Hi everyone!<\/p>\n
Wow, can you believe how far we\u2019ve come? Recently, it\u2019s really difficult to get a sense of time, isn’t it? What year is it? Is the year almost over, or has it only just started? It seems like we\u2019ve been through and entire decade\u2019s worth of events, but yet it feels like we\u2019re just getting started. I feel as if I\u2019ve lived 7 years in seven months, if not 70 years.<\/p>\n
While the world is in upheaval, and countries around the world are dealing with a situation that is quite simply unprecedented in human history, it\u2019s important to take a step back, and remember what is important.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve noticed that I\u2019ve become busier and busier lately, and this is often seen as \u2018good\u2019 in society. In fact, that\u2019s the overwhelming response that I\u2019ve got whenever I mention this. On the other hand, my parents, among countless others, find themselves in a different situation all of the sudden. After years working at breakneck speed, my dad\u2019s law firm is finally cooling off, while the law firm my mom works for is thinking of downsizing. While she is indispensable to the firm, it will likely mean a reduction in her workload as well.<\/p>\n
I would love to get your immediate impressions of this situation, but as I’m stuck in Canada, I can\u2019t get it right now! Of course, you could get in touch with me on our Skype course to let me know! I would love to hear your opinions, and get some news from my true homeland!<\/p>\n
Anyway, back to my family\u2019s and my situation. As mentioned before, I\u2019ve been working harder than ever lately, while my parents are freer than ever. Funny enough, our attitudes towards our separate predicaments are also the opposite; they lament the lack of work, while I keep thinking about what it\u2019s all for! Of course, we\u2019re both from different generations with different values. As you can imagine, this leads to plenty of arguments, but in this case, I tried to raise a point.<\/p>\n
As all my students know, I love my job, I love working, and I’m always happy to be busy. But, the longer I\u2019ve been away from the things I love doing, namely, travelling, surfing, exploring, being with friends and loved ones, the more I\u2019ve come to appreciate the whole notion of a work-life balance. To borrow an old adage about working, there are 2 ways of thinking when it comes to work<\/p>\n
With those 2 options, I’m sure you can easily categorise my parents and I, as well as yourself and others in Japan. Which is the most important for you? Which of the 2 are you putting the most time and effort into? Do you work so that you can enjoy the time off? Or, is most of your time spent working, without actually living beyond the confines of your job?<\/p>\n
The reason I bring this up is because you have the power to change everything. In fact, I used to fall into category 1 above. I used to be working 2 jobs at the same time, with a frankly atrocious schedule. Luckily, I realised the effect this was having on me. So, I made the leap and quit one of my jobs, and took the massive pay cut. But I realised what I wanted, and put myself 100% into Japan.<\/p>\n
So, are you working to live, or living to work? If you’re just living to work, with nothing else, why not change it? English can help you, but that\u2019s just one of the many, many options available. Just choose one that makes you happy! Let me know about your choice! Choose life :).<\/p>\n
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