A new year is upon us, a new dawn us approaching. There’s something about a January 1st that leads us to believe that we can push the “reset” button and start new, start fresh. I’ve never quite understood how a day on a calendar would hold such monumental weight – but it’s symbolism of new beginnings cannot be denied.
Last year on December 31st I shared one sentence that has honestly been lost in the midst of everything that has happened this year:
“Life, in the middle of everything you may be trying to accomplish, is about living”.
There’s a fine line between loving your career and obsessing over it. I know, believe me, I can relate to all of you out there who work tirelessly, and while you may love your job, you can quickly fall into the trap of letting your work-life consume your life-life.
I’m the first to say that that work & life are not mutually exclusive – that ideally, they integrate into one melting pot of goodness – but if there’s one thing I’m walking into 2011 with, one new page I’ll be turning, it’s the desire to work less and live more.
To put the computer down more often – to continue down the path we’re on at Proof – sharing the workload instead of trying to do it all myself – to travel more spontaneously – to tell myself that it’s okay to play Call of Duty every once in a while and that life isn’t going to end if I don’t respond to an e-mail at 2am.
Working on living (pun intended). That’s what 2011 is going to be about. I’m extremely fortunate to have gone through extreme lows with my head up and some incredible results to show for my hard work – and I don’t at all want to “slow down” – but I will spend more time in 2011 working on having a few more beers with my friends, cooking more with my wife, and writing for the hell of it.
Because when you stop and think about it – the most important job you have, is living.
What will be your theme in 2011? What will you be “working” on?
And, Happy New Year, everyone. It’s been an incredible year and thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey with me.