Rethink Your Success: 5 Life Lessons From A Self-Confessed Workaholic

Life isn’t a competition, life is life.

The modern capitalist ideology of ambition and career often encourages us to work relentlessly without prioritizing our own well-being.

In today’s society, there is a positive perception of being a workaholic. From the age of 5 or younger, we enroll children in classes to groom them for academic success and turn them into productive individuals.

We are proud to share with our family, friends, and colleagues that our 5-year-old children are excelling academically and participating in extracurricular activities.

But in reality, we are preparing them for workaholism.

But I ask what is workaholism good for or needed?

Is it because our modern society requires human beings to be productive like machines?

Forget about humanity or authenticity.

Corporate companies and hustling are all about faking it until you make it and don’t forget to squash some people on the way if necessary.

All in the name of being a self-made success, reaching for the stars, and achieving grandiose infinite wealth and happiness.

What could go wrong?

Unfortunately, most of us do not become self-made millionaires in life, which is often due to the way the system is set up, rather than our own fault.

I realized that a long time ago.

Here are my lessons from being a workaholic.

Workaholism destroys relationships

I did not feel a deep connection with my daughter because I was always “busy.” My husband and I barely spent any time together because we both were working, constantly.

I didn’t have many friends because everybody was always busy.

Workaholism destroyed not only relationships around me but even the one most important relationship, with myself. I lost my own identity and authenticity while being a workaholic.

Workaholism destroys health

Absolutely true, I was overweight. I suffered from insomnia, chronic stress, and constipation. My irritable bowel syndrome was always in relapse.

These are all physical symptoms of workaholism. A year after I stopped working and moved to Spain, I lost 30 pounds, I sleep every day for at least 7 hours, walk a lot, and eat a healthy Mediterranean diet. I saw a big difference in my health.

Workaholism and climbing the corporate ladder have nothing to do with authenticity.

I know you need to be professional at work, but you still cannot show your authenticity.

For me, authenticity is about creativity and innovation. However, whenever I showed my creative, innovative self, that self was put down and wasn’t appreciated.

Despite the fact that I was hired to innovate. It was all on paper, not in reality. After researching this issue, it seems like most companies don’t want employees to bring their souls to work.

People are not enjoying work as they used to: only 13% of the world’s workforce is actively engaged, according to Gallup, while the majority is either disengaged or actively “boycotting” their employer.

Workaholism is an addiction

Or a predictor of burnout. In the US being a workaholic is socially accepted and encouraged. Anyone who works for corporate companies knows that working long hours, even receiving messages after work is absolutely the norm.

If I went home at the time you are supposed to go home, my boss wrote on my yearly performance review as not being a team player.

Once I asked to go visit my brother in Europe who was sick for 10 days, and my boss told me I have an extravagant lifestyle.

When my daughter got sick, my boss told me that is my problem and absence is an absence. I still have my deepest regrets for prioritizing work, and companies instead of being there for my daughter.

Workaholism is living a one-dimensional life

When you only work and sleep most of the 365 days in a year, that means you live a one-dimensional life. That one dimension is work. To be truly happy and to lead an authentic life, you must be multi-dimensional. Your life must have a work-life balance, a time for family, a rich social life, and a variety of hobbies, or just do nothing for a change and be OK with doing nothing.

I realized that my master’s degree was no longer a goal, but rather a big waste of my time. My true purpose in life was to help my daughter grow and spread values of joy, contentment, and appreciation. It became more important than ever for me to invest time and energy into the well-being of our family — not just in terms of money but in terms of love and care.

No more spending long hours at work, no more worrying about the future.

I choose to appreciate every moment as it comes rather than worrying about what tomorrow will bring. This is my new reality. I’m content with it, and life has been much easier since then.

I am now living the life of my dreams and authentic life, where I can be creative, and innovative and use my passion for making a difference in my world.

It’s time to say no to workaholism and live an authentic life. Say goodbye to working long hours with no real purpose or satisfaction, and start living your life with intention and purpose.

It’s time to open up to more meaningful experiences, more authentic relationships, and a greater sense of self-awareness.

This is the key to finding true happiness and fulfillment in life. So if you are ready to take the plunge into an authentic life… what are you waiting for?

I did it and now I live in Spain in the heart of the National Natural Park: Sierra Nevada where I live off the grid with my family and my animals.