Working for a Better Tomorrow Is Great, Taking the Time to Enjoy This Tomorrow Is Better
Work for a better today.
“You work too much, you’re headed for burnout.”
You’ve probably heard someone around you say a sentence like that before. I’ve heard it many times in my life. I have ambitious goals, and I’m not counting my hours to reach those goals.
I often answer the same thing:
“I am working for a better tomorrow.”
You’re always working for a better tomorrow that never comes
Deep down, I tell myself that all the hard work I do today will pay off tomorrow. Then I’ll have more time to enjoy my life. I don’t think I’m taking too many risks by telling you that this mindset is shared by all those who want to accomplish great things in their lives.
So you must have already had these kinds of remarks. I imagine you’ve responded the same way I have.
This has helped you to avoid thinking more seriously about the issue it raises. You went back by working even harder for that famous better tomorrow you want to build up.
But when you look closer, you’ll realize that when that better tomorrow comes along, you’ll want more. Your goal at the beginning was well defined, but once you reach it, you can’t help but look even higher.
The example of Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurs is striking
Look at Mark Zuckerberg for example.
He’s been a phenomenal success at the head of Facebook. Starting from scratch, he founded a startup that is now worth $750 billion on the stock market, with more than 2 billion active users.
Yet he continues to work hard for a better tomorrow.
Once the 2 billion active users have been reached, he now wants to push the bar even higher by reaching 3 billion users. The buyouts of WhatsApp and Instagram are also part of this effort. He wants to make sure that no one will be able to dislodge Facebook.
In doing so, is he really taking the time to enjoy life?
I’m not on Mark Zuckerberg’s level. I guess neither are you. But even at our level, the problem is the same. After all, we have the same 24-hour days to live. Our weeks are 7 days long, just like those of the great entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley.
While they have a greater ability to delegate than we do, many never seem to take the time to savor that better tomorrow they pursue just as you and I do.
You work a lot for a better day that you never enjoy
As you continue this frantic quest for a better tomorrow, you will eventually realize sooner or later that you have forgotten to live through the magnificent journey that is life. It would be a shame to wake up one morning at 80 years old when you are close to the end of the journey, and then realize that you have missed out on so many extraordinary experiences in your life.
To avoid that, we have to find the right balance.
Rather than working endlessly each day, you need to set realistic limits. The most important thing is to do the right amount of work. Enough so that your projects move in the right direction, but not too much so that you don’t run out of time for yourself.
Finding that balance is a delicate matter.
I know something about it since it is a central issue for me right now. I try to reconcile my professional projects as well as possible in my personal life. It’s not easy. I always feel that I could do more.
Nevertheless, even though it’s hard to change your work habits, I consider it something necessary to achieve happiness. This happiness can only be found by having the chance to live life to the fullest on a daily basis.
Conclusion
Rather than spending my time working for a better tomorrow, I now try to work for a better today. This little subtlety of language is there to constantly remind me of the importance of enjoying life throughout the journey.
Just because you’ve given yourself a full weekend’s rest doesn’t mean you’ll fail to achieve your long-term goals.
On the contrary, the experiences you may have had during that simple weekend off with your family or friends will remain etched in your memory forever. It will give you a boost in difficult times, and it will allow you to avoid having eternal regrets once you reach the end of your life journey.
Our time on Earth is our most precious possession. Use it in the best possible way. It must begin today. If you make this choice, you won’t have to regret it.
Some reading:
Don’t Ask for Permission, Follow Your Own Path As Kamala Harris Has Always Done: This is the only way to achieve your most ambitious goals.
Unknown to the General Public, Earl Lloyd Will Forever Remain the First Black Player in NBA History: That was just 70 years ago.