‘While I heartily subscribe to your premise of pursuing one’s dream,’ one reader, Donald J., wrote, ‘there are alternate perspectives worth considering.’
[We’re listening… go on.] ‘Some wiseguy once said that life is what happens to you while you’re waiting for something better to come along. Milton put it a little more poetically in one of his sonnets when he wrote, ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’ And then there’s the more familiar, ‘Take time to smell the roses.’
Thanks for the wise words, Donald. You’re right. Sometimes, in the race to create the ‘next big thing,’ we forget how important it is to slow down.
Much ink is spilled on how to be more organized… structured… efficient… productive… disruptive… and all those other lifestyle-‘enhancing’ buzzwords.
But not enough, we realize, on how to enjoy the fruits of your labor. On how to create a more balanced, holistic lifestyle.
There’s a relative drought of information, for example, on how to create a better work and family life balance. Or even the importance of it.
And, as you’ll see, it’s sorely needed (book idea! Anyone?).
Brace yourself. A slew of shocking figures coming your way…
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average American male works about one month more a year than in 1976. Even more for the average woman.
On top of this, the U. S. is the only country in the Americas without a national paid parental leave benefit. The average is over 12 weeks anywhere outside of Europe… and 20 weeks in Europe.
Americans also don’t have ‘nurture days’ per child until age 8, like in Denmark. Nor do we have year-long paid parental leaves for mothers and fathers, as in Iceland. A national three-month sabbatical policy, which Belgium enjoys? We can only dream.
This post was published at Laissez Faire on SEP 16, 2014.
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