Are you a “work to live” person?

You might pity or roll your eyes at those “live to work” people.

While they’ve decided to go full tilt into their careers, you see it as a means to an end. Maybe you used to go harder (better, faster, stronger), but your fuel ran out. Maybe you’ve entered a new phase of life, and your health, relationships, hobbies, or social issues demand center stage.

I see you.

I’m the “design a career you love” person AND I believe we all must “work to live.”

Because work is a huge piece of the puzzle of life... not the whole picture.

This is especially important to internalize because we live in a capitalist society. The people who own the means of production will always want more value out of us for less. Even employee benefits, perks, and wellness programs are in service of the bottom line (and are great tax writeoffs). That’s business, baby!

So we each gotta make it our business to prioritize our health and happiness, and learn to play the ever-evolving system to make enough money.

My clients come to me for career wins. But look what they're really celebrating:

And I practice what I preach. One of my three business goals is pure life:

But while I'm all for healthy detachment from work, diversifying our “identity portfolios,” and using our careers to fuel our lives rather than drain them…

The “work to live” stance can quietly work against you, if:

You're so depleted by work, you have nothing left for the rest of your life. The day ends, the weekend starts, and instead of doing the things you’re working for, all you want to do is veg out and recover. The life you’re supposedly working for keeps getting pushed to later.

You sold your soul, and there’s no end in sight. I support intentional cash grabs. Sometimes, we gotta give Big Tech a hug in exchange for a fat paycheck so we can go on with our creative, playful, impactful selves. But sometimes we can find ourselves part of something deeply misaligned with our values—or that we’re not sure we can defend at a dinner party. That experience takes a huge toll on our lives.

You've made peace with bad work, but the resentment is always humming in the background. Maybe you've been burned before and think you're just being realistic. But pretty soon, you're unintentionally looking for reasons that work is bad—and you've lost the ability to be present and grateful for the glimmers of good. Remember: unless you've elected for the Severance procedure, the hours you spend at work are still your life. You deserve to feel at least okay some of the time.

We often ask whether you’re a “work to live” or “live to work” person. But the better question is:

What role do you want work to play in your life?

It's worth sitting with. Because your answer will shape everything from the roles you pursue to the boundaries you set.

Onward!
Grace