Adventures in Awesome Living

by Sunil Bali, Chief Energy Officer, 16-10-11

After having delivered a seminar this week, I enjoyed a couple of beers with my client and caught the 8:30pm train back home from London.

Within 5 minutes of the train setting off, over a third of the almost full carriage had their eyes closed and were asleep.

Although I’ve never heard of a person on their death bed wishing that they had spent more time at work, many people still see it as a badge of honour to work late every night.

Workaholism is unnecessary, short-sighted and creates more problems than it solves, specifically:

1. It’s not sustainable over time and is extremely detrimental to physical health.

2. Throwing hours at a problem rarely solves the problem and is intellectually lazy.

3. Working more and more hours is rarely productive.

4. No one makes great decisions when they’re tired.

5. Workaholics encourage a culture of "presenteeism" where people feel guilty and obliged to stay late, even if they aren’t going to be productive.

As Fried and Hansson say in their excellent book Rework,

"Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured a faster way to get things done."

Over the longer term, it’s the Workafrolics – the people who work hard and play hard – who are truly successful.

 

Quotes

How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but instead, someone – Coco Chanel

Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash – Harriet Rubin

It takes time to build a corporate work of art. It takes time to build a life. And it takes time to develop and grow. So give yourself, your enterprise, and your family the time they deserve and the time they require
– Jim Rohn

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle – Albert Einstein

 

Humour

One minute you’re riding your bike, focussed on winning the race, then next the minute…..KER-POW !! (39 second video)

One Liners

If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

War does not determine who is right – only who is left.

I think, therefore we have nothing in common.

The difference between a baby and a boyfriend is that you can leave a baby alone with a babysitter.

Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.

Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good Evening,’ and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.

Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

 

To your success,

Sunil