A Candle Which Burns Twice as Bright, but Half as Long (Part 3)

Finally, we come to the final part of this little guide to helping you stay sane and happy about your work- taking care of your spirit.

            Oddly enough, for such an abstract idea, the answer is quite simple and straightforward.  It comes down to three elements that you should try to incorporate into your life and work (and you probably already do).

            One, surround yourself with supportive and curious people.  I’m not saying that if you work in the arts, you should only hang out with other artists and talk about how the man is keeping you down.  If you work in finance-I hope and pray you have many, many friends who don’t also do that, so that you don’t end up an intolerable tool.  And so on.  It’s not about what the people in your life do, or how similar it is to you-in fact, more variation is better (wait until I talk about the third element).  The most important thing about the people in your life is that they should support you.  They should build you up, and be there for you because, as anyone who is not suffering from a severe case of denial will tell you, life gets hard sometimes.  Just does.  At those times, you need people.  However, don’t need your friends.  Want them around.  Be interested in them.  Don’t selfishly build yourself a pool of people who support you, and not return the favor. 

People are not a safety net, you and your friends are all just threads, and you are much stronger when woven together.

Two, talk about your passion.  If you get excited and talk a mile a minute every time somebody asks you about what you do, it will remind you how much you love it.  Remember those moments, and the things you say, at times when you find yourself up against a wall.  Just talk through it all.  Since you have people in your life (see how I tie things together?) who are honestly curious, they will be happy to listen.  Talk about the good, talk about the bad, but just do your best to talk honestly.

Every thought is a spark, but if it never touches the air, it can never become a flame.

Finally, quite simply, do other stuff.  I talk about diving into work to keep your mind stimulated, but you will need to come up for air if you don’t want to drown.  Making your life all about work is the fastest way to burn out, and continue to struggle through it to the point where you will begin to hate what your life is about. 

This can be prevented easily by just developing other parts of your life.  Make a point of finding two friends, each with very different interests, and try and do one activity with each of them on a regular basis (i.e. golf with a buddy, hiking with an ex…just kidding, don’t do that, they might kill you.  Seriously, bad idea).  This will help you unwind, and take your mind off of work.  T            There is a reason they call a happy life a “full” life, it is just up to you to decide what to fill it with.

So concludes my three-part advice section on how to stay fit, engaged, and happy with your work.  If that none of this helps, you can always turn to the immortal words of a hero of mine.