Do you live to work or work to live?

Which situation describes you: do you work to live, or do you live to work? Do you go to a job each day that doesn’t quite fulfill you but pays the bills, or is your true passion your work, occupying your every thought?

Many people, likely the majority, see their job as a mere tool to earn money, enabling the life they want outside of it. They dread Mondays and eagerly await Fridays to enjoy the weekend. They constantly check the clock, counting down the minutes until they can leave the office. They do their tasks as best they can, not out of passion, but to keep the job that provides the income they need for their personal life. And when the workday ends, they rush out, relieved and happy, to enjoy their free time, family, or hobbies.
 
On the other hand, some have the opposite outlook. For them, work is an obsession and their main goal in life: to climb the professional ladder. They aim to impress their bosses, stand out in their workplace, and gain recognition for their efforts. They never skimp on hours; while others head home, they stay late, tirelessly proving their worth. They even bring work home, as the line between office and personal life blurs—their entire existence revolves around work, with the sole aim of advancing their career.
 
Which of these two groups do you belong to? Or is there a third group? Yes, there is, and I hope you’re part of it.
 
This third group consists of those who work in what they truly love. They chose a career that ignited their passion and found a job that aligns with it. Day to day, they perform tasks they enjoy and excel at. They go to work with a smile, knowing they’ll enjoy what they do, which fulfills them both personally and professionally while also providing a salary for a rich personal life. They don’t obsess over the clock to leave early, nor do they stay late without reason; they simply finish their tasks and go home. On weekends, they happily enjoy their free time and family, and though they might occasionally bring work home, it’s not out of obligation or to impress anyone—it’s because they enjoy it. These people neither work to live nor live to work: they live and enjoy their personal and professional lives equally.
 
I’ll ask again: which group do you belong to? My sincerest wish is that you’re part of this third group.
 

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...
“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI

Should you congratulate someone on a promotion?

Over the years, I’ve watched a former colleague climb the professional ladder. He started as a mid-level manager, then moved to a department head, and later to an executive position. It didn’t stop there. He left the company where he’d built his career to join a bigger competitor in a high-ranking role. Some time later, he was promoted to CEO of that company. All in all, his journey looks like one of success and well-deserved congratulations, but… 
 
Now I’ve learned he’s no longer the CEO of that company; instead, he’s been “promoted” to an even higher international position… in another European country. Should you congratulate him on such a promotion? I have my doubts. 
 
It’s certainly a more significant role with a better salary, but it forces him to uproot all his family ties since he must relocate abroad. What about his family? His friends? His daily life with hobbies, leisure, and enjoyment? His connection to the social environment where he grew up and developed? All of that gets shattered as he lands (who knows if alone or with his family) as an expatriate. Is that promotion and salary worth it? 
 
Perhaps when someone is single and the promotion involves working in a field they love, moving to another country feels like a reward worth celebrating. But when you have a family, a home, maybe a mortgage, relatives, friends, a close-knit environment, the promotion might come at too high a cost. 
 
What’s more important: professional success or personal and family fulfillment? What’s more valuable: a high-paying executive role or a lower position doing what you truly love? 
 
A former coworker once told me how her friends were shocked when she said she loved going to work because she enjoyed it so much, had fun doing it, and got paid for it. Isn’t that true happiness—enjoying the work you love while earning a living? 
 
Because when you’re torn from your environment, what awaits you after work each day? A hotel room in a foreign country? An empty apartment in another city? You, alone, without loved ones nearby—or having dragged them along, uprooting them from their own lives. 
 
No matter how prestigious the role or how high the salary, there comes a point when a promotion isn’t a reward but a punishment.

A journey through the history of the pharmaceutical industry and one of its great laboratories that had its origins in Alfred Nobel...

“From Alfred Nobel to AstraZeneca”: https://a.co/d/9svRTuI