the more you enjoy your play. And the harder you play the more you enjoy your work.
Job 11:6 is one of my theological touchstones: true wisdom has two sides. Translation: truth is found in the tension of opposites. I think that can be applied to life as well. There is an unhealthy stress called distress. But there is a healthy stress called eustress. Work and Play. The tension of opposites.
Work Hard. Play Hard.
I need deadlines and I need vacations. I need someone to hold me to the fire. And I need to get away from it all. And its in the middle of those two tensions that I get things accomplished. Without deadlines, the perfectionist and procrastinator in me would never finish. But I also need to keep the workaholic in me in check by using all of my vacation days.
Maybe what I'm getting at is this: work hard and play hard. If life it one big deadline it'll kill you. But so will one long vacation. Life is lived in the middle of those two tensions. In my experience, the harder you work the more you enjoy your play. And the harder you play the more you enjoy your work.
Job 11:6 is one of my theological touchstones: true wisdom has two sides. Translation: truth is found in the tension of opposites. I think that can be applied to life as well. There is an unhealthy stress called distress. But there is a healthy stress called eustress. Work and Play. The tension of opposites.
Work Hard. Play Hard.
6 Comments:
Good word friend. Those thoughts have bounced in my head as my wife and I are headed to be with family in about two and a half weeks. Fresh air, friends and freedom from deadlines ;O)
So very true!
Great words to live by Mark! I'll take you up on it. Balance. All extremes are dysfunctional. Thanks!
This is exactly what I need to hear. I also have the procrastinator/perfectionist thing going on and I can't remember the last time I took actual vacation time. My workaholic side justifies no vacation with "it's too much trouble to work hard enough to leave and then you have to work too hard to catch up!"
I do love a good deadline and I'm going to work on loving a vacation, soon, I promise. Thanks for the encouragement.
You sound like you are talking about ME! So funny how we think we are the only ones sometimes or possibly the few...? I live right there in the midst of those two opposites...needing the deadline, hating the tendancy to procrastinate and so needing the vacation and if only it didn't take two days to wind down!! I"m right there with you!
Brilliant.
Now back to work so I can enjoy my son's baseball game tonight!
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