Ever heard of the saying “work hard, play hard”? This is something I grew up hearing and I believe that it instilled in me a desire to first work hard at the things required of me, then enjoy whatever it was that I wanted to do when everything else was done.
I’m so grateful that this lesson was given to me as it helped me learn the values of hard work and healthy habits, HOWEVER, lately I’ve realized that sometimes it’s important to prioritize the “playing hard” part.
Don’t get me wrong, working hard is SO important and (most often than not) essential that we prioritize to make progress in our lives, but if all you’re doing is working, working, and more working, you won’t be able to enjoy the process you’re in and flourish to your greatest potential!
It was marrying my husband and seeing what he prioritized that I learned this important lesson. I mostly focused on working hard (but still played here and there) and he made sure that he always had time to enjoy the things in life that made him happy. This annoyed me so much at first because it was completely against what I grew up believing, but I saw how happy my husband was. I saw how great his relationships were (he prioritized spending time with friends and family), and how healthy, low-stress, and fun to be around he was. It was time to take a page out of his book.
Although it wasn’t easy at first, instead of waking up at the beginning of the day and trying to check-mark all of my “to-dos” as soon as I could, the first thing I did was make myself a delicious breakfast and read Harry Potter (a book I really enjoyed). It wasn’t anything huge, but this was a time of day I really came to love (mornings have always been a little difficult for me) and it gave me some extra energy to get the other things done that I needed to each day.
You know yourself better than anyone. Are you someone who prioritizes work or play?
How would your life look different if you switched that around and focused on the other side some more? This doesn’t mean that you have to completely change the way you do things. Maybe it looks like waking up a little earlier to exercise before getting ready for work or checking something off your to-do list before watching your favorite tv show in the evening. Little changes here and there of going from working hard to playing hard or from playing hard to working hard can end up making the biggest difference for you and those you are close to!
Time to hear from you! Before reading this post, were you someone who prioritized working hard or playing hard? How are you going to implement the other side some more in your life?
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