It's 6:00 o'clock in the morning; the alarm sets
off. You get out of bed. You take a bath. You have your breakfast. You leave
the house. You're ready to face another working day. Are you not?
When I was a kid, I would ask my father why he and my mother had to work. He would always tell me that they had to, so we could have the money to buy food, to pay for the bills, to pay for our schooling (I come from what you can call a middle income family). Both my parents worked, Dad was a business man while mum had a shop where she sells food stuffs in bags at a market called Kasuwar Dawanau in Kano ( hope I got the spellings right, lol), though they are both aged and retired, but I'm really grateful to God, that in spite of that, we were never lacking in love, time, nor care from our parents even till date.
As a matter of fact, my brothers, sisters and I grew up to be responsible individuals because our parents really took care of us. We all went to good schools, and they never hesitated to whoop our butts when we deserved it. lol
They made sure that we did our homework. They didn't pressure us to aspire for honors, but we were motivated enough to study hard so we'd get good grades. What we have become today is our way of repaying our parents who never complained about working and providing for us as kids. I guess fate has been really good to my brothers, sisters and I, modesty aside, we all are doing ok, and to God be all the Glory.
My parents taught me that one has to work in order for him to live a good life. They stressed, however, that this should not be taken as having to live just to work! They said that work should only be a part of life and it should not occupy one's whole existence.
And they lived this philosophy. At the end of the work day, they would leave all their work-related problems so that at home they could be devoted to us 100%, no less.
To this day, I still hear their message that work should be just a part of life and not life itself. It is a pity that some people see life the opposite. They have forgotten how to really live because they work too hard.
There is nothing wrong with striving at work, but people must watch out for signs that they have begun to work themselves to death. Remember that anything in excess is bad. Maybe, you want to achieve something badly, that's why you work so hard. But I believe that success in the workplace doesn't always bring happiness.
To be successful means that you have to sacrifice some things and sometimes, you end up sacrificing your family, your friends, your life, just to achieve your professional goals, but you are likely to lose yourself. Then you wonder if the loss is worth the gain.
Everybody's wish, in this world, is happiness and there are many ways to be happy. But when we work too hard or worry too much, we often forget that the simple things in life are those that make us happy…. like a call from family or a friend, a smile from a stranger, a surprise gift, a good meal, a pat on the back signifying well-done etc. It doesn't require much to get these gifts. These gifts are for free, but they provide immeasurable happiness.
My advice this morning is work to live and not live to work. Find time for yourself, for your family, and for your friends. Keep in mind that your priority is your loved ones, and not your work. Everybody deserves to be happy and I hope that everyone grows old without any regret in life.
Let's use this Christmas holiday to spend quality time with our loved ones, cos these are the memories we will keep until we depart this world.
I hope each of us will have a smile on our faces when we reminisce the old times, cos I do sometimes have a smile on my face with I remember my Father taking me to Lebanon Club in Kano in the early 80s to play tennis with his friends and business associates. I felt loved and special. Sometimes I wonder if he remembers as well.
I hope that you finds living exciting and wonderful. It is my wish that we would all find the time to do the things that really matter most.
Let us work hard, not purely for our professional goals, but for a better life, why?
When I was a kid, I would ask my father why he and my mother had to work. He would always tell me that they had to, so we could have the money to buy food, to pay for the bills, to pay for our schooling (I come from what you can call a middle income family). Both my parents worked, Dad was a business man while mum had a shop where she sells food stuffs in bags at a market called Kasuwar Dawanau in Kano ( hope I got the spellings right, lol), though they are both aged and retired, but I'm really grateful to God, that in spite of that, we were never lacking in love, time, nor care from our parents even till date.
As a matter of fact, my brothers, sisters and I grew up to be responsible individuals because our parents really took care of us. We all went to good schools, and they never hesitated to whoop our butts when we deserved it. lol
They made sure that we did our homework. They didn't pressure us to aspire for honors, but we were motivated enough to study hard so we'd get good grades. What we have become today is our way of repaying our parents who never complained about working and providing for us as kids. I guess fate has been really good to my brothers, sisters and I, modesty aside, we all are doing ok, and to God be all the Glory.
My parents taught me that one has to work in order for him to live a good life. They stressed, however, that this should not be taken as having to live just to work! They said that work should only be a part of life and it should not occupy one's whole existence.
And they lived this philosophy. At the end of the work day, they would leave all their work-related problems so that at home they could be devoted to us 100%, no less.
To this day, I still hear their message that work should be just a part of life and not life itself. It is a pity that some people see life the opposite. They have forgotten how to really live because they work too hard.
There is nothing wrong with striving at work, but people must watch out for signs that they have begun to work themselves to death. Remember that anything in excess is bad. Maybe, you want to achieve something badly, that's why you work so hard. But I believe that success in the workplace doesn't always bring happiness.
To be successful means that you have to sacrifice some things and sometimes, you end up sacrificing your family, your friends, your life, just to achieve your professional goals, but you are likely to lose yourself. Then you wonder if the loss is worth the gain.
Everybody's wish, in this world, is happiness and there are many ways to be happy. But when we work too hard or worry too much, we often forget that the simple things in life are those that make us happy…. like a call from family or a friend, a smile from a stranger, a surprise gift, a good meal, a pat on the back signifying well-done etc. It doesn't require much to get these gifts. These gifts are for free, but they provide immeasurable happiness.
My advice this morning is work to live and not live to work. Find time for yourself, for your family, and for your friends. Keep in mind that your priority is your loved ones, and not your work. Everybody deserves to be happy and I hope that everyone grows old without any regret in life.
Let's use this Christmas holiday to spend quality time with our loved ones, cos these are the memories we will keep until we depart this world.
I hope each of us will have a smile on our faces when we reminisce the old times, cos I do sometimes have a smile on my face with I remember my Father taking me to Lebanon Club in Kano in the early 80s to play tennis with his friends and business associates. I felt loved and special. Sometimes I wonder if he remembers as well.
I hope that you finds living exciting and wonderful. It is my wish that we would all find the time to do the things that really matter most.
Let us work hard, not purely for our professional goals, but for a better life, why?
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE!!!
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